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ALC Book Review: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2) by Megan Bannen

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Megan Bannen
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: July 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…

Thank you LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

I LIKED THIS.

Audiobook notes: I loved the audiobook! I had no issues listening at my usual speed (3x). The narrator was great and highly recommend this format.

I liked the big themes in this book. I loved that this was an older couple!! It was a pairing I rarely come across and it was a nice change. I loved that Twyla got to learn more about herself and what was going to make HER happy. Resonating with giving much of your life to your children squeezed my heart. Learning that it’s okay to also have separate things you love and want to be a part of too. And how wonderful a second chance at love can be, regardless of where you are in life.

There’s some good friends to lovers moments woven in. While some I personally get frustrated with (my struggled with F2L continues), I liked most of it. And there’s dragons!! I love dragon content always.

I think this book was well paced and had the quirky and cozy vibes that I loved from the first book. This is a unique series and I would definitely read another book in this world.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate-high
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (mentioned)

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Book Review: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Mystery
Length: 432 pages
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: December 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

Thank you to LibroFM for the gifted audiobook!

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

This book had me in a chokehold within the first few chapters. Oh my goodness, this was exquisitely executed from page one. I felt the intensity of this story and had to keep listening with a need to know that things worked out in the end.

The post Revolutionary War setting was enthralling. I rarely read books in this time period and loved seeing how the world worked then. I felt a spectrum of emotions from the heavy topics and waiting to see if any justice could be found. I loved the main character Martha and her family. Ephraim is a man that must be protected at all costs. I loved seeing their love story through flashbacks while seeing how their family had grown in the present.

There’s an exploration of many themes and at times incredibly hard to read. I thought the narrator did a beautiful job bringing this story to life. The legal drama, murder mystery, many births, small town gossip and the beauty of love all weave together for a story that I will be telling everyone to read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction mystery
  • Language: light
  • Romance: vague descriptions
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: rape is a major focus in the story (and is recounted and discussed throughout), multiple birth scenes (with difficult births presented too), murder, weapons violence, physical altercations, violent assault

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ALC Book Review: The Search Party by Hannah Richell

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Mystery/Thriller
Length: 352 pages
Author: Hannah Richell
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance.

Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. Eager for a dry run ahead of their opening, they invite three old university friends and their families for a long-needed reunion. But the festivities soon go awry as tensions arise between the children (and subsequently their parents), explosive secrets come to light, and a sudden storm moves in, cutting them off from help as one in the group disappears.

Moving between the police investigation, a hospital room, and the catastrophic weekend, The Search Party is a propulsive and twisty destination thriller about the tenuous bonds of friendship and the lengths parents will go to protect their children—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

Thank you Book Club Favorites for the physical copy and Simon and Schuster and LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

THE SAME.

Either I’m picking the wrong thrillers or this is a continual theme I have found myself stuck in. I feel like every thriller I read is a big cast, 90% have done a bad thing, and there’s a murder to solve. Rinse and repeat. And this didn’t change that scenario much.

I did LOVE the audiobook. Audio was well done and that did make moving through this better. Highly recommend that route.

There were interesting tidbits throughout the story. It wasn’t a total lost cause. Having the multiple POV’s kept things going enough and I liked seeing each little side to the story. I was pulled in wrong directions a few times on the whodunnit and I appreciate that those mystery plot lines worked well.

While not quite a winner for me, it still might be a gem for you.

Overall audience notes:

  • Thriller/Mystery
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door/fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, knife violence, infidelity, missing child, depression, non-consensual drugging, forced captivity, brief mentions of child abuse and suicide

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Book Review: The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Fiction + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emma Grey
Publisher: Zibby Books
Release Date: November 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again.

Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball—and yet clinging to her sense of humor.

Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor.

When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time?

When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together. The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?

The Last Love Note will make listeners laugh, cry, and renew their faith in the resilience of the human heart—and in love itself.

Thank you to LibroFM for the audiobook and Ro Romanello PR for the gifted copy.

THIS HURT.

I’ve gotta admit, I’m actually not one to pick up a widow based book because it sends my own anxiety through the roof. BUT, I had heard great things about this and still wanted to give it a try and I honestly enjoyed this so much. This was EMOTIONAL and heartbreaking and slowly but surely watching hope and time win out in the battle against losing your spouse way too soon.

I liked that Kate was a mess. I felt it was accurate to the story being portrayed. Grief is an up and down, absolutely non-linear battle and we saw many facets of that fact. The flashbacks only increased the emotional turmoil and showed how deep and raw this journey has been.

If I was being a little nitpicky I do wish there had been a touch more romance (because my initial interpretation of the book was that it was a romance first). But, upon finishing I saw the plot as a whole and feel like it went where it needed to in order to allow Kate to find some solid ground for herself.

If you’re in need of a good cry book, this is it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Fiction + Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: losing a husband to early onset Alzheimer’s, miscarriage, grief depiction, mentions of losing a partner (briefly recounted, cancer)

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