Hard Check Holiday (North Oak: Book 8.5) by Ann Hunter

Publisher: Rebel House Ink

Date of publication: December 1st, 2023

Genre: Christmas, Horses, Young Adult, Romance

Series: North Oak

Born to Run—Book 1 (review here)

Yearling—Book 2 (review here)

Morning Glory—Book 3 (review here)

To Bottle Lightening—Book 4 (review here)

Far Turn—Book 5 (review here)

Dark Horse—Book 6 (review here)

Against the Odds—Book 7 (review here)

Ride for Glory—Book 8 (review here)

Hard Check Holiday—Book 8.5

Hard Boot—Book 9

Inquiry—Book 10

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

Taking place between the events of Ride for Glory and Hard Boot, this Christmas special visits North Oak over the holidays. A happy one- finally!
At least that’s how it seems on the outside.

Inside, 17-year-old Alexandra Anderson is struggling with her heart, both physically and emotionally. She is ready to commit to a relationship with Dejado Augustun, until a minor accident with best friend Carol changes everything.

Forced to do a hard check on her life, Alex realizes chances only come once. Can she pull herself together in time to start the racing season?
Or will heartache and heart trauma hold her back?

The Triple Crown & Tiara are on the line.

HARD CHECK– definition (verb), when a jockey is forced to restrain his mount at speed to avoid catastrophe.

First Line:

Laura came home for Christmas. But no one told seventeen year old Alex.
Hard Check Holiday by Ann Hunter

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Hard Check Holiday was medium-paced, with the book amping up to a fast pace in certain spots. There was some lag towards the end when Alex chose between Dejado and Carol. But it was nothing that disrupted the flow of the book or my enjoyment of it.

POV: Hard Check Holiday is told from Alex’s 3rd person point of view.

Series: Hard Check Holiday is a holiday book in the North Oak series. It is 8.5 and comes after Ride for Glory but before Hard Boot. You can read this as a standalone. But, I recommend reading books 1-8 to understand Alex and other characters’ relationships and backgrounds.

Trigger/Content Warning: Hard Check Christmas has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Rape (minor, off page)
Abandonment of a child (minor, off page)
Anxiety & Anxiety Attacks (moderate, on page)
Miscarriage (minor, off page)
Death of parent (minor, off page)
Transphobia (minor, on page)

Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Hard Check Holiday. Alex and Dejado kiss a couple of times, but it stops there.

Language: There is mild swearing in Hard Check Holiday. There is some mildly offensive language used to describe a trans girl getting kicked off the basketball team when she told her coach she was transitioning.

Setting: Hard Check Holiday is set entirely on the grounds of North Oak (a racing barn) in Kentucky.

Tropes: Afraid to Commit, Emotional Scars, Orphan, Friends to Lovers, Found Family

Age Range: I recommend Hard Check Holiday to anyone over 16

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

It is Christmas, and Alex is praying that this Christmas will be the first non-drama-free one in the four years she has lived at North Oaks. And, for the most part, it is. Alex is forming a relationship with her sister, Gina, and her relationship with her adoptive parents and sister is stronger than ever. She also has two essential races to look forward to in the New Year.

But, some things are preventing Alex from thoroughly enjoying her holiday. The main issue is that she has feelings for Dejado and Carol. Alex is ready to start a relationship with Dejado, but her feelings for Carol keep getting in the way. Alex needs to make a choice and ensure it is correct. Because the more she waits, the more she risks losing Dejado and Carol. Who will Alex choose, and will that choice be the right one?

Main Characters

Alexandra Anderson: I liked seeing this noncompetitive, vulnerable Alex. In the other books, she is always on the go and involved in various things around the barn. But seeing her slow down a little in this book was nice. Her eye was still on the upcoming races, but Alex was able to unwind a bit and enjoy Christmas. The only issue I had with her was her treatment of Gina. But, considering that Gina was sprung on her, I didn’t blame Alex for how she acted. And she had every right to be angry with Gina after what Gina said to her in the barn.

My review:

I went into Hard Check Holiday thinking this would be another racing book set over Christmas and New Year’s. I was wrong. I didn’t expect the author to leave out the actual racing (there were mentions of the upcoming races, and the horses had cameos). So, it was different from her other books, and you know what, I liked it!

Hard Check Holiday’s main storyline follows Alex as she celebrates Christmas with her family and friends. It also followed her as she came to terms with her feelings and then chose who she wanted to be in a relationship with. It was well written, and it got emotional during parts of the book. But overall, Alex made the choice that she felt was right. My question now is, how will her friendship with the other person be affected?

As I stated above, I liked seeing Alex being more relaxed. It made her seem like a normal seventeen-year-old. However, she did have her issues, and the author addressed several of them in the book. As someone who suffers from severe anxiety, I felt for her during her panic attack scenes (the one Gina caused was awful).

Alex’s sexuality has been a big topic during the last few books. I liked how the author approached and portrayed her feelings for Carol and Dejado. I did get somewhat angry during this angle, and it was because of what Gina said. I have a very mouthy ten-year-old, and that little girl pushed the limits there. But, in a way, it pushed Alex to open up to Laura about her feelings and paved the way for Alex to make her own decision.

The author also handled Alex’s reactions to any sexual touch in a way that was appropriate for a rape victim. Dejado was gentle and respected her boundaries. He never pushed her past what she was comfortable with and ensured she was OK with anything he did, mostly kissing.

I was surprised by the end of the book. Alex’s choice was surprising because she kept going about the other person. I wonder if her decision will affect her friendship with that person (and I stated that above). I guess I’ll have to read the next book to find out.

Many thanks to Ann Hunter for allowing me to read and review Hard Check Holiday. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Other books by Ann Hunter:

Deceptive Silence (Haley Arquette Murder Files: Book 2) by Reily Garrett

Publisher:

Date of publication: October 1st, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Paranormal

Series: Haley Arquette Murder Files

Perfect in Death—Book 1 (review here)

Deceptive Silence—Book 2

Unlikely Justice—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hailey Arquette found the ultimate photo opportunity deep in the Texas bayou, a pair of playful panther cubs. Before she can capture the shot, she witnesses a different type of shoot that lands in the crosshairs of a vicious killer.

FBI agent Trenton Briner has long known the coastal waters of Texas are ripe for the opportunity for smuggling. His current investigation leads him to a mouthy teen with an uncanny knack for landing in the thick of trouble at every turn.

When another body turns up, the trio must untangle the mystery before the smugglers find their target.

First Line:

Before the sun peeked over the horizon’s rim to separate the lush greens, golds, and browns that would comprise the best picture in Haley’s portfolio, misty gray held the bayou’s secrets tight within its obscure and deadly grasp.
Deceptive Silence by Reily Garrett

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of Deceptive Silence is fast. It starts with a bang (with Haley witnessing a murder) and ends with a bang. The book had little to no lag, which is rare because books with faster storylines have some lag.

POV: Deceptive Silence is told from Haley, Casper, and Trenton’s 3rd person point of view.

Series: Deceptive Silence is the 2nd book in the Haley Arquette Murder Files series. While you can read this book as a stand-alone, I suggest reading the first book. There are references to events in the previous books that might confuse you.

Trigger/Content Warning: Deceptive Silence has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Blood (graphic, on and off page)
Dead Bodies and Body Parts (graphic, on and off page)
Mutilation (moderate, off page)
Death (graphic, on and off page)
Captivity and Confinement (moderate, on and off page)
Gang Violence (graphic, on and off page)
Kidnapping (moderate, on page)
Murder (graphic, on and off page)
Attempted murder (graphic, on and off page)
Gun Violence (graphic, on and off page)
Assault (graphic, on and off page)

Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Deceptive Silence. Haley does lust after Dante, but it goes no further than that.

Language: There is moderate swearing in Deceptive Silence. There is also some offensive language used by the Jackals (the gang) during interactions with Haley and Casper.

Setting: Deceptive Silence takes place in and around Hamchet, Texas.

Tropes: Found Family, Dark Secret, No Romance, The Red Herring, Twist Ending, Surprise Turncoat

Age Range: I recommend Deceptive Silence to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Haley is out in the bayou, photographing panther cubs for her portfolio, when she witnesses the murder of an undercover ATF agent. After speaking to his spirit, Haley is determined to find out who murdered him and why. With the help of Casper, a teenager who has her reasons for being in Hamchet, Haley starts looking into the murder. When another person is murdered, Haley and Casper must work quickly to figure out who the killer is. Because if they don’t, they could become the next victims.

Main Characters

Haley Arquette: I liked Haley, but I felt that she did take unnecessary risks when it came to investigating both the Jackals and the ATF agent’s death. She kept putting herself in harm’s way and risking exposing her growing powers. I liked how she handled everything and how her powers grew throughout the book. I can’t wait to see what Haley will do in the next book.

Casper: I enjoyed seeing more of her character in Deceptive Silence. She was a favorite of mine in The Guardians series, and I was happy that the author chose to include her in this book. Her skills (and those of her family) did add an extra oomph to the storyline. I enjoyed her mouthy quips and comebacks to Trenton (the interrogation scene had me giggling). But, most of all, I liked that she was a true friend to Haley. She had Haley’s back no matter what.

My review:

I have been reading books by Reily Garrett for a while, and I have come to expect certain things from her books. There should be a lot of action, well-fleshed-out characters, a well-written plotline, a great mystery/thriller, and a good romance. So, when she approached me to review Deceptive Silence, I immediately agreed. This book delivered on everything that I outlined above except the romance. But, with everything going on in the book, it would have been too much if she added romance to Haley’s plate.

There are two storylines in Deceptive Silence. Both are well-written and kept my attention throughout the book. I liked seeing characters from The Guardian series (and maybe the Mind Stalkers series) show up in the book. It was those added details that made me enjoy the books even more.

The first storyline in Deceptive Silence follows Haley as she tries to solve the murder of the ATF agent. This storyline is entrenched with the storyline, making it hard to follow. But it didn’t affect how much I liked the storyline or how surprised I was with the twists that came with it.

The second storyline is a carryover from the first book. It follows Haley as she investigates the disappearance of a former gang member. This storyline does get a little gory and gross. At one point, Haley ends up in a mausoleum. I liked that Haley became more aware of her powers in this storyline. I am also very interested in who Dante was and why he was untraceable. There could be a romance there, but I don’t know.

The mystery angle of the book did take me by surprise. I was not expecting how the ATF agent’s death and the missing gang member were connected. Now that I read the book, I see slight foreshadowing throughout. But at the time I read it, I was shocked.

The end of Deceptive Silence was interesting. The author merged the two main storylines with a surprising connection. However, the epilogue caught my attention and made me want to read Book 3.

Many thanks to Reily Garrett for allowing me to read and review Deceptive Silence. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Deceptive Silence, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Reily Garrett

Sister of Starlit Seas (Virdian Deep: Book 3) by Terry Brooks

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey

Date of publication: November 14th, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: Viridian Deep

Child of Light—Book 1

Daughter of Darkness—Book 2

Sister of Starlit Seas—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | Kobo | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A rebellious young heroine begins a voyage of self-discovery in the third novel of an epic fantasy series set in the world of Viridian Deep, from the legendary author of the Shannara saga.Auris’s adoptive sister Char has always been the baby of the family—a position that grates on Char, especially when everyone insists on telling her exactly what to do and how to do it. But Char is certain that her headstrong, impulsive behavior, the quality her family sees as her greatest weakness, is actually her greatest the willingness to instantly brave danger and leap to the rescue when anyone she loves is threatened. Char knows she will never grow into the woman she was meant to be under her family’s loving but repressive eye, so a month before she turns fifteen, she runs away and joins a Human pirate crew in the warm southerly regions of her world. Then, three years into her pirate career, her captain—the man she is convinced she loves—is captured by the leaders of the slave trade he has been fighting. When Char leaps in to rescue him, she finds herself thrust into an adventure that will uncover secrets she never suspected about herself, one that will maybe, finally, teach her to look before she leaps.

First Line:

In the late-night hours of the second day of the full moon, I slip from my concealment to begin my latest mission.
Sister of Starlit Seas by Terry Brooks

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Sister of Starlit Seas varies throughout the book. It started at a medium pace, slowed down while Char was discovering her Merrow side, picked back up during her journey back home, and stayed at a medium fast pace until the end of the book. Usually, I wouldn’t like it when the pace changes up like it did, but in this case, it worked.

POV: Char tells Sister of Starlit Seas in the first person point of view.

Series: Sister of Starlit Seas is the third book in the Viridian Deep series. You can read this book as a standalone. But, as I always do, I suggest reading the first two books before picking this one up. That way, you can understand Char’s relationships.

Trigger/Content Warning: Sister of Starlit Seas has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Slavery (graphic, on and off page)
Depression (minor to moderate, on and off page)
Boating Accident (moderate, on page)
Bullying (minor, on page)
Violence (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Death (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Grief (moderate, on page)
Stillbirth (minor, off page)

Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Sister of Starlit Seas. There are a few kissing scenes, but it doesn’t go beyond that.

Language: There is no swearing or offensive language in Sister of Starlit Seas.

Setting: Sister of Starlit Seas takes place in The Kingdom of Man and The Kingdom of Fae. There are also underwater scenes in the Merrow territories.

Tropes: Chosen One, Orphan, Good vs. Evil, Magic, Growing Up, Mythical Beings, Self-Discovery

Age Range: I recommend Sister of Starlit Seas to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

At the age of fifteen, Char ran away from her family. A headstrong girl, Char left her family because she felt smothered. Traveling south, Char eventually joined a pirate crew headed by a Human and lived what Char thought was her best life. Everything was fine until one night, on a daring solo mission to rescue the captain of the ship she was on (who she thought she loved). Char was captured. Tortured by repeated and prolonged dunks in the ocean, Char is amazed when she changes into a fabled being called a Merrow. She is immediately taken in by the Merrow community living in the sea. But her changing brings her more questions than answers. The only two people who could answer those questions were her adoptive mother and biological mother. With her adoptive mother dead, Char realizes that she will need to find her birth mother. She also realizes that her journey must start where she left- her home. Can Char get answers to her questions? Will she find her biological mother?

Main Characters

Charlayne (Char): I will not lie; I found Char annoying and immature for over half of the book. But I also liked her. She was loyal, tried her best to keep her promises, and was, for the most part, a good friend (she had to be reminded at specific points about being a better friend). I enjoyed seeing her character grow throughout the book. By the end of Sister of Starlit Seas, she was a little more mature, less annoying, and definitely less reckless. She learned a few life lessons in her travels that stuck with her.

My review:

I got very excited when browsing NetGalley and seeing Sister of Starlit Seas. See, I loved Terry Brooks in high school and had read The Sword of Shannara so many times that I did have passages memorized. Seeing that it was on Random House and it was a wish, I decided to do it. I had a 50/50 chance of getting it. So, I was thrilled when I got the email saying it had been granted. I couldn’t wait to read this book.

The main storyline in Sister of Starlit Seas centers around Char and her quest to find answers. It was a well-written storyline. I liked that Char wasn’t perfect and had the same issues as a late-age teenager (unrequited love, hormones all over the place, self-involved, and annoying). If I am to be honest, she reminded me of a combination of my sixteen and eighteen-year-old. I liked that the storyline changed as the book went on. It went from an answer about who she was to why her adoptive mother made her forget to a search for her mother to the end game (I can’t say what because of spoilers). The author did that seamlessly.

I loved the fantasy angle of Sister of Starlit Seas. The author took the Merrow myth and incorporated it into the storyline. I was like Char; I thought Merrow and mermaids were identical. Nope, they are not. The use of magic was very understated. I can only think of one scene where magic could have been used. But that didn’t bother me. To me, fantasy isn’t all about magic. It is about the world and beings in that world, too.

The end of Sister of Starlit Seas was a little bittersweet. I was very upset over some of the things the author did, but at the same time, I understood why he chose to write that way. I also saw a little hint that maybe another book will feature Char.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Terry Brooks for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Sister of Starlit Seas. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Sister of Starlit Seas, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Terry Brooks

Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Date of Publication: November 21st, 2023

Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural, Adult, Mystery, Suspense

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

From J. H. Markert, the author Peter Farris calls the “clear heir to Stephen King,” Mister Lullaby brings our darkest dreams and nightmares to life.

In the vein of T. Kingfisher and Christopher Golden, the boundary protecting our world from the monsters on the other side is weakening—and Mister Lullaby is about to break through.

The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma.

Before falling back into his slumber, Sully manages to give his older brother a message. Sully’s mind, since the accident, has been imprisoned on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a grotesque and unfamiliar world inhabited by evil mythical creatures of sleep. Sully is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients, all desperately fighting to keep the evils of the dream world from escaping into the waking world.

Elsewhere, a man troubled by his painful youth has for years been hearing a voice in his head he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he has finally started to act on what that voice is telling him—to kill any coma patient he can find, quickly.

Something is waking up in the tunnel—something is trying to get through. And Mr. Lullaby is coming.

First Line:

Deputy Sherriff Beth Gardner had only been on the job for two weeks when Simple Simon walked inside the station with a chainsaw.
Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: Mister Lullaby’s pace is fast. The book takes place within a week of Gideon’s arrival home after being honorably discharged from the Army. I was iffy on the pace. The author threw a lot of information at me at the beginning of the book. I had to reread specific chapters. If the pacing had slowed down a little, started at a medium pace, and then amped up, I could have processed the information better.

Trigger/Content Warning: Mister Lullaby has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Mental Illness (graphic, on and off page)
Violence (graphic, on page)
Murder (graphic, on page)
Gun Violence (graphic, on page)
Rape (graphic, on page)
Grief (graphic, on page)
Fire (moderate, on and off page)
Bullying (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Racism (minor to moderate, off page)
Alcoholism (moderate, on and off page)
Anxiety and anxiety attacks (moderate and off-page)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (moderate to graphic, on page)
Blood (graphic, on page)
Gore (graphic, on page)
Body Horror (graphic, on page)
Coma (graphic, on page)
Dead bodies and body parts (graphic, on page)
Loss of autonomy (graphic, on page)
Homophobia (moderate, on and off page)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Mister Lullaby. It is not graphic.

Language: There is graphic swearing in Mister Lullaby. There is also offensive language used in various parts of the book.

Setting: The Before part of Mister Lullaby is set between Harrod’s Reach, Nebraska, and Lalaland. The Then part of Mister Lullaby is set in Harrod’s Reach and wherever Teddy drove the bus.

Tropes: Chosen One, Emotional Scars, Reluctant Hero, Dark Lord, Good vs Evil, Childhood Friends, Monsters, Humans Can Be Evil

Age Range: I recommend Mister Lullaby to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

The night Gideon arrives home, his younger brother, who has been in a coma for three years, wakes up and starts shouting names. Why he shouts out names confuses his family until Maddy shows up in town. Her explanation is crazy: Sully is trapped in a nightmare land called Lalaland. There, he is struggling, along with other coma patients, to keep the monsters inhabiting that world from bleeding into this one. But something is wrong, and the king of these monsters, Mister Lullaby, is trying to break through. While trying to process the information he has been told, Gideon and his best friend, Beth, are stunned when prominent figures in the community start showing up brutally murdered. Can Maddy be believed and trusted? What is happening in town? Can Gideon and Beth protect their loved ones and the townspeople from the evil trying to come through? Or will they fail?

Main Characters

Deputy Sheriff Beth Gardner: I didn’t know how to feel about Beth. On one hand, she was a great police officer and rose to the job when the Sheriff was attacked. But, on the other hand, her personal life was a mess. She was friends with Gideon and Jax. But her friendship with both was not equal, and it showed. She sided more with Jax (who was awful in the flashbacks and the present day) than Gideon. Even during the storyline, she didn’t treat Gideon like an equal. The use of his nickname, Giddey Up Gideon, was used as a way of putting him in his place. But she was determined to protect Sully at any cost when push came to shove. What she did at the end of the book was very selfless.

