Sleeping with the Frenemy
by Natalie Caña
Very Different From Previous Books. Still Solid In Its Own Right. The first two books in this series dealt with vastly different types of relationships than our MCs here have. In the first book, it was a friends to lovers situation, while in the second book it was a S L O W burn second chance situation. Here, its more of a situation situation. As in, this is a couple that has been fucking for *years* behind the backs of the siblings of one of them - one of those siblings being the best friend of the other. More on a situational level though - both were available and attracted to each other and had an opportunity, so mutual itch scratching was had. Fair enough, and that back story alone makes this *wildly* different than the other books here.
And because of that back story, this is perhaps the spiciest entry into the series. So those looking for the no sex/ "fade to black" type books... this aint fucking that. Instead, it more readily takes scenes from a Fifty Shades type environment, and that alone should tell most anyone what to generally expect there.
Still, this book and these characters have history within the series, and that is well respected here. The characters from the prior entries all show up in appropriate enough places, and indeed certain elements of prior storylines come into play heavily in this book - so absolutely read this series in order.
Overall a fun, spicy, story whose every element blends the Puerto Rican background of these characters with their current Chicago home quite well. Very much recommended.
The (Not So) Perfect Second Chance
by Maggie Dallen
Short. Quick. Hallmarkie. Perfect For Holiday Season Or Any Time You Need A Quick Break From Reality. Let's face it, particularly barely two weeks out from polls beginning to close in the 2024 Presidential Election, we could *all* use a break from reality... but we don't all have hours to spend in some 300+ page book, much less a 700+ page fantasy tome. Enter this short story originally written as part of an anthology, but now available independently. I read it in I want to say 2.5 hrs or so, it really is that quick. And can be mostly read in shorter chunks still, if that is all the time you have. It works *best* as a finale to the Falling In Friar Hollow series, as it was written as, but in all honesty, if you don't mind knowing that the couples featured in a *romance book* wound up together... this could also work as an introduction of sorts to the series. Similarly, if you've never read Dallen and/ or her contemporary books, this is a solid introduction to her general style for that type of tale. Very much recommended.
Proximity Politics: How Distance Shapes Public Opinion and Political Behaviors
by Jeronimo Cortina
Obvious "Research" Yet Still Manages To Be Hyper Political. The basic premise of this book is that people are more about those things that are physically, emotionally, or ideologically close to them. Ok, and the sky is blue. Next. Oh, but now there's numbers showing this! And? There are numbers showing why the sky is blue. Nobody cares. Well, maybe the scientists and pedants. Aha! The target audience for this very academically oriented text!
I'll grant that the length of the bibliography is solid, clocking in at 30% of the text of the Advance Review Copy of this book that I read. Though content wise, it seems cherry picked specifically to support the author's conclusions rather than offer a more well rounded view of the topic.
In making claims such as "Partisan polarization proved to be the deadliest factor for Americans' health." (while blaming elderly Americans for their own deaths during the COVID event) and saying the US-Mexico border "The US -Mexico border as we know it today is a product of historical correction that took place in 1896 to rectify mapping errors from the US-Mexican War of 1849-1855. However, it is not merely a line drawn by Washington, DC and Mexico City to separate two nations. Rather, it is a dynamic permeable membrane shaped by centuries of movement and interaction among indigenous peoples, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans.", Cortina makes statements that his fellow members of the Academy may agree with... that will leave the rest of us in the "real" world wondering what the fuck those "Academics" are smoking, and if we can have some - particularly in these last days before the 2024 Presidential election. And then there is the fictitious claim that "assault rifles" exist (they don't) or that anthropogenic "climate change" is causing ever more natural disasters. Here, I'll at least give Cortina credit for moderating a *touch* in later chapters and moving on to a more "regardless of origins, it is happening" approach - which is still not actually borne out in the data, but is at least much closer to reality. Cortina would argue that my own proximal politics - growing up in the foothills of the Appalachians yet currently living just six miles off the beach - influences our disagreement here... I would argue reality does. ;)
And that is ultimately how anyone is going to find this book. If you like academic treatises with a strong leftward bent, you're going to enjoy what Cortina has put together here, obvious though it may be. Hey, there's numbers now! ;) If you find yourself not drawn to that type of book... spare Cortina the much more vicious take down that even *I* was tempted to write and just ignore this book. Your cardiologist will hate you for it, but your family will love you ever more for allowing them a few more days with you from not having a heart attack over this book. :D
Recommended, but only for very select readers.
The Christmas Countdown
by Holly Cassidy
Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance That "Officially" Has The Weirdest Personal Story Ever For Me. This is one of those damn near prototypical Hallmark Christmas movie type romances, and that alone will tell most people whether they're going to like this or not. Obviously, with how much success Hallmark has with these types of movies every year (and with so many of the romance authors I've worked with over the years now getting chances to write some of these actual movies), there is quite a considerable market for exactly this type of story, so kudos to Cassidy (and the actual person behind her) for branching out into this realm. Here, Cassidy even manages to introduce a few wrinkles not *always* seen... but this also ties into the personal story I have to tell.
For those who don't care about my very weird personal history with this book, what I said above is everything you need to know. It was really good for its type and had some interesting wrinkles, and is absolutely worthy of your time if you like these types of tales. Very much recommended.
Now, for the weird personal tale:
As I was reading this book in the week before release in October 2024, I *absolutely knew* I had read this tale before. To the level that it was an exact duplicate of the tale I knew I had already read, which I recognized 100% from one particular scene, among others. As I've known the actual person behind the Cassidy pseudonym online for many years now and have read and reviewed many of her books under her real name, I knew such blatant plagiarism simply *was not* possible. Not the author I've known for so long. And yet... I *knew* I had read this story weeks earlier, back when I last reviewed this author's 2024 release under her real name.
And yet... I had *ZERO* record that I had already read this book. Which is statistically damn near as close to zero as you can get, as I have *extensive* record keeping about literally every book I read in *numerous* different places.
I have an Excel file where I have three different sheets containing different data about every book, and I mark each sheet as I complete a given book. I download the cover to my phone and then create two separate images - one with my Hardcover.app profile on the side and one without - with my rating of the book on both. I then post the one without in a Facebook group on my personal profile where we keep track of all the books the group reads. I then Facebook Messenger my reader profile both images. I then save both images in a particular folder on my computer. Then I begin to actually write the review in Hardcover.app. I then copy the text of the review into Goodreads, BookHype.com, BookBub.com (if the book is there), TheStoryGraph.com, NetGalley.com (if the book came from there, as both the earlier book under this author's real name and this book did), my blog, and at least two separate Facebook reader groups, and I'm trying to get better about making it at least three. (My own group there, Reader Garage, as well as at least Readers Coffeehouse and I'm trying to get better about My Book Friends). I then finish out my review on my blog with imagery and some links, then post the links from my blog to the Hardcover.app review and to the NetGalley review. I then copy all of the other review site review links into the NetGalley review and submit that. Finally, I place the link to my blog review in my LinkTree and get the Hardcover version of the cover image out on my Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook Blog Page. I then share the Facebook Blog Page post publicly on my reader profile there.
So there are a LOT of places that *some* record of me reading this book back then *should* have existed in some form. 25 by my count, 26 counting the My Book Friends group.
And YET, I found record that I had read this book in just *ONE* of them - It had been removed from the Excel tab where I remove books as I complete them. Even this isn't conclusive, however, as I've been known to make mistakes and cut the wrong book from time to time over the years.
But y'all, I *KNOW* I read this book, and I even remember having the plan back in July, when I read the other book under this author's real name, that I would read this book immediately after - along with then doing the same thing with another author who had two books releasing around the same time as both of this author's books. (IIRC, the other author's first book released a week or so after "Cassidy"'s first book, and the other author's October book released last week, a week before this book.)
So what I *suspect* and *believe* happened - yet have almost exactly zero evidence of - is that I did in fact read this book back then. It is the only thing that makes sense with everything that I know to be true about everything surrounding this very weird experience. I then noticed that I simply had too many books releasing in August to follow through with my plans for working the other author in a similar manner, and clearly I somehow forgot to go through my review process for this book back then. I honestly have no idea what caused such a lapse, but such a lapse happening is the *only* thing that actually makes sense with everything else I know.
So there you have it. Even the "machines" of the book review space, as some authors have called me over the years, have our breaking points. It seems that August 2024 - whose books I did not fully clear until September 30, with my review of James Rollins' Arkangel - may have been too close to my own for comfort. But at least I'm on the back side of that, and some new opportunities are arising as I begin to slow down the ARC work that has kept me so busy for so many years now.
Hopefully y'all will continue to follow me on these new adventures... and hopefully you'll continue to follow Ms. Cassidy under both this identity and her real one. :)
When We Chased the Light
by Emily Bleeker
Compelling Companion. This book is more "companion" novel to Bleeker's 2023 novel When We Were Enemies than "sequel", in that only the prologue and epilogue feature the more modern timeline from the earlier book. The rest of this story is, well, the rest of the historical story found in pieces in the earlier book as our lead character there tries to piece together her family's past.
Bleeker does a remarkable job of continuing the story of survival she began in When We Were Enemies and continuing through WWII and the ensuing decades. And just when you think survival is all you get - and with some interesting foreshadowing bringing another well known tale into the narrative in a perfectly timed (both narrative wise and timeline wise) point - ... Bleeker manages to bring heavy amounts of dust into the room and absolutely *shatter* you, the reader. But this is done in almost literally the last pages and even words of this tale, so those who give up short of the finish line won't get to the best part of the tale overall... much like those who give up short of the goal line in most other things, come to think of it. :)
I've literally read everything Bleeker has written, from her powerful debut through this one, and this is easily near the top of her stack in ambition and overall storytelling. Bleeker has had others that may hit even harder (her 2015 debut, WRECKAGE), but this one shows a remarkable growth as a storyteller overall, able to write this in just a few months and make it flow so well with both its predecessor and within the times and worlds in which it inhabits in our "real" world.
Overall a truly excellent book, and very much recommended.
Romance the Every Day
by Andrea Kasprzak
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Romance the Every Day is a lovely and well curated collection of 52 suggestions for slowing down and luxuriating outside the daily grind, written by Andrea Kasprzak. Released 1st Oct 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 120 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
Daily mental healthcare, self-care, and support are vitally important, especially given the current state of *everything* and the author has compiled a lovely creative list of things for readers which are do-able, relatively simple, and which will bring a whiff of luxury to the every day.
The suggestions run the gamut from meditative thoughtful pauses and routines to get mind and body working, to edible treats, and moments of commune with nature walking and enjoying the outdoors. The book's graphic are restful and calm, enhanced throughout with watercolor illustrations by Katharina Puritscher. They're mostly pastels and full of small cozy details which support and enhance the text very well.
Four and a half stars. This would make a lovely gift, for home use, and for library acquisition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
by T J Klune
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the second book in the Cerulean Chronicles by TJ Klune. Released 10th Sept 2024 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 400 pages and is available in all formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.
This is a warmly supportive tale for anyone who has felt like a misfit. The characters are appealing and whimsical and the entire premise of love, generosity of spirit, kindness, and found family shine through. It is humorous, and often full of slapstick comedy (one of the kids has eyestalks on tentacles; they're -all- pretty special), but always, the theme of found family and misfits-against-the-world comes through loud and clear. It's often also poignant, but the support and growth are always there too.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 15 hours 48 minutes and is marvelously narrated by Daniel Henning, who does a great job with the wildly divergent character voices. His timing is perfect, and he manages to delineate the kids' and adults' voices perfectly. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four and a half stars. Excellent series follow-up and great story narration. Definitely one for public library acquisition as well as for fans of YA school fantasy.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Shield of Shadow
by C F E Black
Mostly it’s a good story. Aly isn't nearly as insufferable as she ends up being in Blade of Ash. But there’s a decent amount of repetition through the narration and internal monologue, even just a few pages from each other. I don’t know if Black was trying to inflate the page count, thought maybe the reader forgot, or lost track herself of how many times she said the same thing again. Or maybe she was simply having fun saying it in different ways. Overall, it's a decent story that would be interesting with more depth in the character moments rather than repetition in the inner monologue.
Nothing More to Tell
by Karen M. McManus
Nothing More to Tell is everything I could want in a thriller, young adult or adult. The characters were well developed and interesting, and the dark academia trope gave a suspenseful atmosphere for the book. The dual POV was a perfect choice for this story, making for a fuller reading experience.
Tripp and Brynn were both likable characters, former best friends. But that friendship ended when Tripp inexplicably and publically humiliated Brynn. Soon after, Brynn’s favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin, was murdered and Tripp was one of those who found his bludgeoned body in the woods near the school. Without any answers, Brynn is forced to move away when her father takes a new job. But the pain of Tripp’s betrayal and the mystery of Mr. Larkin’s murder have never left her. Four years later, when she and her family move back, the murder becomes her sole focus, even pitching it to her boss at her new internship, a true-crime show.
While I loved both characters, it was Tripp who truly tore at my heartstrings. The events surrounding Mr. Larkin’s death truly affected him on a fundamental level. The author did a fantastic job relaying the sheer amount of trauma and havoc it caused for Tripp, especially when piled on top of family issues.
I also loved the multitudes of red herrings throughout the story. They worked well to lead me in various directions, proving me utterly wrong time and time again. I love a thriller with twists, with a number of reasonable suspects. I love the suspense and anticipation of that, and this book delivered that to me.
Drenna Steel Series
by John Sneeden
Review Of Retribution, Originally Written February 11, 2021:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Remorse. This is a book that has a lot of similarities to Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (soon to be in bastardized form on your screens), but a lot of key differences. As with the Clancy text, here we get to see a bit of a retired super spy/ assassin falling in love... before we see that ripped away in brutal fashion, with the spy surviving what the bad guys think has killed them. And as with the Clancy text, the rest of the tale is essentially the spy doing whatever it takes to send their lover's killer(s) straight to Hell - Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. The key differences here are that while the Clancy text was more of a coda to an already existing character, this one is intentionally set up as Book 1 of a potential new series, and thus there are some of the standard-ish “book 1” mechanics of working to set up a universe, allowing a few plot threads to dangle, setting up an overarching mythos that can be strung out or wrapped up as the author (and, likely, sales) demand, etc. And arguably the real difference here is the lack of utter brutality in this text. Here, Steel is quite capable, and often underestimated - and we see her use her skills in situations that many might deem “less realistic”, but which are plausible enough to work within the story. Still extremely hard hitting and with a decent body count of bad guys genre readers expect, just nowhere near the outright savage brutality of the Clancy. But fans of Clancy, either long time or new ones picked up from the upcoming movie, will do themselves a great service in reading this book. Very much recommended.
Review of Collateral Damage, Originally Written September 30, 2022:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive Spy / Revenge Thriller. When we catch up with our heroine of the series in this book, she is hiding and hurting – but still righting wrongs where she sees them, in badass and brutally effective fashion. And shortly thereafter, she gets roped into yet another mission that turns out to not be as it seems, which leads to even more action which tends to also be brutally effective at times. Yet again Sneeden does an excellent job of providing a seemingly shortish (no official page count as I type this review, but it *felt* like it was in the sub-300 page area) bit of pure escapism, this time highlighting various areas of Europe in the process. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or J.M. LeDuc’s Sinclair O’Malley, or (sadly now late) Matthew Mather’s Delta Devlin. Very much recommended.
Review of Dark Reckoning, Originally Written October 11, 2024:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive From Start To Finish. This is one of those books that starts out as a somewhat classic spy caper - someone is trying to flee from their home country with hyper sensitive material (and knowledge) and is doing the whole "take two steps. stop. turn right and go 3 steps. stop." thing trying to avoid detection and give the authorities the slip.
But then it takes about 1/3 of the book to get back to that... because we're now involved in *another* spy thriller such that both will come together - and get even more explosive when they do - but now we need to get back to our series heroine, Ms. Drenna Steel, and find out what she is doing and how she is going to get involved with the first scene.
No matter where we are in the tale, the bad guys are always a shadow away and it is up to Ms. Steel and her allies to keep the good guys safe and handle the bad guys... well, in the manner in which bad guys get handled in such tales. ;)
But then that ending. Wow. On several different levels. Yet again, Sneeden manages to make you want the next book... how about right freaking NOW?!?!?!?!
Very much recommended.