Book Review “The Heart Principle” by Helen Hoang

Summary (from bn.com):

A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

My thoughts: I joined Book of the Month in February and have really been enjoying all of my picks. I’m also loving the fact that it has opened my eyes to new genres – such as the whole rom com phase that seems to have exploded!

So when I saw “The Heart Principle” pop up as an August selection, I jumped on it. It is the author’s third book in the Kiss Quotient series, but I jumped right in.

I have to admit this rom com was just a huge miss for me. I don’t consider myself a prude but it just had too much sex in it for . . . we get it already. The sexual content didn’t move the storyline forward at all and it just became long and repetitive.

I really enjoyed the two main characters, but in general the storyline plodded along for me, a bit disjointed and stagnant. All of a sudden the last twenty pages or so became feelings, wonderfully mushy, deep, and meaningful – which is frankly what I thought the whole book would be.

Oh well, you win some and you lose some. All in all a miss for me.

And remember,

Books are Life,

Heather

Book Review: “People We Meet on Vacation”

Title: People We Meet on Vacation

Author: Emily Henry

Book of the Month April 2021

Summary:

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love. 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. 

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since. 

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees. 

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts: Loved, loved, loved this book! Back in February in the doldrums of winter I somehow decided to join Book of the Month Club (like the 300 books I already have on my shelf weren’t good enough) 🙂 I needed more. When I joined, I promised myself “ok I will only get the one per month, nothing else added on”. Well that thought lasted for February when I got one book. March comes along and I decide I will add just one add on. Enter April – I added 2 add ons and the original so 3 books. That escalated quickly – but I’m so glad it did as it brought me to this wonderful book and author that I never ever would have picked up.

I didn’t really know what to expect, I figured another cute romance – ok what can I lose. It was that and more. It was just a fun, well-written rom com with witty banter between the two main characters that was laugh out loud funny at times.

The main characters were quirky and loveable in their own rights . . . the premise of the storyline really fun.

Overall, a wonderful story of friendship, differences, changes, and the definition of true love!

If you are heading out on vacation this summer grab this book and the author’s Beach Read (review coming soon) and you are all set for some fabulous reading by the pool, the beach, the mountains, . . . wherever you are headed!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

Book Review: “Don’t You Cry” by Mary Kubica

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Title:  Don’t You Cry

Author:  Mary Kubica

Synopsis (from bn.com):  An electrifying tale of deceit and obsession

In downtown Chicago, Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her roommate Quinn Collins to question how well she really knew her friend. Meanwhile, in a small town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under the stranger’s spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us.

 

My thoughts:   I can’t believe this book has been on my shelf for years and I’ve just been starting at it.   Love, love, LOVED this book and it’s author.   I was in a bit of a reading slump lately so reached for a good psychological thriller and this certainly fit the bill . . . phew what a ride.

About a third of the way in once I was starting to get familiar with the main characters, I could just feel it was getting creepy . . . although I couldn’t identify why or how.    Then as each chapter passed, the book got increasingly creepy and I knew something wasn’t right.

I literally couldn’t put this book down and then couldn’t wait to pick it up again, in fact little secret – I got up this morning, made myself a cup of coffee, came back up in my bed to drink coffee and read for about 2 hours until I finished this book.   I had to see the resolution and the end did not disappoint.   Great read and I immediately went to myself to pick out another Mary Kubica I had right there.

If you are looking for a psychological thriller that takes you on a fast, fun ride . . . read it!!!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Book Review: “A Finely Knit Murder” by Sally Goldenbaum (Seaside Knitters Mystery #9)

Title:  A Finely Knit Murder

Author:  Sally Goldenbaum

Series:  Seaside Knitter’s Mystery #9

Synopsis (from bn.com):

Seaside Knitter Birdie Favazza is thrilled that her granddaughter Gabby will be visiting for the fall and attending the Sea Harbor Community Day School. Gabby loves the school, with its newly-adopted progressive curriculum, and she loves that the Seaside Knitters are teaching knitting as part of the enrichment program. It’s a huge success, and on crisp autumn days, girls camp out on the terraces, knitting up hats for charity.

But not everyone is happy with the direction the school is taking. Outspoken board member Blythe Westerland has sparked tempers with her determination to unravel the current administration. Then, on the evening of an elegant school event, Blythe’s body is found near the school boathouse.

With a killer on the loose, Birdie is determined to keep Gabby safe. Working together, the Seaside Knitters carefully unravel the layers of Blythe’s complicated life, bringing faculty members and town residents under scrutiny. Before the cast-off rows are made on the students’ projects, the knitters will need to stitch together the evidence to see if a murderer has been walking beside them all along.

 

My thoughts:   Alright, bear with me as I make this confusing statement – this book is a typical cozy and not a typical cozy all in one.   Ok, what do I mean?  Cozy lover’s know that cozy mysteries follow a bit of a formula (heck, that is why we like them) – cozy, quaint location, there is murder, a group of normally women get somehow involved in solving the crime normally with a cast of characters including local law enforcement of some kind . . . happy ending.

This cozy is typical – in a good way (please don’t get me wrong) – in the cozy location . . . in fact that is one of the primary reasons I LOVE cozies, is spending time in these locations  . . . and yes I believe they are all real places in my mind 🙂  Well this series is set in a quaint beach town, overlooking the ocean, quaint restaurants which everyone always goes to, charming markets and locations . . . and classic in this series is the Friday night dinner on the deck – always featuring local seafood on the grill, a myriad of homemade dishes, wine . . . yummmmm.  When the heck am I invted?