Gideon Dupree: I liked him, but he was so damaged that I thought his character wouldn’t rise to the occasion. He was bullied relentlessly throughout school and beyond (Giddey Up Gideon referenced how he ran). He blamed himself for Sully’s accident even though he had nothing to do with it (it did happen while he was watching him, though). And his Army career left him with even more scars. But, by the middle of the book, I saw something shift in his character. It happened when Maddy came to town, and it evolved. By the end of the book, even though he was still damaged, Gideon had come into his own.

Theodore Lomax (aka Teddy): Teddy’s character sent chills up and down my spine. He was a serial killer who had a very troubled and trauma-filled childhood. He had a voice in his head, called Mister Lullaby, that was instructing him to kill coma patients. Teddy also killed other people for fun. But Teddy realized the voice wasn’t a figment of his imagination until he bought a bus (which he named the Lullaby Express) and started picking up random people. It was real. His end game was to go to Harrod’s Reach and set those random people loose while he searched for the name at the top of his list, Sully Dupree. He was evil personified, and I couldn’t think of a better antagonist for this book.

Maddy Boyle: I liked her character. But I did wonder what her connection to Harrod’s Reach would be and what would happen once she got there. I liked how she was like an envoy to Lalaland (having been there herself). She was able to convince Gideon and then Beth about the dangers that were coming out of the train tunnel.

Simple Simon: I went back and forth on including him as a significant character. I decided to have him as a central character because of his actions in the book’s second half. Simon knew a lot about what was going on with Lalaland bleeding through, and he was a massive factor in the events that went down at the end of the book.

Sully Dupree: The whole storyline is centered around Sully. He was still a powerful force even though he never woke up and talked. I can only get a little into what happens with him because of spoilers.

My review:

Mister Lullaby was one of my most looked-forward-to-read books. I had seen it featured on other blogs and was thrilled when Crooked Lane Books sent me the widget. So, when it was finally time for me to read it, I dove right in. I finished the book liking it but was disappointed by it simultaneously (thus the star rating).

Mister Lullaby has various POVs. Not only that, but the author also split the chapters into Before and Now. The author labeled each chapter with who it focused on and whether it was Now or Before. But I got lost while reading. I would backtrack to determine when the chapter occurred (the who part was obvious). It frustrated me but not enough to DNF.

The main storyline of Mister Lullaby is good, and I find it fascinating. I liked that the author tied his previous books into this one. It made for an interesting read. But, sometimes, I lost sight of the storyline (Sully, the train tunnel, Teddy, Gideon, Beth, and Maddy). There were so many secondary storylines thrown in (some I feel were to fill in empty plot holes) that my head was turned around. Did I need to know why Jax was such a dick? Or why did Beth marry him? Not really (even though it was sad). That stuff could have been left out or mentioned in passing. Another example was the chapter with Chimp and the weird fish. My head was spinning by the end of the storyline, and I couldn’t keep everything straight.

The storyline with Teddy and his collection of serial killers was interesting. Unlike the main one, this storyline was tight and kept to just the storyline. The only time it deviated was toward the end of the book, but even then, it was all right.

The horror angle of the book was well written. I want to warn everyone that it is bloody and violent. I did jump during some scenes, and in others, I had to read gagging.

The end of Mister Lullaby did disappoint me. It seemed very rushed. The final battle was almost anticlimactic (compared to what was happening around them). I also needed clarification on why Beth did what she did. There were storylines left in the air. I also have not received a resolution about what would happen to the town or the aftermath. They might have plans for another book in this universe (or even a sequel). I also have an answer as to why the book’s ending was the way it was. The author explains everything in the acknowledgment section after the end.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and J.H. Markert for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Mister Lullaby. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Mister Lullaby, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by J.H. Markert

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Lady Petra Inquiries: Book 1) by Celeste Connally

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: November 14th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Historical, Regency, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Adult

Series: Lady Petra Inquires

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord—Book 1

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a terrific new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.

When Lady Petra Forsyth’s fiancé and soulmate dies just weeks ahead of their wedding, she makes the shocking proclamation—in front of London’s loosest lips—that she will never remarry. A woman of independent means, Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life has passed, nor does she intend to become confined to her country home. Instead, she uses her title to gain access to elite spaces and enjoy the best of society without expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of “melancholia” while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper—uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Lady Petra has reason to believe her friend is not dead, but a prisoner, her own headstrong actions and thirst for independence are used to put her own freedom in jeopardy.

First Line:

“May I remind you, my lady, that daughters of earls are not normally dressed by their lady’s maids amongst the saddles and bridles of a harness room?”
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord varies throughout the book. It starts slow (which allows the author to explain backstories and build up the world), goes to medium towards the middle of the book, and then amps up to fast.

Series: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is the first book in the Lady Petra Inquires series.

Trigger/Content Warning: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Forced Institutionalization (graphic, off and on page)
Confinement (graphic, off and on page)
Emotional Abuse (moderate, on page)
Mental Illness (minor to moderate, on and off page)
Misogyny (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Gaslighting (moderate and graphic, on and off page)
Death (moderate, off page)
Domestic Abuse (minor, off page)
Homophobia (moderate, on page)
Physical Abuse (minor, off page)
Kidnapping (moderate, on page)
Murder (minor, on page)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. It is not graphic, and the author doesn’t linger on it.

Language: There is mild swearing in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. There is also offensive language used in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. But, the offensive language is appropriate for the era. The book takes place in Regency England, where women were property and homosexual relationships were illegal.

Setting: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is set entirely in London, England.

Tropes: Sworn Off Relationships, Friends to Lovers, Love/Hate Relationship, Reunion Romance

Age Range: I recommend Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

After the death of her fiance, Lady Petra Forsyth declared to Society that she would never remarry. Five years later, she has kept her word. But, when her former best friend, Duncan, returns to London, Petra starts feeling things she hasn’t felt in years. But she doesn’t get time to explore her feelings when she finds out that a friend had passed away from melancholia a few weeks before. Not believing what she heard, Petra starts looking into her death. What she uncovers shocks her to the core. Her friends are being sent to a private asylum by their husbands and left there under the care of a cruel doctor. The more she investigates, the more she uncovers. But Petra is also in danger. Her independent actions and headstrong ways have her in the sights of the doctor. Can Petra find a way to free her friends and keep herself out of the asylum? Or will she end up locked in there?

Main Characters

Lady Petra Forsyth: I liked her. Her character was a breath of fresh air in the Regency romance genre. She didn’t even bother trying to fit into the mold that Regency women were forced to conform to. She was opinionated and headstrong. She was also scandalous because she intended to stay single. I loved it! Once she realized something nefarious was going on, she decided to see her investigation through to the end.

My review:

I enjoyed reading Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. Mysteries and Regency romances are my two favorite genres to read. So, when I realized that this book combined the two, I was thrilled. I was hooked once I started reading this book and got a grasp of Lady Petra’s character. Lady Petra was very unconventional for the era, and as I said above, she was a breath of fresh air.

The main storyline of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord follows Petra as she investigates the “death” of a friend and, ultimately, the forced institutionalization of her friends by their husbands. The author did take some liberties with how accepting the ton was and with a few historical events surrounding Prinny. None of those bothered me, and the author did include an explanation in the author’s note. I liked how the mystery unfolded and how Petra solved it.

The romance angle was very subtle at first. Petra was very angry with Duncan for various reasons, mainly because they argued shortly after her fiance’s funeral, and he left. But the more Duncan showed up, the more Petra noticed him. As the book went on, her feelings grew, and she realized they were there all along. But the author was wise in keeping all the lovey-dovey stuff until the end of the book. That way, the focus was on Petra and what she looked into.

The mystery angle was well written. I liked that the author did lay all of her cards out at the beginning of the book. We knew who the bad guy was and about the husbands forcing their wives into asylums. But the author only connects the two in the middle of the book, and then it was a race to find the asylum, free the women, and figure out why the bad guy did what he did. I was delighted with how the author wrapped up this storyline. What happened after the paper printed the girls’ names was very fitting.

The end of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord was interesting. The author wrapped up the romance and the mystery angles in ways I enjoyed. But there was an exciting twist that raised my eyebrows. The author cleverly wrote this twist into a cliffhanger. While I was irritated with the cliffhanger, I loved the twist. It got me wanting to read book 2.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Celeste Connally for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Celeste Connally

No One Left But You by Tash McAdam

Publisher: Soho Press, Soho Teen

Publication Date: November 28th, 2023

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, LGBT, Mystery, Queer, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Horror, Fiction

Publication Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | Kobo | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A trans teen is swept up in a whirlwind friendship with lethal consequences in this taut YA thriller, for fans of Sadie , Andrew Joseph White, and HBO’s Euphoria.

BEFORE. Newly out trans guy Max is having a hard time in school. Things have been tough since his summer romance, Danny, turned into his bully. This year, his plan is to keep his head down and graduate. All that changes when new It Girl, Gloss, moves to town. No one understands why perfect, polished Gloss is so interested in an introverted skater kid, but Max blooms in the hothouse of her attention. Caught between romance and obsession, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her on his side.

AFTER. Haircuts, makeovers, drugs, parties. It’s all fun and games until someone gets killed at a rager gone terribly wrong. Max refuses to believe that Gloss did it. But if not Gloss, who? Desperate to figure out truth in the wake of tragedy, Max veers dangerously close to being implicated—and his own memories of that awful night are fuzzy. Both sharp-edged thriller and moving coming of age, this gorgeously wrought novel is perfect for readers who want stories with trans characters front and center.

First Line:

Passing streetlights bathe the back of the car in sharp, unnatural orange and make the blood drying on my hands look fake, but it’s not.
No One Left But You by Tash McAdam

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of No One Left But You alternated between medium and fast during the book’s first half. By the second half, it settles into a medium-fast pace until the end of the book.

Trigger/Content Warning: No One Left But You has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Death (graphic)
Drug Use (moderate)
Emotional Abuse (mainly off-page but graphic when on)
Toxic Relationship (graphic)
Transphobia (graphic)
Violence (graphic)
Blood (graphic)
Murder (graphic)
Toxic Friendship (graphic)
Alcohol (graphic)
Homophobia (graphic)
Suicidal Thoughts (moderate)
Dysphoria (moderate)
Bullying (graphic)
Deadnaming (minor to moderate)
Child Abuse (minor and off page)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in No One Left But You. Most of the sex scenes are described from memory (like when Danny was having sex with a girl in the bathroom). There is one sex scene between Max and Danny that is nongraphic.

Language: There is graphic swearing in No One Left But You.

Setting: No One Left But You is set in Ridgepoint, England. There are also scenes set in London.

Tropes: Found Family, Dealing with Sexual Orientation and Abuse, Coming of Age, Set in Modern Day, The Red Herring, The Protagonist is the Suspect, The Dramatic Reveal, Twist Ending

Age Range: I recommend No One Left But You to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Before: Having come out as trans, Max is having a hard time. Danny (his ex-boyfriend) is tormenting him, and his friends (who are mutual friends with Danny) are avoiding him. All he wants to do is get through the school year and graduate. Then Gloss starts school mid-year, and Max’s life changes. As Max’s friendship with Gloss deepens, so does his obsession with keeping her as his friend.

After: Max is left in shock when Danny is killed at a party thrown by Gloss. He also refuses to believe that Gloss would kill someone who is that important to him. Determined to discover the truth, Max digs into what happened that night. What he finds could implicate himself and potentially send Gloss to prison. Will Max uncover the truth? And will he be able to accept the evidence that he has found?

Main Characters

Max: Max was significantly damaged, and his point of view on events in the book can seem a little fuzzy. So, I took everything I read with a grain of salt. But I did like Max. He was one of the realest characters that I have read to date. He took things to heart, had anxiety when his best friend didn’t text him back right away and loved a boy that could/would never love him back. In the Before segments of the book, I enjoyed seeing Max come out of his shell and embrace himself. A lot of that was because of Gloss. But some of it came with maturity and happiness in his body. By the end of the book, there was an added depth to his character that wasn’t there initially. Loss of love and accepting that he couldn’t change the person who was supposed to love him unconditionally shaped him.

Gloss: I didn’t know what to make of her at first. She seemed almost too good to be true, and in a way, she was. Gloss reminded me of a butterfly. She would flit from person to person. But she always came back to Max. She knew that he was hurting. She was his biggest supporter and champion. But she also had this side where she could be cruel and mean. So, it wasn’t a big stretch to imagine Gloss killing Danny.

Danny: Danny was an absolute bully when No One Left But You started, and I didn’t like him. But, as the book went on and the author revealed his and Max’s previous relationship, I understood why he was so upset. When that scene on the beach, where everything was laid out, my opinion of Danny started to change. When Max visited his father (after Danny’s death) and saw what Danny was living with and why he couldn’t accept himself, my opinion of him shifted. I didn’t quite like him, but I understood him.

My review:

No One Left But You surprised me. I thought this book was going to be your typical young adult thriller. You know, the kind where the killer is evident and the reasons the killer did what they did were even more. You can scratch that because this book isn’t even close to being typical. I was engrossed by No One Left But You and couldn’t put it down. It took me four hours to read (and yes, I stayed up late to finish it). It had some of the most relatable, compelling characters I have read.

No One Left But You is split into two sections-Before and After—the Before section details Max meeting Gloss and his life up to the night of Danny’s murder. The After section details Max’s grieving for Danny and his looking into why Gloss could have killed him. The author did a great job of keeping those two storylines apart. I had no issues of knowing if I was in Before or After. The author marked it at the beginning of the chapter. I also want to note that Max is a very unreliable narrator. In the After parts of the book, he wasn’t sure what happened that night because he had been drinking. In the Before, he was dealing with a lot (abusive mother, largely absent but supportive father, bullying, and Gloss), and all of that stress made him seem off-kilter (and very needy) for most of the Before sections.

The storylines in No One Left But You were well written. I connected with the characters and had my favorites and had ones that I didn’t like. I liked how the author used the Before sections to explain what happened in the After sections. The author did merge both storylines by the end of the book. They did it with a twist, and I didn’t see that twist coming. But looking back, I totally could see the tiny little arrows pointing towards that person.

I loved the end of No One Left But You. I liked seeing Max happy and seeing him with his friends. And the song that was sung at the end of the book, well, it broke my heart. I loved this ending for the book.

Many thanks to Soho Press, Soho Teen, NetGalley, and Tash McAdam for allowing me to read and review this ARC of No One Left But You. Any opinions expressed in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to No One Left But You, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Tash McAdam:

What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile: Book 1) by Isabel Ibanez

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books

Date of publication: October 31st, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Historical, Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy, Adventure, Historical Fantasy

Series: Secrets of the Nile

What the River Knows—Book 1

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

First Line:

A letter changed my life.
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: What the River Knows was medium-paced. For the most part, it suited the book. But there were parts, mainly towards the end of the book, where I felt the pacing dragged out some scenes.

Trigger/Content Warning: What the River Knows does have trigger and content warnings. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Death (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Death of a parent (minor to moderate, off-page)
Murder (moderate to graphic, on and off page)
Grief (moderate to graphic, on page)
Gun Violence (graphic, on page)
Colonisation (moderate, off and on page)
Violence (on page, graphic)
Blood (on page, graphic)
Kidnapping (minor, off page)
Abandonment (graphic, on and off page)
Cultural Appropriation (graphic, on and off page)
Injury (moderate, on and off page)
Alcohol (moderate, on page)
Alcoholism (minor, on page)
Confinement (minor, on page)
Gaslighting (moderate, on page)
Cheating (minor, off page)
Military Violence (minor, off page)

Sexual Content: There are no sex scenes in What the River Knows. But there are kissing scenes, and those kisses get a little passionate.

Language: There is no swearing in What the River Knows. There is language that people might consider offensive but is era-appropriate.

Setting: What the River Knows takes place entirely in Egypt. The prologue takes place in Argentina.

Tropes: Orphan, Enemies to Lovers, Love/Hate Relationship, Ancient Secrets, Babysitting, Magic, Secrets, Slow Burn Romance, Powerful Artifacts, Forced Proximity

Age Range: I recommend What the River Knows to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Inez Olivera has everything she wants in nineteenth-century Argentina except the attention of her Egypt-obsessed parents. Inez is devastated when she receives a letter informing her of her parents’ deaths. Wanting answers, Inez boards a ship to Egypt. But what she finds there doesn’t answer her questions. She finds an uncle who is closed off and angry. His associate/bodyguard, a handsome British man, keeps trying to send her home. But, after finding evidence that suggests her parents’ deaths were not the tragic accident that she had been told, Inez is determined to stay and find out what happened to them. Can Inez find out the truth? Or is everything that she had been told a lie?

Main Characters

Inez Olivera: I liked Inez. She was spunky, didn’t take crap from anyone, was inventive with how to get her way (i.e., staying in Egypt), and was determined to investigate her parents deaths. There were times that I feared for her life in the book (the one scene when she fell into the Nile had me on edge). I liked that she had layers to her, and the more time I spent with her in the book, the more layers were revealed.

Whitford Hayes: I wasn’t sure what to think of him when the book began. But, as the book continued and his backstory was explained, I started to like him. The author did something different with him; she held much of his background until the last minute. He was indeed an enigma.

My Review:

What the River Knows is a long book. It took me three days to finish. But in those three days, I relished what was written. I was immersed in the storyline and connected with the characters. And yes, like other reviewers, I was very much surprised by the ending and the epilogue. But even before that, the surprises that the author had up her sleeve were almost never-ending.

What the River Knows is a dual-POV book. The story is told mainly from Inez’s POV, but Whit gets his chapters in occasionally. Whit’s chapters explain some mystery that swirls around Inez’s parents, her uncle, and other plotlines. But, what his chapters do not do is verify his feelings for Inez.

I have read very few books centered almost entirely on Egyptian pharaohs and mythology. I enjoyed the mystery of Cleopatra’s tomb. I didn’t enjoy what was happening while Inez, Whit, and the rest of their group were looking for it. I understand why the author did it, but I still wasn’t a fan.

What the River Knows has a few plot twists that will surprise you. I did see the first one coming (sorry to the author). It was set up perfectly so that I would not miss it. This is the catalyst for everything that happens after the twist happens. The author was sneaky and added two plot twists at the very end of the book. I saw neither of those plot twists coming. So, saying I was surprised is an understatement. I was more surprised at the twist in the epilogue than I was at the one at the very end of the book.

The romance angle of the book was slow. It was so slow that I forgot it was even there until Inez was on the ship with Whit. While I had no question of Inez’s feelings towards Whit (ranging from irritation to love), I did question Whit’s. That’s all I am going to say about that.

The fantasy angle of the book was well written. But, like the romance, it was barely there until the middle of the book. I liked how the author wrote about the magic, though. It was exciting and is something that I hope the author expands on in the next book.

As I mentioned multiple times, the end of What the River Knows was a huge surprise. There was so much crammed into it that it did take me a minute to process. But the cliffhanger ending (which annoyed me) and the two twists had me up in arms (see above). It was very sneaky of the author to do that. It was all I thought about for a while after I stopped reading the book.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Isabel Ibanez for allowing me to read and review this ARC of What the River Knows. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to What the River Knows, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Isabel Ibanez

Never Wager with a Wallflower (The Merriwell Sisters: Book 3) by Virginia Heath

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Regency, Adult, Regency Romance

Series: The Merriwell Sisters

Never Fall for Your Fiancee—Book 1

Never Rescue a Rogue—Book 2

Never Wager with a Wallflower—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

The third and final delightful installment in the Merriwell Sister’s Regency rom-com series.
Miss Venus Merriwell has been waiting for her prince to come since the tender age of fourteen. She wants a man who is selfless, academic like her, and free from all the wretched vices her gambler father enjoyed far too much before he left the Merriwell sisters practically destitute. Unfortunately, after a slew of romantic disappointments, there is still no sign of that prince at twenty-three and the only one true love of her life is the bursting-at-the-seams orphanage in Covent Garden that she works tirelessly for. An orphanage that desperately needs to expand into the empty building next door.
For Galahad Sinclair, gambling isn’t just his life, it’s in his blood. He grew up and learned the trade at his grandfather’s knee in a tavern on the far away banks of the Hudson in New York. But when fate took all that away and dragged him across the sea to London, it made sense to set up shop here. He’s spent five years making a success out of his gaming hell in the sleazy docks of the East End. Enough that he can finally afford to buy the pleasure palace of his dreams—and where better than in the capital’s sinful heart, Covent Garden? The only fly in his ointment is the perfect building he’s just bought to put it in also happens to be right next door to the orphanage run by his cousin’s wife’s youngest sister. A pious, disapproving and unsettling siren he has avoided like the plague since she flattened him five years ago…
While Venus and Galahad lock horns over practically everything, and while her malevolent orphans do their darndest to sabotage his lifelong dream, can either of them take the ultimate gamble—and learn to love thy neighbor?

First Line:

“Do we have an accord, Mr. Sinclair?”
Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing for Never Wager with a Wallflower is medium. It could have been done with a faster storyline, especially towards the end. But overall, it worked. There was some slight lag towards the end, but it didn’t affect how I liked the book.

Series: Never Wager with a Wallflower is the 3rd (and last) book in the Merriwell Sisters trilogy. While you could technically read this book as a standalone, I recommend not doing so. I did, and I got turned around references to the other books. I also couldn’t keep the characters straight (other than Vee and Gal) in my head. I plan on reading the other two books as soon as I can.

Trigger/Content Warning: Never Wager with a Wallflower has trigger and content warnings. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Classism (moderate)
Poverty (moderate)
Abandonment (moderate)
Child Abuse (moderate)
Gambling Addiction (moderate)
Alcohol Consumption (minor)
Pregnancy (moderate)
Childbirth (minor)
Chronic Illness (minor)
Death of grandparent (moderate)
Death of parent(s) (minor)
Murder (moderate)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Never Wager with a Wallflower. Some are implied, but most were on page. It was not graphic.

Language: There is no swearing in Never Wager with a Wallflower. There is era-appropriate offensive language.

Setting: Never Wager with a Wallflower is set in London, England.

Tropes: Happy Ending, Forced Proximity, Enemies to Lovers, The Misunderstanding, Opposites Attract, Rivals, Emotional Scars, Everyone Can See It

Age Range: I recommend Never Wager with a Wallflower to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Miss Venus Merriwell knows what she wants in a husband. She wants someone intellectual, selfless, and who doesn’t have any gambling vices. She also wants a husband who will be passionate about the exact causes as she is like the rundown, overcrowded orphanage she has taught at for the past four years. It badly needs repairs and to be expanded to the building next door. But, if she has to settle, she will. That is why she is trying to catch the eye of London’s dryest, self-involved Lord. Forget a love match; she knows that marrying him will be safe.

Galahad Sinclair is Vee’s enemy. He represents everything that she despises. He runs a gambling hell on the docks of the East End and enjoys needling her every chance he gets. With their clashes fueling family gossip, Vee and Gal are thrown together at every opportunity. When Vee starts to get close to Gal, she sees someone different from the facade he shows everyone. But, when a secret that Gal has comes to the surface, will it kill their blossoming romance?

Main Characters

Venus Merriwell: I liked her, but man, did she have tunnel vision. Her world consisted of her sisters and their families, balls where she would look for prospective suitors, and the orphanage where she tirelessly worked. Her disdain for Gal caught me off because she was sweet with everyone else. There was a point in the book where I wanted to shake her (it was right after she found out Gal had bought the building next door). She was nasty to him, and I couldn’t believe what she said to the boy she had with her. That was almost enough to change my mind about her. But she more than made up for her attitude a few chapters later. I also liked that she loved to read, and Shakespeare was her favorite author. Of course, reading his plays gave her somewhat of an unrealistic view of romance (her journal entries showed that).

Galahad Sinclair: I loved him. Yes, he did some shady things at the beginning of the book. But, I stress this: he had no way of knowing that Vee wanted that building for herself. I liked that the author slowly (and sometimes at a turtle’s pace) had Gal reveal things about himself that saddened and horrified me. Some items, I guessed at, but others shook me. There were points in the book where I did think he made his bed (the whole building fiasco), but he did try to apologize.

My Review:

I enjoyed reading Never Wager with a Wallflower. But I felt a little out of sorts while reading it. This book is the third and last book in the trilogy. I missed a lot of background by not reading the first two books. But I did enjoy Vee and Gal’s very bumpy relationship. That had me on my toes for the entire book.

I loved that the author had journal entries by Vee from 14 to the present day. I liked seeing her thoughts on different situations (from boobs that won’t stop growing to her feelings about Gal). It also gave me good insight into her life growing up, what her father did to her and her sisters, and other storylines that kept popping up in the book.

The main storyline, the love story between Vee and Gal, was well written. As stated above, it was a bumpy enemy to lovers/forced proximity romance. Sometimes, I wondered when the romance would start and Vee’s animosity would end. But that made for a fun read. I also liked that Gal was very much in tune with his feelings for Vee and realized what they were early in the book. On the other hand, Vee fought her feelings until the end of the book.

The orphanage storyline was a little meh to me. While it allowed Gal to explain his formative years to Vee, it didn’t do anything but cause issues between those two. I thought Vee went overboard with her reaction to Gal buying the building next door. The meltdown that she had and the things she said to him was awful.

The end of Never Wager with a Wallflower was okay. It was a little drawn out. I was also weirded out that everyone was okay with what they walked into. I liked the epilogue, but I got confused by it. I had to reread it to understand what was going on.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Virginia Heath for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Never Wager with a Wallflower. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Never Wager with a Wallflower, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Virginia Heath

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Romance, Historical, Adult Fiction, Holocaust, Germany, War, Relationships

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of love, betrayal, and art that spans decades, through the horrors of World War II to 21st century America, inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau.

Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history.

A daughter’s search for the truth.

Germany, 1929. At a festive gathering of young bohemians in Weimar, two young artists, Max, a skilled Jewish architect, and Bettina, a celebrated avant-garde painter, are drawn to each other and begin a whirlwind romance. Their respective talents transport them to the dazzling lights of Berlin, but this bright beginning is quickly dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. Max is arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where only his talent at making exquisite porcelain figures stands between him and seemingly certain death. Desperate to save her lover, Bettina risks everything to rescue him and escape Germany.

America, 1993. Clara, Bettina’s daughter, embarks on a journey to trace her roots and determine the identity of her father, a secret her mother has kept from her for reasons she’s never understood. Clara’s quest to piece together the puzzle of her origins transports us back in time to the darkness of Nazi Germany, where life is lived on a razor’s edge and deception and death lurk around every corner. Survival depends on strength, loyalty, and knowing true friend from hidden foe. And as Clara digs further, she begins to question why her mother was so determined to leave the truth of her harrowing past behind…

The Porcelain Maker is a powerful novel of enduring love and courage in the face of appalling brutality as a daughter seeks to unlock the mystery of her past.

First Line

In a tall cabinet, on a glass shelf, lies a white porcelain rabbit.
The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of The Porcelain Maker was medium throughout most of the book. It did speed up towards the end (when Bettina tried to flee Germany with Max).

Trigger/Content Warning: The Porcelain Maker contains content and trigger warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Antisemitism (graphic)
War and War themes (graphic)
Violence (graphic)
Classism (moderate)
Dementia (moderate)
Depression (moderate)
PTSD (moderate)
Alcohol Consumption (moderate)
Dead Bodies (moderate)
Suicide (minor)
Starvation (moderate)
Grief (graphic)
Confinement (graphic)
Gun violence (moderate)
Murder (graphic)
Concentration Camp (moderate)
Genocide (moderate)
Mass Murder (moderate)
Abusive Relationship (minor)
Mental Health Hospitalization (minor)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in The Porcelain Maker. It was not graphic.

Language: There is moderate swearing in The Porcelain Maker. But there is offensive language used (slurs against Jewish people).

Setting: The Porcelain Maker is set in several locations. In Bettina and Max’s section of the book, the locations were various parts of Germany. In Clara’s book sections, the settings were Cincinnati, London, and Germany.

Tropes: War, Combining Real and Fiction Events, Including Historical Figures as Characters, Dual Timeline, What Life was Like, Survivor’s Guilt, Death Used as Catalyst, Bittersweet Ending, Alternation POV, Trauma

Age Range: I recommend The Porcelain Maker to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Max and Bettina fall in love in the golden years between World War I and World War II. But, with the rise of Nazism, Max is soon captured and thrown into Dachau. What saves him from manual labor is an unexpected friend he had made at Allach’s famous porcelain factory and his talent for creating porcelain figures. Desperate to save Max, Bettina will do anything to save him. That includes planning a daring escape from Allach with Max. Will that escape happen?

Desperate to find out her father’s identity, Clara starts on a journey tracing her roots with the sparse clues her mother left her. But, what Clara discovers will shake her to her core and make her question everything she knew about her mother. Will Clara find out who her father is? And why didn’t her mother tell her?

Main Characters

Max Erlich: I liked Max. He truly loved Bettina and was willing to step back to let her shine. I was enraged with how he was captured (I was yelling at my Kindle). Then, I knew his plotline would go two ways: a happy ending way or the way that would shatter me (and Bettina). So, I wasn’t surprised by how it ended.

Bettina Vogel: This woman was strong. She knew her mind from the beginning and wasn’t about letting anyone tell her what to do. She had a plan to get out of Germany before Max was captured. But, when he was arrested, her plan had to be adjusted a bit. I disagreed with her marrying the SS guy, but I understood why she did it. What I didn’t understand was her after World War II. What was done to her messed her head up, but willingly not telling her child something that important made me scratch my head. Still, regardless of her choices, I liked her a lot.

Clara Vogel: I felt terrible for Clara. At times, she was chasing shadows and rumors about her father. I liked that her doggedness got her answers. That scene at Dachau, talking to a Holocaust survivor and looking at records, gave me chills.

My review:

When I started to read The Porcelain Maker, I was expecting it to be like other World War II/Nazi Germany books. The main character is captured by the Nazis, forced into concentration camps, and either done to them or seen horrendous things. But not in this case. In this case, while the horror of Dachau was there, it was muted and kept in the background. Which is what made the violence and racist remarks that Max endured at the porcelain factory even more shocking.

This book was an emotional read for me. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish community in Massachusetts. Several of my neighbors, friends, grandparents, and teachers survived concentration camps during World War II. Nothing was talked about, and seeing those inked, blue numbers wasn’t out of the ordinary for us. It wasn’t until a local woman started talking to the middle and high school about the Holocaust and what she endured that I truly got a sense of what happened.

The Porcelain Maker has three separate storylines. Those storylines follow Max, Bettina, and Clara. Max and Bettina’s storylines merge at the beginning of the book, but they separate once they move to Allach. Each storyline was well-written, and each had its twist that surprised me.

The storyline with Max affected me the most. I genuinely liked him and wanted everything to turn out well. But, after he moved to Allach with Bettina, I felt that everything that happened to him (and to her) was predestined. I wanted to change how the author wrapped up his storyline. I wasn’t surprised, but it wasn’t something that I wanted to happen.

The storyline with Bettina also affected me. As I said in her character section, I thought she was strong. Once the Nazis put Max into Dachau, everything she did was to protect her baby and, ultimately, to work towards seeing Max again. Did I agree or like everything she did? No, but I did understand. I also understood why she was so broken in Clara’s recollections. Living through something like that and with what was done to her would scar anyone.

The storyline with Clara intrigued me. I liked seeing her journey to finding out who her father was. What I liked even more was that the author set the storyline in 1993. There were few computers or internet access back then (I remember using dial-up in 1994 or 1995 for the first time). Clara had actually to do the research. I liked how she got one tiny breadcrumb after another, eventually leading to someone who knew her father. I won’t lie; I did get emotional while reading her storyline. I got all the emotions and then some.

The end of The Porcelain Maker was perfect. I won’t say anything about what was written except that I liked it. And the epilogue was just as good. Talk about a tribute!!!!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Sarah Freethy for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Porcelain Maker. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to The Porcelain Maker, then you will enjoy these books:

Sebastian (Ephemera: Book 1) by Anne Bishop

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

A world of shifting lands connected only by bridges, Ephemera has been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one land where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But then in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved-a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her.

But a more devastating destiny awaits Sebastian, for in the quiet gardens of the Landscapers’ school, evil is stirring. The nearly forgotten Eater of the World has escaped its prison-and Sebastian’s realm may be the first to fall.

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