Category: book review

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.

Search History by Amy Taylor

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press

Date of publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Literary Fiction, Australia, Adult Fiction, Adult, Womens Fiction

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

A woman’s obsession with her new boyfriend’s dead ex-girlfriend fuels this sharp and honest debut novel, a send-up of modern dating and love

My fingers itched to put his name into the search bar. Once I’d found him, I’d have the cheat sheet.

After fleeing to Melbourne in the wake of a breakup, all Ana has to show for herself is an unfulfilling job at an overly enthusiastic tech start-up and one particularly questionable dating app experience. Then she meets Evan. Charming, kind, and financially responsible, Evan is a complete aberration from her usual type; Ana feels like she has finally awoken from a long dating nightmare.

As much as she tries to let their burgeoning relationship unfold IRL, Ana just can’t resist the urge to find Evan online. When she discovers that his previous girlfriend, Emily, died unexpectedly in a hit-and-run less than a year ago, Ana begins to worry she’s living in the shadow of his lost love. Soon she’s obsessively comparing herself to Emily, trawling through her dormant social media accounts in the hope of understanding her better. Online, Evan and Emily’s life together looked perfect–but just how perfect was it? And why won’t he talk about it?

Perceptive and original, full of both pathos and humor, Search History explores the contradictions and uncertainties of twenty-first century romance. Ana’s journey down the Internet rabbit hole of modern dating asks the question: Which is our “true” self–the one we show to the world online, or the one we keep to ourselves?

First Line:

At some point after a breakup, the desire to sleep with someone else arrives.

Search History by Amy Taylor

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of Search History was medium pace. It did speed up to medium fast towards the end of the book. But the overall pace was medium.

Trigger/Content Warning:  Search History has trigger and content warnings. If you are triggered, then I suggest not reading the book. They are:

  • Sexual Violence (graphic)
  • Infidelity (moderate)
  • Toxic Relationship (moderate)
  • Misgony (moderate)
  • Sexism (moderate)
  • Stalking (graphic)
  • Car Accident (minor)
  • Death (minor)
  • Grief (graphic)
  • Alcoholism (moderate)
  • Alcohol Consumption (graphic)
  • Panic Attacks (moderate)

Sexual Content:  There is sexual content in Search History. There are a couple of scenes where it gets graphic. Otherwise, it is a fade to the next day, or the author uses general terms when describing Ana getting her freak on.

Language: There is moderate swearing and some offensive language in Search History.

Setting: Search History is almost set entirely in Melbourne, Australia. There is a chapter where Ana visits her father in Bali.

Tropes: Conflict Comes from Interpersonal Relationships, Betrayal/Cheater, Minor Character Death, Plot Twist, Regret, Relationships, Dating

Age Range: I would recommend Search History to anyone over 21.

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

After fleeing to Melbourne after her long-term relationship crashed and burned, Ana feels ready to date again. But when the matches on her dating app become questionable (and, in one case, dangerous), Ana is prepared to give up. Then she meets Evan while at drinks with co-workers. Evan is everything she is looking for in a man. He’s handsome, witty, and single. After several dates, Ana searches for Evan’s name online and discovers a huge surprise. Evan’s previous girlfriend, a beautiful yoga instructor, was killed in a car accident. Ana slowly becomes obsessed with Emily and Evan’s perfect relationship and with Emily herself. But with Evan not mentioning Emily and breaking down every time Ana mentions her, Ana begins to wonder if their relationship was as perfect as it seems on social media. Will Ana get the truth from Evan? Or will what is revealed break them up?

Main Characters

Ana: I had mixed feelings about Ana at the beginning of Search History. While I liked her and thought her snark was excellent, I didn’t particularly appreciate that she cyberstalked her ex (and later on Emily and Evan). In the beginning, she came across as needy and obsessive. But, as the book went on and her back story was shared, I began to understand why she acted the way she did. I still had mixed feelings about her social media use, but something resonated with me at that point. Haven’t we all looked up an old or new love interest to see what they are doing? I know I have. So, giving side-eye to Ana was replaced with sympathy and an overwhelming need to take her phone away.

Evan: I thought his appearance in Ana’s life was good. He showed up exactly when she needed it, and they were good together for a little while. I even got why he didn’t talk about Emily (her death was still too painful). But then he started pulling stuff on Ana that made my shady boyfriend’s meter go way up. All I have to say is that Evan isn’t as innocent as he made himself to be to Ana. He left a whole lot out.