This cozy was really not typical in that the characters didn’t really start jumping into “solving” the mystery if you will until about 80 pages before the end of the book, which makes this series a bit slow and drawn out at times.

Of course I will continue the series simply for the great location and will continue to hope for more sleuthing by these great characters.

And remember,

Books Are Life

Heather

 

Book Review “The Book Supremacy” by Kate Carlisle (Bibliophile Series #13)

Title:  The Book Supremacy

Author:  Kate Carlisle

Series:  Bibliophile Series #13

Synopsis (from bn.com):  Newlyweds Brooklyn and Derek are enjoying the final days of their honeymoon in Paris. As they’re browsing the book stalls along the Seine, Brooklyn finds the perfect gift for Derek, a first edition James Bond novel, The Spy Who Loved Me. When they bump into Ned, an old friend from Derek’s spy days, Brooklyn shows him her latest treasure.

Once they’re back home in San Francisco, they visit a spy shop Ned mentioned. The owner begs them to let him display the book Brooklyn found in Paris as part of the shop’s first anniversary celebration. Before they agree, Derek makes sure the security is up to snuff—turns out, the unassuming book is worth a great deal more than sentimental value.

Soon after, Derek is dismayed when he receives a mysterious letter from Paris announcing Ned’s death. Then late one night, someone is killed inside the spy shop. Are the murders connected to Brooklyn’s rare, pricey book? Is there something even more sinister afoot? Brooklyn and the spy who loves her will have to delve into the darkest parts of Derek’s past to unmask an enemy who’s been waiting for the chance to destroy everything they hold dear.

My thoughts:  This was just a wonderfully delightful, fun book-themed cozy!   I already loved this series . . . but this one really knocked it out of the park for me.

What was super fun about this one for me was that much of it was set in a Spy shop complete with café, Escape rooms, a book nook and the works!  What a great setting.

Love the solid characters in this series . . .

If you are a book lover, a cozy lover, . . . then get your hands on this series.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

2020 Book Challenge: “PopSugar Reading Challenge”

This year I am joining the annual PopSugar Reading Challenge.   This year there are 40 reading prompts/themes to cross off and an additional 10 advanced prompts all focused on 2020!!  Sounds fun!!

Join along and enjoy the ride . . .

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

2020 Book Challenge: “Literary Escapes”

Join me and the lovely folks at Escape with Dolly Cas for a trip through the United States this year in your reading . . .

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/2019/11/24/2020-literary-escapes-challenge/

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

2020 Book Challenge: “Calendar of Crime”

This year I am going to try a new reading challenge I found sponsored by the lovely readers at The Reader’s Block.

Please visit the following link to check it out and join the fun.

https://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2019/10/calendar-of-crime-2020.html 

Happy New Year and happy reading!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

2020 Book Challenge “Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies”

 

It’s that time of year to refresh, renew, relax . . . and most importantly start new with fresh Reading Challenges!   One of my favorites is the Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge sponsored by the wonderful folks at Socrates Book Review.

Check out more information at:

https://socratesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/11/cruisin-thru-cozies-reading-challenge.html  

Given that I tend to read many other genres as well . . . I think I will go for the Snoop Level where I read 10 cozy mysteries of my choice!

Here is to a successful and fun 2020 reading year!!!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Book Review: “Shot in the Dark” by Cleo Coyle (Coffeehouse Mystery #17)

Title:  Shot in the Dark

Author:  Cleo Coyle

Series:  Coffeehouse Mystery #17

Synopsis (from bn.com):

As Village Blend manager Clare Cosi fixes a date for her wedding, her ex-husband is making dates through smartphone swipes. Clare has mixed feelings about these match-ups happening in her coffeehouse. Even her octogenarian employer is selecting suitors by screenshot! But business is booming, and Clare works hard to keep the espresso shots flowing. Then one night, another kind of shot leaves a dead body for her to find.

The corpse is an entrepreneur who used dating apps with reckless abandon—breaking hearts along the way. The NYPD quickly arrests one of the heartbreaker’s recent conquests. But the suspect’s sister tearfully swears her sibling was framed. Clare not only finds reason to believe it, she fears the real killer will strike again.

Now Clare is “swiping” through suspects in her own shop—with the help of her globetrotting ex-husband, a man who’s spent his life hunting for coffee and women. Together they’re determined to find justice before another shot rings out.

 

My thoughts:  Anyone who has read this blog even for a minute knows that I am an avid coffee drinker and the Coffeehouse Mystery series is one of my favorite cozy series . . .  love it.   In fact, it is one of the only cozy series I am actually fully caught up on . . . oh sooooo many series that I am behind.

I love the setting of this series . . . in my mind it is an amazingly beautiful, quaint coffeeshop . . . it is warm, cozy, and I so wish I could visit this shop EVERY DAY!!

I also absolutely love the characters . . . every single one of them are fun, quirky, and each have their own unique personality that I love visiting over and over.

Now all this being said, all the techno computer dating app stuff that was the premise of this story just wasn’t my gig in that it just didn’t interest me, but it didn’t ruin it for me.

Now Cleo Coyle, dear author, can we have another book set in the Washington DC café?  Or better yet, how about a spin off series about the DC café? Yes, yes, yes!!

Overall, a wonderful addition to one of my favorite series!  Keep up the great work.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather