I was super excited to read A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery: A Saffron Everleigh Mystery by Kate Khavari. Look at that gorgeous book cover! The main character’s name is Saffron Everleigh, which just sounds so lovely. And the premise of a 19th century female botanist on an archelogical expedition was giving me all sorts of Evie/Rachel Weisz/The Mummy vibes. But, after getting halfway through the book, I DNF’d it. Saffron...
I picked up Sandwich expecting a breezy story about a coastal mansion with sweeping ocean views and lots of "rich people problems." Kinda like Pineapple Street on the New England Coast. Maybe there'd be an heiress who'd fallen in love with caterer she's forbidden to marry, or something along those lines.
Umm, NO. Sandwich is the exact opposite of everything I expected. In the best possible way.
IT IS SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!!!!
What’s...
I know I’m pretty late to the party, but I finally read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. It’s a NY Times bestseller, and it recently was made into a movie starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney. And I thought that The Housemaid was just… all right. What’s The Housemaid about? The Housemaid is a psychological thriller about Millie, a recently released ex-convict who takes a job housekeeping at a rich couple’s fancy...
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere gave me a reverance for outer space. Like, I looked up observation conservatories near me. Because, now, I want to visit them.
When I told my husband this -- a man who's tried to get me interested in all things "space" for years -- he summed up Atmosphere's effect the best: "That’s some damn good writing."
But are we surprised? TJR continually puts out novels like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and...
I’ll be the first to admit that Buried Seeds: A Yolanda Ávila Mystery isn’t a typical read for me. It covers WWII-adjacent topics. It’s part of a mystery series (which I’m very selective about reading). And, it navigates a lot of current social and political issues that I tend to shy away from.
But when author Verónica Gutiérrez reached out to me about her book, I was really intrigued by her novel’s premise. (And the fact that she...
The Last Lady B is trying to be "Jane Austen meets The White Lotus." Julia Quinn of Bridgerton fame blurbed the book, and it promised a witty historical romance with a Gothic twist.
Brace yourself, Tartlets: these are all rather lofty comparisons.
This book isn’t nearly as exciting as The White Lotus. And, it’s not nearly as “I burn for you” as season one of Bridgerton.
And, nothing about The Last Lady B is similar to Jane Austen except...
I was really hoping to like A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes and Other Stories. I’ve been having pretty good luck with short story collections, and this new collection by Nancy J. Allen seemed pretty intriguing. The description on the back of the book had me eager to dive into each story.
Unfortunately, I ended up DNF’ing A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes about halfway through the book.
What’s A Method of Reaching Extreme...
I almost said "no" to reading and reviewing 16 Forever by Lance Rubin. This YA novel is a mix of speculative fiction and romance, with a lot of 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day vibes.
And I'm really glad I said YES to reading this one.
What’s 16 Forever about?
In 16 Forever, Carter Cohen wakes up on the morning of what should be his 17th birthday—only to find that he’s regressed overnight and thinks it’s now his 16th birthday. He...
You know you’ve got a good book when you’re too busy reading to jot down notes.
That’s exactly what happened as I sped through Little Miss Petty by Sally Kilpatrick.
What’s Little Miss Petty about? Stella Stark comes home one night to a cliché scene: her long-time partner is in bed with another woman. Soon after, she finds herself without a place to live and a job and moves into an apartment complex. Her new friends encourage her to...
It was an exciting day when author, speaker, and performer Devrie Brynn Donalson slid into my DMs and asked if I wanted to review her book, The Art of Burning Heather, on my blog.
There was some definite fangirling that morning. An excited gasp, a barely concealed squeal, and some hurried texting to my friend who “introduced” me to Devrie a few years ago.
Me and Devrie go way back (though she doesn't really know it)
To be clear: I...