My review:

Reading Search History was eye-opening for me. I have no clue what it is like dating in this day and age. I met my SO before smartphones were common and dating apps were everywhere. I met him 20 years ago the old-fashioned way: In person. What attracted me to this book was how the internet and social media shaped Ana’s view of dating and then fueled her obsession with Emily and Evan’s relationship and with Emily herself.

The main storyline centers around Ana, Evan, using social media to stalk Emily and Evan, and Ana’s life in general. It was well written. Some of the scenarios showcased didn’t resonate with me, but like I stated above, I last dated 20 years ago. But the feeling behind everything did. Everything Ana did until almost the end of the book wasn’t malicious. She was curious and then felt that she had to live up to something shown through social media. Even with her hearing the truth (and yes, it shocked me), she still felt that she had to live up to Emily’s memory.

A massive twist towards the end of the book involves Ana and Evan’s relationship. I was so shocked when everything went down because, at the time, I had no warning. But, looking back, there were plenty of signs; I didn’t take them as they were.

What I also liked about this book is that it wasn’t just about relationships. It was about healing. Ana had so much to heal from and had so much to heal. It was nice to see her strained relationships become less strained. I also liked that she became more assertive in other areas (for example, her job).

The end of Search History was nice, but what Ana did at the very end raised my eyebrows. Didn’t she learn from everything she went through earlier in the book? I wondered if she would go down another social media rabbit hole.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press, NetGalley, and Amy Taylor for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Search History. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Search History, then you will enjoy these books:

Betrayal (Robin Lockwood: Book 7) by Phillip Margolin

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of Publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Suspense, Adult Mystery Thriller

Series: Robin Lockwood

The Third Victim—Book 1

The Perfect Alibi—Book 2

A Reasonable Doubt—Book 3

A Matter of Life and Death—Book 4

The Darkest Place—Book 5

Murder at Black Oaks—Book 6

Betrayal—Book 7

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Phillip Margolin’s Betrayal , attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself defending her old nemesis in a multiple murder case with too many suspects, where success might cost her own life.

Robin Lockwood is now a prominent defense attorney in Portland, Oregon but a decade ago, she was a ranked and rising MMA fighter. Her career came to a quick end when she was knocked out and concussed in the first round by Mandy Kerrigan, a much more talented fighter.

Now the situation couldn’t be more different, with Kerrigan on her last legs, her career nearly over, arrested for the quadruple murder of the entire Finch family…and Kerrigan’s only possible friend is the attorney she beat so many years ago.

For Robin, it’s no simple Margaret Finch was a lawyer working for vicious Russian mobsters, and was in the cross-hairs of both the mobsters and the widower of a woman a client killed; her husband Nathan Finch was deeply in debt to a bookie who threatened his life; her son Ryan was the one who sold Kerrigan illegal performance enhancing drugs and was beaten severely by her when Kerrigan failed her drug test. To complicate matters further, the DA that Robin is facing is the man she’s just started dating, the first person she’s begun seeing seriously after her husband was killed.

In a case where the stakes are high and the truth is elusive, where each new fact twists the case in a new direction, there is seemingly no way to win or direction to turn that will leave Robin Lockwood unscathed.

First Line:

Shortly before Megan Radcliffe’s favorite show started, a very odd event occurred that was followed by a horrifying event.

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Betrayal was medium. The author did pick up the pace toward the end of the book when the big reveal happened.

Series: Betrayal is book 7 in the Robin Lockwood series. While you can read this as a standalone book, I recommend reading the series’s previous six books. I was confused when the author brought up past cases and events because I went into this book cold.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are content and trigger warnings in Betrayal. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

  • Bullying (off-page and told by friends of one of the deceased)
  • Cyberbullying (off-page and told by the victim’s parents and friends)
  • Adult-minor relationships (off-page)
  • Drug Addiction (mostly off-page)
  • Gambling Addiction (off and on page)
  • Suicide (off-page)
  • Drug dealing (some on-page but mostly off-page)
  • Blood (on page)
  • Gore (on page)
  • Dead bodies (on page)
  • Car accident (off-page)
  • Garroting (on-page)
  • Gun Violence (off and on page)
  • Murder (off and on page)
  • Organized Crime (on page)
  • Physical Assualt (on page)
  • Torture (off-page)
  • Violence (off and on page)

Sexual Content: There are sexual situations in Betrayal. They are not graphic.

Language: There is swearing and offensive language in Betrayal.

Setting: Betrayal is set entirely in Portland, Oregon.

Tropes: Red Herring, Dysfunctional Family, Mafia, Plot Twists, The Unlikable Victim, The Dramatic Reveal, High Stakes

Age Range: I recommend Betrayal to anyone over 21.

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

In her former life as a rising MMA fighter, Robin had fought and lost to Mandy Kerrigan. The injury she got in that match made Robin quit and take her studies as a criminal defense attorney seriously. Years later, Robin meets Mandy again, except Mandy is being accused of murdering an entire family-something that she vehemently denies. Taking her case, Robin sees that there are other people with the motive and means to kill the Finch family. But with the evidence pointing at Mandy, it will take everything that Robin knows to acquire her client. Can Robin and her team find evidence to free Mandy? Or will she go to jail for a crime she swore she didn’t commit?

Main Characters

There were a lot of characters in this book, and each contributed to the plotline in their own way. But for this section, I will focus on the two main characters. If I listed all of the secondary characters in this review, it would take forever for you to read and for me to write.

Robin Lockwood: I liked Robin. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to poke at people to get answers (the meeting with the mob boss and his enforcer stood out to me). I also liked that she was fair. Most criminal defense attorneys (at least in the books) are written as slimy and out for themselves. So, it was refreshing to see one who worked with the prosecutor and did things correctly. There wasn’t anything deceptive about her. She even came clean about her blossoming relationship with the prosecuting attorney when she was assigned to Mandy’s case.

Mandy Kerrigan: I didn’t like her, but I did pity her. The author did get into her background and why she got into MMA. It was heartbreaking. But also heartbreaking was her fall from the top. She did hit rock bottom during this book (with the suspension/drugging and the murder trial). She felt that Robin owed it to her to get her acquitted. The scene towards the end of the book, when she exploded at Robin, sealed that notion for me.

My review:

Reading an excellent legal thriller is one of my favorite pastimes. I love seeing how the law works and figuring out if the defendant (or plaintiff) will be found guilty/not guilty. So, I was happy to read Betrayal. I was thrilled when I found out it was from a criminal defense attorney’s side (instead of the DA). As I mentioned above, the criminal defense attorney rubs me the wrong way in most books I have read. Thankfully, this book is different.

The Finch family was one of the most dysfunctional families I have read. Anyone that they came in contact with could have killed them. The mother was a lawyer for the Russian mob, the father created designer drugs at his workplace, the son dealt the drugs his father made, and the daughter bullied a girl into committing suicide. I think the author could have just written a book about each of them instead of having them all killed off. But, it made for a good read and a good who-dun it. Why? Because this family pissed off a whole bunch of people over the past year, and any one of those people could have killed them. Mandy was only arrested because the neighbor saw her at the house right before the bodies were found.

The mystery angle of this book was perfect. Usually, I can figure out who did it and the reason reasonably early in the book. Well, not in this case. I thought I had figured out who did it and was stunned by how the murderer was revealed and why that person killed the family. It was a huge twist, and I didn’t see it coming. I sat there with my mouth open and kept saying, “No freaking way,” over and over again.

The end of Betrayal was a huge twist (see above). I liked that the author wrapped everything up but left enough room for a book 8.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Phillip Margolin for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Betrayal. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

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

Other books by Phillip Margolin:

The Art of Destiny (The War Arts Saga: Book 2) by Wesley Chu

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey

Date of publication: October 10th, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Epic Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, High Fantasy, Martial Arts, Novels, Asian Literature

Series: War Arts

The Art of Prophecy—Book 1 (review here)

The Art of Destiny—Book 2

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Once there was a prophecy that a chosen one would rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, an immortal god-king.

But the prophecy was wrong.

Now Jian, the former chosen hero, is just an ordinary young man trying to find his own way. But he may yet have an extraordinary destiny, because he joins forces with Taishi, his grumpy grandmaster, who instructs him in the ways of her family’s powerful war art. Jian still has a long way to go before he can become her heir, so she recruits a band of elderly grandmasters who come out of retirement to whip him into shape and help with this one last job.

And there are others who are also seeking their own destiny, like Qisami, an assassin on a secret mission to protect a powerful noblewoman from her enemies. But as Qisami goes undercover to complete her mission, she takes on a new identity that gives her something she never had before: friendship, found family, and new purpose.

Sali also thought her fate was laid before her. She was supposed to be looking for the next Eternal Khan and now finds her clan exiled from everything she’s ever known. As she leads the survivors in search of a new home, Sali discovers that she’s something she never thought she could be: a leader and a revolutionary.

Because sometimes destiny is grander than any prophecy can foresee. And the greatest destiny of all is the one you choose for yourself.

First Line:

The caravan of covered wagons snaked along the craggy face of a mountain range known as the Five Ugly Brothers.

The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of The Art of Destiny alternated between slow and medium. Usually, I’m not too fond of a slow-paced book, mainly because books with that pace do not keep my attention. But, in this case, it did. The author used that slow pace to introduce new characters and explain their relationship to the main one(s). The book did pick up pace towards the end and stayed medium speed until the book’s ending.

Series: The Art of Destiny is book 2 in the War Arts series. This book cannot be read as a standalone novel. You must read book one to understand the main characters’ backstories and some of the secondary characters.

Trigger/Content Warning: There weren’t many trigger/content warnings. But, if any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

  • Violence (graphic)
  • Blood (graphic)
  • War (graphic)

Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in The Art of Destiny. There is a scene where Wen gets kissed by Sonaya. There is also a lot of innuendo by Sonaya during her and Wen’s training sessions.

Language: There is no swearing in The Art of Destiny.

Setting: The Art of Destiny is set in the fictional country of The Enlightened States. The characters all travel to various areas of the country.

Tropes: High Action, The Hero’s Journey, The Chosen One, The Mentor, Epic Storylines with Lots of Characters, High Stakes, The Training Sequence

Age Range: I recommend The Art of Destiny to anyone over 16.

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

Two years after the Great Kahn was killed and Taishi took in Wen Jian as her heir, Wen Jian is still in hiding. His training is going horribly, and Taishi is worried. There are rumors of a war between the Dukes and an uprising by the Katuia. So, Taishi summons her friends, retired grandmasters, to help tutor Wen. She also has an ulterior motive known only to her and Zofi. What is Taishi hiding, and why is she so insistent on Wen being trained?

Meanwhile, Maza Qisami’s reputation as a Shadowstrike has taken a blow after her battle with Taishi. Unable to secure good-paying work for herself and her pod, she is surprised when she is offered a job to go undercover in Lord Niam’s household. But, once there, Qisami starts settling in and becomes attached to the people who live and work there. Will she be able to do what is asked of her, or will she forsake everything she has worked for?

Then there is Sali. The former Viperstrike is dying from the Pull of the Khan and is exhausted from leading her people to a safe area. She is reluctant to go when told of a cure in the north. Pushed into it by her younger sister, Sali takes her neophyte, Hampa, and Mali’s husband, Daewon, on the journey. What she learns once she is in Hrusha is life-altering. Can she be healed from the Pull of the Khan? Or will her journey north be for nothing?

Main Characters

Because this book has numerous characters, I will only outline the four who the storylines are molded around. If I went into each character, this review would be extremely long. The author did include a glossary that names The Tiandi, The Shadow, and The Katua characters.

Wen Jian: She was still grouchy, but I felt she lost her edge slightly. I liked seeing her interactions with the other grandmasters. I disagreed with what she did during the last half of the book, but I understood why she did it. It is the same with her agreeing to do what Wen asked at the end of the book.

Taishi: She was still grouchy, but I felt she lost her edge slightly. I liked seeing her interactions with the other grandmasters. I didn’t agree with what she did during the last half of the book, but I understood why she did it. Same with her agreeing to do what Wen asked at the end of the book.

Qisami: I enjoyed reading Qisami’s part of the story. I liked seeing her go from this uptight, bloodthirsty assassin to someone much softer. It gave me an insight into who she could have been if she hadn’t been sold to the Consortium. It also showed me what she might be like in book two. I know Sunri, Chiafan, and Qisami’s former pod mates better watch their backs because she’s out to get them.

Sali: Out of everyone in the book, she was my favorite. She led her people out of enslavement and kept them two steps ahead of tribes who wanted to kill them. Once Sali hid them, she reluctantly went to look for a cure for the Pull of the Khan. Her journies led her to Hrusha, where her character’s arc took another turn. I can’t wait to see where her storyline goes and how she will meet up with the other three main characters.

My review:

I had eagerly awaited The Art of Destiny since I saw the author put it on Goodreads. I enjoyed reading The Art of Prophecy and needed to know what happened to Wen, Taishi, Qisami, and Sali. So, when I saw the widget arrive in my email, I immediately downloaded it. This book did not disappoint.

First, I want to let everyone know that there is a map (a little small on my Kindle, but it might be bigger in a book) of The Enlightened States. I loved that. The second thing, and this is what I loved, is that the author included a glossary (or a Dramatis Personae). It lists every single named character in the book and has a brief description of them. As a reviewer, that is a lifesaver since I am forever going back and forth on my Kindle to find characters and make sure the names are correct.

I also want to let everyone know that this book is long. It is 672 pages. It is also slow, but, as I said above, the author reintroduced characters and introduced new characters. And there was a lot.

The Art of Destiny is split into three separate storylines. One follows Wen Jian and Tiashi. The other follows Qisami. The last storyline follows Sali. The storylines are kept entirely different from each other until the end of the book. Then Wen Jian, Tiashi, and Qisami’s storylines merge. But Sali’s is kept separate, and the author did have good reason for that. All of the storylines were well-written and very rich in lore. I was immersed in each storyline separately and did not have an issue transferring from one to another.

The storyline following Wen Jian and Tiashi focuses on Wen Jian, his training, Tiashi bringing the other grandmasters to the Cloud Pillars, and the events at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about the other grandmasters and their chosen martial arts. I liked how each interacted with Wen and Tiashi. I also liked that they all had Wen’s back and would follow him (and Tiashi) anywhere. The storyline was still ongoing at the end of the book, and I am curious about where everyone ended up.

The storyline with Qisami did make me a little sad. Once placed in the Duke’s household, she seemed to find a family that accepted her for who she was (at face value). She formed friendships outside of her pod. She lost sight of why she was there until Firstwife told her to kill people that she had become attached to. But the saddest thing is when her pod mates betrayed her. Her surprise and betrayal came off the pages, as did her anger. She was so upset that she let Wen and Tiashi slip through her fingers.

The storyline with Sali had my attention the most. She was trying so hard to find a way to get rid of the Pull of the Khan. But her journies and the pull were killing her. She was also trying to be strong for her tribe. Her weariness was palpable. But, when she heard of a potential cure in the north, on the island nation of Hrusha, she reluctantly went. Her character’s growth while on the island was comparable to Qisami’s. I loved her fight scenes with the Stormchaser. It was the highlight of the book for me. What she turned into also surprised me.

The book’s fantasy angle was incredible (including the martial arts). I loved that the author based it on Chinese folklore and then ran with it. I wish the author recorded some of the lore in a glossary because I had some issues keeping them straight (but that is a me issue, not a book or writing issue).

The end of The Art of Destiny was good. Nothing was wrapped up. Instead, things were revealed and left there for my overactive imagination to process. I can’t wait to see where book three will take these characters. I also can’t wait to see how the author will merge Sali’s storyline with Qisami, Wen, and Tiashi’s.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Wesley Chu for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Art of Destiny. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to The Art of Destiny, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Wesley Chu:

When I’m Dead (Black Harbor: Book 3) by Hannah Morrissey

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: October 31st, 2023

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Adult, Halloween, Horror

Series: Black Harbor

Hello, Transcriber—Book 1

The Widowmaker—Book 2

When I’m Dead—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | World Cat

Goodreads Synopsis:

One girl murdered. Another one missing. And a medical examiner desperate to uncover the truth in the latest Black Harbor mystery by acclaimed author Hannah Morrissey.

On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery—her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions…details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect.

First Line:

You’ll love me more when I’m dead.

When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of When I’m Dead was fast. Considering the book takes place within a week of the first murder, I wasn’t surprised. There was a slight lag towards the middle of the book, but I expected it. The lag didn’t affect my reading (I didn’t have to backtrack) or my enjoyment of the book.

Series: When I’m Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series. Readers can read this book as a standalone. The characters from the previous two books appear in this one, but they are kept as secondary characters. Also, the cases from the previous books are mentioned but kept to just mentions.

Trigger/Content Warning:  There are content and trigger warnings in When I’m Dead. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

  • Child Death (graphic)
  • Kidnapping (moderate)
  • Murder (graphic)
  • Death (graphic)
  • Bullying (graphic)
  • Grief (graphic)
  • Body Shaming (moderate)
  • Gore (moderate)
  • Mental Illness (graphic)
  • Toxic Friendship (graphic)
  • Injury/detail of injury (moderate)
  • Blood (graphic)
  • Medical Content (moderate)
  • Adult/minor relationship (minor)
  • Suicide (minor)
  • Classism (moderate)
  • Suicidal Ideation (moderate)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in When I’m Dead. It is only for one page, and it does get moderately graphic.

Language: There is graphic swearing in When I’m Dead.

Setting: When I’m Dead is set entirely in the fictional city of Black Harbor, Wisconsin.

Tropes: The Red Herring, The Dramatic Reveal, Twist Ending, Ticking Clock, High Stakes, Missing Children

Age Range:  I recommend When I’m Dead to anyone over 21.

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

When Rowan is called to the scene of a gruesome murder, she is shocked to discover that it is a friend of her daughter, Chloe. When she gets home later that night, she finds that Chloe never returned home from the play she was starring in. As she and her husband, Axel, start investigating Chloe’s disappearance and her friend’s murder, she is shocked to learn that Chloe has been keeping secrets from her parents. The more they dig, the more secrets they uncover. Can they find Chloe and solve the murders?

Main Characters

Rowan Winthrop: I could sympathize with Rowan regarding Chloe going missing. But my sympathy only went so far. She was a largely absent parent who prioritized her job over her child, and she knew it. I did feel bad about the guilt she carried over that and the death of a teenager decades earlier.

Axel Winthrop: I wasn’t sure what to think about him. I felt that he made some very questionable choices throughout the book. Like Rowan, he prioritized his job over his child. But, in this case, I got it. Detectives work strange and long hours. I also questioned his behavior throughout the book with suspects.

Chloe Winthrop: I felt awful for Chloe. She was dealing with a lot. A possible learning disability (and don’t get me started on how her parents didn’t know about it), vicious and ugly rumors being spread about her, and her parents never seemed to notice her. I just wanted to hug her.

Libby Lucas: I didn’t like her but felt terrible for her. Classmates teased her relentlessly about her weight (Neck Rolls was a nickname given to her). I had her pegged as the murderer because of how she acted in her chapters. But the more I read about her, the more I understood her. She was Chloe’s haven in the hell that school became.

My review:

When I’m Dead was an interesting read for me. I liked that this was a dark thriller where I couldn’t figure out who the killer was. I was not too fond of the multiple POVs, but they grew on me. They did give me insight into Chloe and the facts surrounding her disappearance. They also gave me insight into the people murdered and how the murders are tied to Chloe.

The main storyline is centered around the murders and Chloe’s disappearance. The investigation into the murders did raise my eyebrows, though. The main detective and the medical examiner knew the victim(s) and, later on, knew what they did to their daughter. I know this is fiction, but I didn’t think it was kosher. I also thought that Axel interrogating suspects was against everything I knew about police procedure. The author does attempt to explain why they were both working the cases. There was a shortage of MEs and police officers. Then there is Libby’s role in everything. She didn’t tell Axel or Rowan everything she knew and, most importantly, defaced evidence in Chloe’s room. Her behavior made me think she was a suspect until it was proven she wasn’t (alibi). But Libby was central in figuring out who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive behind everything.

The mystery angle was well written. The author gave a ton of red herrings and had me thinking different people were the killer/kidnapper. Heck, she even had me thinking that Chloe did it and ran away. But when she revealed who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive, I was shocked. That person wasn’t even on my radar.

The suspense/thriller angle was also well-written. I was kept on the edge of my seat, wondering when Chloe would be found and the killer would be revealed. And at the end of the book, I was on edge with everything happening.

The end of When I’m Dead was great. I liked the twists that the author threw in about the killer. As I mentioned above, I had zero clue about the killer’s motive and who the killer was. I felt that the very end of the book was a little anti-climactic due to everything that happened.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Hannah Morrissey for allowing me to read and review this ARC of When I’m Dead. All opinions stated this this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to When I’m Dead, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Hannah Morrissey: