Tag: goodreads

This Chick Read: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

The Women in the Castle tells the story of three widowed women in post World War II, Germany. Even though each woman comes from a different level of society their history ties them together. All three are widowed wives of resisters, men who had hoped to assassinate Hitler and stop the war. When their plot failed, these women were left behind; Marianne to carry on in her husbands name to save the wives and families of other resisters, tragically Benita was left in the hands of the conquering army, and Ania and her two boys were left as refugees in a war camp. They come together and live in Marianne’s husband’s castle in Bavaria, each of them moving on in different ways.

Marianne was kind of the leader of this troop of women and children. It was her castle they resided in, so she did have the authority to make commands, but also because she had the strongest personality of the three. Her view of the world was very black and white. What their husbands fought for was good and pretty much everything else was evil. It was interesting to see her character grow and learn that there are many shades of grey in the world that don’t represent evil.

Benita was the widow of Marianne’s closest friend. She was stunningly beautiful and where beauty usually makes your life easier during a war it brings a ton of unwanted attention. Her story was the hardest to read as she endured some absolute horrors following her husbands death. As we viewed Benita mostly through Marianne’s eyes, she seemed so fragile against the strength of character that was Marianne’s backbone.

Ania was a mystery through most of this novel. She was sturdy, strong, and seemed to have a back breaking work ethic. Every time something needed to be done Ania had the strength and knowledge to complete the task. She and Marianne became best friends and partners, I think mostly because she buckled down and got the job done without complaint.

Reading a novel about World War II is so difficult because of all of the atrocities of this particular war. What set this novel apart from others I’ve read was that we see the war through these German women’s eyes. Their feelings about what Hitler and the Nazi’s did and the reaction of the people around them- or lack of reaction in a lot of cases. I think this might be the first novel where I read about the German people’s apathy. That most Germans had buried their head in the sand when it came to Hitler’s propaganda and escalating spewing of hatred towards Jews or embraced his theology.  This book came out in the beginning of 2017 and now reading it a year and a half later I was stunned by the comparisons I could make to politics in the US right now. I don’t want to get political in my review, but those similarities are pretty scary.

I listened to the audio book of this novel. It is narrated by Cassandra Campbell who does an excellent job of reading  and emoting while speaking in German, Polish, Russian and American accents. She was truly amazing. She read at a pace that fit the mood of the story and delivered each woman’s dialog with the deft skills of one of the best actors. Bravo, Cassandra! If you have 13+ hours to spare, I’d recommend listening to this book! Regardless if you are reading or listening, this book was truly excellent.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Women in the Castle

Click this link to purchase!* The Women in the Castle: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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Friday YA: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

I love a fairy tale re-telling when I don’t remember the exact details of that fairy tale. It helps me get lost in the story instead of making comparisons to the original. Spinning Silver was a new take on the story Rumplestiltskin and about all I could remember from that story was that there was a girl that spun straw into gold and got her some unwanted attention. Our heroine Miryem has a talent for turning things into gold but it’s not by spinning straw. She is the daughter of a family of moneylenders, and while her father is horrible at collecting those dollars owed, Miryem excels at remaining cold to their customers excuses and keeps her hand out until it is filled. While walking home through the forest one day, she makes an off hand remark about being able to turn anything into gold and the Staryk overhear. The Staryk are a race of (for lack of a better term) ice people. They live in winter 24/7 and are the boogeymen of Miryem’s world. When she catches their attention she does what she does best. She gets them results and gets some unwanted attention in return.

Miryem is not the only main character of this book. It’s actually told through multiple POV’s and I’ll admit that that got a little confusing. Especially when a new POV was introduced and you spent a few paragraphs reading to try to figure out whose eyes you were seeing through this time. Each character had their own plot that spun and twisted together to combine into a satisfying conclusion to all of their storylines. I’ll admit to liking Miryem’s story the best, but maybe that’s because her POV was easy to spot.

The pace of this story helped the overall feeling that you were reading a fairy tale and the writing was well done. However, there was a lack of warmth for these characters. I so wanted to like them but something seemed to be missing. They were all so determined in their lives, but nothing seemed to make them very happy. Overall, even though there was a happy ending, I felt kind of unhappy about it all. That’s not to say that I didn’t appreciate the writing, the story had twists and turns that I didn’t expect and I certainly appreciated the craftsmanship of the author, but for me it lacked heart.

I have read nothing but great reviews for this novel, but because of that lack of warmth I could only give it a 3.5 rating. Sorry Naomi! However, as with all books reading is subjective and all of you may LOVE this book. Even though I am always right (not really), if you are interested in reading this book, please do! I would love to hear what you think. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Spinning Silver

Click this link to purchase!* Spinning Silver: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Emerald (Red Hot Love #2) by Elle Casey

I love the premise of this series. Amber, Emerald, and Rose grow up with their mothers in a hippy commune as sisters. One day, a lawyer shows up at their house with an offer of 30 million dollars from the band Red Hot as recompense for not knowing their daughters were alive. Their mothers were groupies for that band and the bandmates are their fathers. They don’t know who has fathered whom and are happy being group fathers. Each daughter gets her own story, and this novel is about Emerald, the shy, sweet, hippy.

After Amber ends up moving to NY to work for the band, she twists her sister Emerald’s arm to come for a long visit. Emerald really hates big cities, but loves and misses her sister so agree’s to the visit. When the band, who is touring Tokyo, has an emergency, Amber has to ditch her sister right when her boyfriend’s brother, Sam shows up on their doorstep. She enlists Emerald’s help in playing hostess to Sam and the chemistry between the two of them is immediate.

I really liked how Emerald and Sam seemed to fit so easily together. Yet, I hated that at the same time! I know, that’s a little wishy washy, but the two of them were so low key. What do you feel like for dinner, pizza? Hmmm, sounds good to me. Pizza it is! Even Sam’s tragedy back in LA doesn’t really bring any tension to a story that needed a little conflict. Not that I disliked them, I didn’t at all, it’s just that their story kind of hummed along. No grand theatrics or anything, yet somehow pleasant and enjoyable to read. Weird, I know.

I did like the progression of the story with their fathers in the band Red Hot. They are so excited to be fathers, it’s hard to not like them! Amber is now all in, working for the band, but Emerald and her sister Rose are a little more difficult. What do two hippy chicks have in common with a rock band? The series wraps up with Rose’s story and yes, I am going to read it because I’m invested in their story and want to see what happens. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Emerald

Click this link to purchase!* Emerald (Red Hot Love Book 2)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: The Confectioner’s Guild by Claire Luana

Plucked from the back of a baker’s shop and whisked away to the Confectioner’s Guild to meet with their leader no one is more surprised than Wren when he drops dead at her feet after eating one of her confection’s. Being a suspect for murder is a difficult way to start as the newest apprentice at the Guild. Wren is determined to clear her name and with the help of the lead investigator she starts to unravel a political plot that has her risking her life and his.

Wren was discovered and brought to the guild because of her magical creations. This discovery is pivotal and has the importance to change her circumstances but the murder of the guild’s beloved leader pits most of her peers against her except for a chosen few friends. I have to admit that I love anything sweet, so the scenes where she is baking away in the kitchen are among my favorites but this is a murder mystery, not a Master Baker exhibition. I liked the idea of a world filled with specialized guilds. I even liked that there was a bit of magic involved in this world, but wanted a little more explanation. I felt like this world that was kind of light and fluffy (except for the murder part) but still wasn’t as colorful and round as I’d have liked. The murder did add more texture and grit, but not depth.

I did really like the characters and this world full of craftsmen guilds intrigued me.  This novel is just the first in the series, so there was a lot of set up and character building which may be why I thought the story felt a little light. My hope is that the characters settle in, grow, and become three dimensional. I’d like to see more of Wren’s magic since she is just now discovering she even has it, so keep those baked goods coming! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review and it was honest.

The Confectioner's Guild

Click this link to purchase!* The Confectioner’s Guild (The Confectioner Chronicles)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Georgina Fernweh is approaching her seventeenth birthday when she will leave the island for the first time ever and live on the mainland and go to college. Going to college is usually a huge event in a persons life, but in Georgina’s case turning seventeen may be even bigger because she still hasn’t manifested her magic. First, she has to get through the summer as the island gets overrun with the Annabelle birdwatchers who arrive annually to catch a glimpse of a very rare bird. In their midst is a beautiful girl and her brother who help change the way Georgina see’s her future and herself.

I loved the mix of magical and reality. Georgina comes from a family of women who are gifted in different ways. Her twin sister’s gift is as mischievous and willful, matching the nature of the girl herself. Georgina, with her lack of magic, is the realist in the family and when tragedy strikes, she finds courage within herself to face the darkness and help her friends and family find the light. This novel dealt with a very difficult subject (rape) but did it in a way that matched the tone of the novel. There’s not much that’s magical about rape, but there can be magic in justice.

Katrina Leno has a magical way with storytelling. The flow of this novel, as with those I’ve read in the past, is very gentle, like the ebb and flow of the surf on the island Georgina lives on. When the conflict hits, that gentle flow is halted with a jerk and then the pace of the novel speeds up increasing your pulse right along with it. I forgot to read the synopsis before I started the book and so the magical bits were a pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant was the surprise that Georgina was secure in her sexuality as a young gay woman. This novel didn’t surprise us with her sexuality, it was built into her character, part of what made Georgina tick and wasn’t the conflict of the plot. It was a sidebar to her lack of magic being the main plot focus making her character feel totally natural. I liked that and I liked her.

If you like good books with a touch of magical realism, I think you should give Summer of Salt a try. You’ll be surprised by the richness of the characters and charmed by the writing. I believe you’ll even track down another of Katrina Leno’s books because you’ll want to see if she can be this good a second time. I’d recommend Everything All At Once! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Summer of Salt

Click this link to purchase!* Summer of Salt

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Look the Part by Jewel E. Ann

I don’t remember which blogger had this book on their Mid Year Best of 2018 Book List but THANK YOU! Look the Part is a gem!

Lawyer Flint Hopkins leases out an office space in his building to music therapist Ellen Rodgers, not realizing what all that entails. As Ellen points out when he complains about the noise, my title is “Music Therapist”. This involves music! Immediately he tries to have her evicted because he doesn’t like the noise. However, that is pretty much the only thing he doesn’t like about her. She is energetic, lovely, musical, funny and his 12 year old autistic son, Harrison, LOVES her. After school and in between her appointments Harrison goes up to her office and plays her guitar. VERY well. Harrison also tells his dad that he is not allowed to “date” Elle because she is his friend. Even after his son basically called dibs on her, Flint is drawn in to her vibrant personality and their sizzling chemistry.

The premise of Look the Part is fun, funny, and sweet. However, inside both Flint and Elle are deep, dark, emotions that they are hiding from. Elle, who is always straightening Flints tie and touching his clothes, needs a physical connection. Flint, keeps his connections impersonal and only occasionally physical. I liked how she wanted to draw him closer and he only wanted her close briefly. It was a yin and yang that created a tension that their comic actions played well with. As the story evolves and the reader is brought into why they each have these fears we can see how their fears are actually tying them together instead of keeping them apart.

Harrison was a really cool addition to the story. His autism was pretty mild but a challenge for his father and when Harrison spoke his mind it generally rocked everyone’s world. His words were a great mix of kids speaking what everyone is thinking and his autism letting him say exactly what was on his mind without his emotions becoming involved. Elle’s connection with Harrison as well as Harrison giving his father a reason to live was an integral part of why I liked this novel as much as I did. The connection between the three of them felt real.

As far as the romance, I totally bought into the relationship between Elle and Flint. It’s rare when I read a contemporary romance and I don’t get antsy or irritated while waiting for the story to reach it’s conclusion. I was immersed in this novel and incredibly patient with these characters letting the story build up in what felt like a natural ending with all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed. Look the Part is an apt title because not only did Flint look the part of Elle’s man and Harrison’s father, but this novel Looked the Part of a rock solid romance. I have never read a novel by Jewel E. Ann, but am excited to discover her and can’t wait to read her whole library!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Look the Part

Click this link to purchase!* Look the Part

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist #2) by Renee Ahdieh – Audio Review

I eagerly anticipated reading Smoke in the Sun, the sequel to Renee Ahdieh’s well received novel Flame in the Mist. I adored Flame in the Mist! The Japanese culture and the heroine, Mariko who was discovering her independence and starting to see the world outside her family’s domain. I had a lot of travel time in front of me so I decided to listen to the audio book for Smoke in the Sun, read by Nancy Wu.

As I started listening to the novel and re-entering the world that Renee Ahdieh created I really enjoyed the slower pace of Nancy Wu’s narration. It really fit the style of the novel and the colorful descriptions of the scenery.

My feelings for the story were very mixed. What I had enjoyed in the first novel, the styling of a new culture and intrigue between figuring out who was good and evil wore thin in Smoke in the Sun. The pace was sooooo slow. I can at times be an impatient reader, and maybe in this case listening to the novel actually gave it a disservice. Regardless, I wanted more from my heroine Mariko than I got in this novel. The beautiful descriptions that I enjoyed previously seemed to drag the story down. The elegance and styling grew suffocating. Where was my kick ass heroine? Too much time was spent on crafting the evil characters and not enough time spent on the resolution. The book had an imbalance that I just couldn’t get past as well as an ending that seemed unrealistic.

I know there will be people who will disagree with me and I’m ok with that! Reading is subjective, as it should be and what I like/dislike others will dislike/like. I do think Renee Ahdieh is a talented writer, but in my opinion she missed the mark with this sequel. Even though I’m giving the book a 2.5 rating, the cover still gets a 5.0. Gorgeous!

❤️❤️❣️

Flame in the Mist

Click this link to purchase!* Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan #2) by Julie McElwain

A Twist in Time has our FBI Investigator turned time traveler on the hunt after another murderer. This time she travels to London because the Duke of Aldridge’s nephew, Alec is a suspect in the murder of his ex-mistress Lady Dover. Kendra, the Duke, Bow Street Runner Sam Kelly and her lover, Alec have two weeks until the House of Lords decides to try Alec. More importantly, his reputation is on the line and in 1815, reputations are more deadly than the stiletto used in this murder.

This series is so much fun because we are watching a prodigy investigator use her mental skills to catch a killer instead of technology. Socially inept at best, Kendra has to (somewhat) play by society’s rules. Her roll as the ward of the Duke of Aldridge will only get her so far. Her best means of finding out the facts seem to be pissing people off enough to make mistakes. The fact that Alec and she are new lovers adds a little personal tension that makes the scintillating details of his past affair, well, fun!

The Kendra Donovan series has quickly become one of my favorites. I do love a great historical mystery and a time travel mystery scores this author some bonus points in my eyes! If you haven’t tried out the first novel, A Murder in Time, and you enjoy this genre, please give it a try. You won’t regret the time spent, I promise! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

A Twist

Click this link to purchase!* A Twist in Time: A Novel (Kendra Donovan Mysteries)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserve

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Friday YA: Love, Life and the List by Kasie West

Do you ever start off reading a book thinking it’s about one thing, but your own experience with the words on the page make your experience something entirely different? That’s what happened to me with Kasie West’s Love, Life and the List.

Abby is seventeen years old and in love with her best friend Cooper. As if that’s not bad enough, she is trying to enter her art into an exhibit to help her chances of getting into art school but her mentor tells her that she hasn’t lived through enough life experiences to portray art with feeling. Abby is pretty destroyed, but determined to live life to the fullest by following a list she creates. What’s on the list? Things like facing your fear; watch a life end; experiencing unrequited love, etc. and her painting changes as she does with each life event she faces.

I think we’ve all lived through Abby’s emotion of loving her best friend and not having that love returned. Although mine was at a little bit older of an age, those feelings came rushing right back as she tried to deny the importance of her feelings. Thankfully she had some other things to check off to keep her busy and as she did I realized I should make my own list because even though I’m older, there is still a lot I need to experience. Kasie West’s point about your life becoming 3D by living through different experiences was poignant, and even though sometimes I’m human and want to avoid heavy emotions, reading this book made me think I may be missing something by not living them. (OK, I am mostly thinking about my avoidance of movies and books that make me cry, but even so, I may be missing something!)

Cooper was a charming leading man. He was a typical teen in that he didn’t think that far into the future and so in making a joke of Abby’s feelings he actually hurts himself as much as he hurts her. He was a really fun character to read and I enjoyed their sparring, but was thankful to see his character growth because it gave him dimension and the story more impact. I enjoyed experiencing life through Abby’s character and loved how quickly this plot moved. If you are looking for a one hanky lighthearted romance, I think this is the story for you! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Love, Life and the List

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Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1) by Darynda Jones (audio book review)

First Grave on the Right was first published in 2011, so this is not a new book. However, recently I had another blogger recommend Darynda Jones to me because of my love of paranormal fantasy novels. When I looked up Darynda Jones I saw there were 13 books in this series and I’ll admit I was excited. There’s nothing like finding a great new author and getting to read through a bunch of their novels that are already published. I chose to explore by listening to the audio book narrated by Lorelei King. I’ll be the first to admit that I am just learning to recognize narrators names and I didn’t recognize Lorelei King, but when I heard her voice I knew immediately who she was. Ms. King also narrates Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series, one of my favorites, and also a series I am currently listening to. Once I got over the fact that the voice may be the same, but the characters definitely weren’t I really enjoyed the novel.

First Grave on the Right introduces us to Charley Davidson, PI and Grim Reaper. Charley is not the Grim Reaper of horror stories. She doesn’t wear a cape and carry a scythe. She is a person who see’s dead people and helps them cross. The dead people see Charley as a brilliant white light which attracts them to her and to get them to cross she helps solve the problem that’s keeping them in this realm. In this case it is a murder. Charley’s character has such a joie de vivre! Ms. King read’s her with a sense of humor and irreverence that really makes listening to this novel enjoyable. It is part slapstick, romance and mystery; think Stephanie Plumb meets Nancy Drew.

First Grave on the Right is also a paranormal romance novel, but Charley’s lover is not corporeal, he is an entity that at first we’re not sure is a bad guy or good guy. We are only introduced to this character, but he has played an integral part in Charley’s entire life. Moving into future novels his character becomes a bit more fleshed out, but in First Grave on the Right Charley is trying to determine who and what he is, while also solving this other murder.

I really enjoyed Darynda Jones since of humor in writing these characters. It’s a paranormal fantasy so throw away your expectations of reality and just enjoy the ride!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

First Grave

Click this link to purchase the audio book! First Grave on the Right: Charley Davidson, Book 1

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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