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...
I’m late to the party in reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I put off reading this acclaimed novel by Gabrielle Zevin for far too long. And, of course, I ended up loving it.
This one is definitely worth all the fuss, Tartlets.
What’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow about? Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is about Sam and Sadie. While they knew each other as kids, they become friends during college, and then they...
Get ready for a touch of magic, family drama, and a compelling story about love and grief spanning three generations of women in The Unwritten Rules of Magic.
What’s The Unwritten Rules of Magic about? The Unwritten Rules of Magic is about Emerson Clarke, who steals a typewriter from her dad’s office after his funeral. Her dad was a famous author, and through a series of journal entries, the reader learns that the typewriter was...
Calling all Elder Millennials! Remember the early days of reality TV -- and the crash-and-burn lovefest that was Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's Newlyweds?
In case you've forgotten, Honeymoon Stage is here to remind you of the highs, the lows, and all the craziness we just loved to hate.
What’s Honeymoon Stage about? Cassidy Baum is about to get married on the set of a reality TV show. Even though she doesn’t really like reality TV....
The universe works in funny ways. The morning before I started reading The Place Where They Buried Your Heart, I was typing up my notes for a Dark Side of the Word episode. And I wrote down, with much regret, that “nothing really scares me anymore” because I’ve read so many horror novels.
That night, I was awake until 2am reading this new supernatural suspense novel from Christina Henry. And I was totally afraid to get out of bed and...
