Tag: library book

Book Review: The Mobster’s Daughter by Rachel Scott McDaniel

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Christian Historical Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Rachel Scott McDaniel
Publisher: Ally Press
Release Date: November 2nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The one man who could help her, must never know her name.

If Kate Chamberlin can’t reveal her true identity to the world, she must settle for sharing only her talent. Hired as a musician for KDKA radio, Kate plays everything from sponsors’ jingles to complex sonatas. As long as the whispers around the broadcasting room refer to her as “Killjoy Kate” and not “Catarina the crime boss’s daughter,” then her life is safe from danger.

Or so she thinks.

When anonymous, violent threats surface, Kate’s wary of accepting protection from the handsome private investigator, Detective Jennings. His save-the-world attitude is as charming as his manners, but no one, especially him, can know the gruesome realities of her birth.

The 1924 Pittsburgh underworld is as complicated as it is elusive, and though the dealings of the Salvastanos have dwindled, Rhett Jennings is certain the man responsible for his father’s death is still at large. But his personal hunt for justice must be set aside when his day job requires him to investigate threats directed at a young radio broadcaster with enamoring brown eyes and secretive behavior.

When danger surrounds them, will the truth of Kate’s past become the key to their survival?

I LIKED IT.

This is my first by the author, and the first Christian romance I’ve read in a very long time. Both turned out better than I expected and I’m grateful for that.

I liked the plot and setting. The historical aspects worked so well and I felt transported to the 1920’s. The mystery brought out enough intrigue to keep the page turning and I did not see some of the ending reveals coming!

Romance wise, it was rather swoony and sweet. I love protective heroes, it’s just my favorite, and there were plenty of opportunities for that here. A tiny bit of fake dating, taking care of you scenes and you can consider me charmed. There were a few things about purity that I didn’t love and I’m mostly chalking up to a time period situation. Otherwise the Christianity aspects worked well into the plot and I liked the themes of forgiveness and God accepting you where you are.

Overall audience notes:

  • Christian Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: non-consensual drugged beverage, attempted murder, loss of a parent, gun violence, break-ins

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Rebels of Gold (Loom Saga #3) by Elise Kova

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: NA Fantasy
Length: 452 pages
Author: Elise Kova
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Release Date: October 25th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Loom burns. Nova bleeds. The war for the fate of both rages.

A new rebellion has risen from the still-smoldering remnants of the Five Guilds of Loom to stand against Dragon tyranny.

Meanwhile, on Nova, those same Dragons fight amongst themselves, as age-old power struggles shift the political landscape in fateful and unexpected ways.

Unlikely leaders vie for the opportunity to shape a new world order from the creations of one temperamental and lethal engineer.

The fates of the beloved characters of the Loom Saga are revealed in this epic and explosive conclusion to a dark fantasy certain to delight readers looking for sweeping adventure, heart-pounding action, and a world that will live on long after the last page.

I FINISHED IT.

I read the first two books in this series a few years ago and finally swung around to finishing the series. Was it worth it? Eh I suppose to. I liked a lot of this, but it really isn’t my favorite of Kova’s (That would be Air Awakens and I beg of y’all to read it).

Anywho, I DID enjoy this characters. Florence, Ari and Cvareh all play solid roles. I liked the character progression and where they ended up when the war was over. What I struggled with was the relationship between Ari and Cvareh. When books are like HERE’S THE ROMANCE, then take it away for a long time it makes things feel unbalanced.

That’s mostly what I thought of the entire book. Unbalanced. Between the politicking, action and relationship building I was looking for something a bit different.

The magic system is suuuper cool. I do the love dragons, and chimera and steampunk vibes of the world. It’s unique and fresh and what really held the story together for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, battle themes, magical and physical altercations

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: You, with a View by Jessica Joyce

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages


Author: Jessica Joyce
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two weeks on the road… stuck in a car with your high-school enemy.

Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos and letters that hint to a forbidden love in her gram’s past. Needing to know the full story, she creates a TikTok video appealing for information – and it goes viral.

Through her video, she manages to track down her grandmother’s secret love, Paul, who offers to take her on the honeymoon road-trip he and Gram planned but never got to go on.

Noelle jumps at the chance to make this one last connection with her grandmother. There’s just one problem – Paul’s grandson is Noelle’s frustratingly handsome high-school rival Theo.

And Theo has to come, too.

It’s only two weeks. Surely Noelle can survive that long? But with one car between them – and often only one bed – it doesn’t take long for things to heat up…

REAL GOOD.

I loved this audiobook and I loved this story. It was incredibly well put together. The road trip worked well and learning more about Noelle’s grandmother and her love story really squeezed my heart.

And the romance?? Immaculate banter and chemistry. They really had things going for them from the beginning. I adored Theo and was smitten by how much he cared. The third act made me a little cranky and I also got thrown by the random psychic reading that influenced the plot way too much for me?

Otherwise though, a solid romance read. The side characters were incredible. One of my favorite aspects was that Noelle had a supportive and loving family. I don’t feel like that’s seen very often in adult romance and I loved the support. I look forward to more books by this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open; moderate explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent, strained family relationships

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Cursed (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 496 pages
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In Cursed, Marissa Meyer brings the fairytale-inspired Gilded duology to a conclusion..

Be still now, and I will tell you a tale.

Adalheid Castle is in chaos.

Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.

But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn’t only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good—once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?

HMM.

Well. You see, I wanted to love this, buuut I can only put it in the like category and that’s the first time I’ve done that for a Marissa Meyer book.

I already wasn’t sure after the [big redacted spoiler] from the ending of the last book. And I don’t think it played super well here. There was an interesting magic workaround that gave the characters some movement but ultimately the miscommunication it led to, led me to struggle with it all.

Where was Gild? Frankly, not sure. He was missing for SO MUCH of this book and he was the whole love interest in the first!! It was one of those cases where the romance dropped off the map rather than holding steady when it was the original purpose of the retelling. The time spent with the Erlking did not do it for me.

There were some good action sequences and I remember liking different parts here and there. I wish Serilda had accomplished a bit more rather than letting things continually happen to her or just hanging out when battles were fought. I hoped for more in this conclusion but oh well.

I do love Marissa Meyer’s writing style and will still pick up whatever she writes next.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, loss of life, possession, physical and magical altercations, childbirth

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph