Category Archives: Rated B

October 11, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl

Title: The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Crime Fiction
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the critically acclaimed author of Invisible City and Conviction, The Missing Hours is a novel about obsession, privilege, and the explosive consequences of one violent act.

From a distance, Claudia Castro has it all: a famous family, a trust fund, thousands of Instagram followers, and a spot in NYU’s freshman class. But look closer, and things are messier: her parents are separating, she’s just been humiliated by a sleazy documentary, and her sister is about to have a baby with a man she barely knows.

Claudia starts the school year resolved to find a path toward something positive, maybe even meaningful – and then one drunken night everything changes. Reeling, her memory hazy, Claudia cuts herself off from her family, seeking solace in a new friendship. But when the rest of school comes back from spring break, Claudia is missing.

Suddenly, the whole city is trying to piece together the hours of that terrible night.

Review:

The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl is a compelling crime drama with an all too realistic storyline.

Claudia Castro is the privileged daughter of a wealthy family. She is a freshman at college and like many of her fellow students, she spends many evenings drinking and having fun. When spring break rolls around, Claudia is one of the few people who decide to remain on campus. After an evening out, she awakens with no memory of the night before. With a terrible hangover and a sense of dread, Claudia asks her dorm neighbor Trevor Barber to hang out with her. She also tries to piece together what happened to her. But what will she do once she learns the shocking truth?

Claudia and her sister Edie are close but she does not confide in her about what happened. Instead, she distances herself from her family as she tries to come to terms with the assault. Fearing she won’t get justice through regular channels, Claudia takes things into her owns in order to exact her own revenge.  Once everything gets to be too much for her, she vanishes. But does Trevor know where she is? And will Trevor remain loyal to Claudia after someone rich and powerful offers an incentive to him that would solve a lot of his problems?

The Missing Hours is an engrossing crime drama with a topical storyline. Despite her mistakes, Claudia is a sympathetic character whose dysfunctional family life makes her more relatable. Trevor’s reasons for being there for Claudia are not exactly altruistic at first. But after getting to know her better, he is all in when she devises a plan to ensure those who are attacked her pay for their actions. With a very unexpected plot twist late in the story, Julia Dahl brings this engaging crime drama to an unpredictable conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Crime Fiction, Julia Dahl, Minotaur Books, Rated B, Review

October 4, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: A Christmas Engagement by Linda Byler

Title: A Christmas Engagement by Linda Byler
Publisher: Good Books
Genre: Contemporary, Amish, Romance
Length: 240 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Bestselling Amish novelist Linda Byler spins a sweet tale of heartache, disappointment, and ultimately hopes fulfilled at Christmastime.

Liz had been in love once, had even been engaged. In fact, the wedding had been planned, the barn cleaned, and the celery was set to be harvested to make the traditional wedding soup. Just two weeks before the day she was to exchange vows with her beloved, he changed his mind, and that was that.

The humiliation was almost as bad as the heartbreak. The whole community had celebrated her engagement, had participated in the wedding planning, had started giving her advice on keeping a home and raising children. When the wedding was canceled, no one knew what to say. She had to bear the pitying looks and awkward glances for many months. She vowed never to be such a fool again, never to trust her heart to a man who could just up and leave her with hardly an explanation. She’d rather be an old maid than go through that again.

Years pass, and Liz has made peace with her life as a single woman, a “leftover blessing” as the Amish say. She can admit to herself that Matthew, the owner of the Amish restaurant at the market where she works, is handsome. And she is aware that he is single. But she reminds herself over and over that it’s not worth feeling anything for the man. He’s her boss and that’s it. So why does she look forward to work so much every day? And why can’t she make her heart beat at a normal pace when he comes near?

Linda Byler is beloved for her skillful story telling and true-to-life descriptions of Amish food, faith, and culture. As an Amish woman herself, she can share details of Amish life that few can replicate. In this charming novel, Byler shares intimate details of day-to-day life in an Amish community while spinning a sweet tale of love and hopes fulfilled at Christmastime.

Review:

A Christmas Engagement by Linda Byler is an uplifting Amish romance of renewed faith and ultimately, healing.

Liz is less than impressed with her new boss at the restaurant where she is a cook. But she loves her job so tries to push aside her discontent with him. She and Matthew butt heads as he tries to make the restaurant a little more upscale.  So, Liz is less than thrilled when he becomes part of the single group in her district.

Liz has not recovered from the pain of being jilted not long before her wedding. Her family has hopes she will find love again and marry but she is not looking to settle down. Liz closely guards her heart now and she still feels betrayed by those who were supposed to have cared for her.

From Liz’s perspective, Matthew is too handsome and a little arrogant. She begins to soften toward him when he unexpectedly asks for her assistance with a possible problem with an employee. Which is probably why she agrees to give him a chance when he asks her on a date. But will her fears prevent her from allowing their burgeoning romance to grow into something deeper?

A Christmas Engagement is a heartwarming Amish romance with an interesting storyline. Liz is not easy to like at first because she is so prickly and unbending. Matthew is a little frustrating since he refuses to listen to anyone’s advice regarding the restaurant. The secondary characters are likable and a little eclectic. The romance between Liz and Matthew is slow-burning since Liz’s fears of getting hurt again are difficult for her to overcome.  Linda Byler brings this lovely Christmas romance to a wonderful, sigh-worthy conclusion.

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Filed under A Christmas Engagement, Amish, Contemporary, Good Books, Linda Byler, Rated B, Review

October 3, 2021 · 12:02 am

Review: Nice Girls by Catherine Dang

Title: Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A pulse-pounding and razor-sharp debut with the emotional punch of Luckiest Girl Alive and All the Missing Girls that explores the hungry, angry, dark side of girlhood and dares to ask: Which is more dangerous for a woman—showing the world what it wants to see, or who she really is?

What did you do?

Mary used to be such a nice girl. She was the resident whiz kid of Liberty Lake, Minnesota—the quiet, chubby teen with the scholarship to an Ivy League school. But three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back—a thinner, cynical, restless failure who was kicked out of Cor­nell at the beginning of her senior year and won’t tell anyone why. Taking a job at the local grocery store, Mary tries to make sense of her life’s sharp downward spiral.

Then beautiful, magnetic Olivia Willand goes missing. A rising social media star, Olivia is admired by everyone in Liberty Lake—except Mary. Once Olivia’s best friend, Mary knows better than anyone that behind the Instagram persona hides a willful, manipulative girl with sharp edges. As the town obsesses over perfect, lovely Olivia, Mary wonders if her disappearance might be tied to another missing person: nineteen-year-old DeMaria Jackson, whose case has been widely dismissed as a runaway.

Who is the real Olivia Willand, and where did she go? What happened to DeMaria? As Mary pries at the cracks in the careful facades surrounding the two missing girls, old wounds will bleed fresh and force her to confront a horrible truth.

Maybe there are no nice girls, after all.

Review:

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang is an engrossing mystery.

After getting into an Ivy League college, Mary vows never to return to her small home town of Liberty Lakes, Minnesota. But in her senior year, an altercation between her and a freshman culminates in her expulsion from school. Mary now lives with her father who insists she immediately return to work. She works at a local grocery with former high school football star Dwayne Turner. Mary’s plan to remain under the radar comes to abrupt end when her former childhood friend Olivia Willand goes missing. During the town search for Olivia, Mary discovers another young woman went missing a few months earlier. But DeMaria Jackson’s disappearance receives little notice or investigation when the police treat her case a runaway. Convinced the two cases are linked, Mary decides to investigate on her own.

Mary goes unrecognized by many of her former classmates due to her change in appearance. She is depressed and barely goes through the motions after moving back in with her father. Their relationship remains even more fractured than when she left for college. Mary vacillates between shame and anger over the incident that led to her college downfall. Unfortunately, she cannot muster the energy to make plans for her future.

At first, Mary is certain that Olivia is not really missing. She instead believes the influencer planned her disappearance as a publicity stunt. But she starts to change her mind after learning about DeMaria’s still unsolved disappearance. Mary is even more convinced after meeting DeMaria’s mother that her daughter did not runaway. With a thin lead to track down, she hopes to find information  that will lead her to the truth about what happened to the missing woman.

Mary also cannot stay away from uncovering the truth about what happened to Olivia. She remains angry over the end of their friendship. She is mostly successful at pushing aside her hard feelings as she begins her own investigation. A chance comment provides her with an intriguing clue to follow but will Mary learn the truth about what happened to Olivia and Demaria?

Nice Girls is a compelling mystery with a topical storyline. Mary is a troubled character who does not always make the best choices. She often leaps to conclusions that unfortunately result in rash decisions. Liberty Lakes is somewhat claustrophobic but this adds to the growing suspense. With a startling discovery, Catherine Dang brings this fast-paced debut to an edge of the seat, unpredictable conclusion.

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Filed under Catherine Dang, Contemporary, Mystery, Nice Girls, Rated B, Review, Suspense, William Morrow

· 12:01 am

Review: Matched and Married by Kathleen Fuller

Title: Matched and Married by Kathleen Fuller
An Amish Mail-Order Bride Series Book Two
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Contemporary, Amish, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Neither Margaret nor Owen has any interest in getting married. But in the small Amish town of Birch Creek, where marriage is on everyone’s mind, their plans don’t stand a chance.

Margaret Yoder can’t seem to catch a break. Even though she’s dedicated to her Amish faith, her wild rumspringa won’t stay in the past, and her mother keeps pressuring her to get married. To placate her mother and get away from former “friends”, she decides to return to Birch Creek to visit family—and pretend to find a husband.

Like Margaret, Owen Bontrager isn’t looking for a spouse, something that’s hard to avoid in Birch Creek, where an ad for brides in the local paper has brought a swarm of single women to the thriving town. When he meets Margaret in an unexpected way, they discover they have more in common than they ever expected. In some ways, they are a perfect match.

Margaret struggles to keep her goal of avoiding romance in order to focus on being a faithful member of the Amish church, and it doesn’t help that she finds Owen intriguing. Knowing they don’t have a future together; she returns home and gives in to her mother’s insistence that she get married.

Can Margaret betray her feelings for Owen and become a dutiful daughter and wife to the man of her mother’s choosing? Or will Owen find a way to free Margaret of her past by giving her the future they both are surprised to find they desire?

Review:

Matched and Married by Kathleen Fuller is a sweet Amish romance with charming characters. Although this newest release is the second book in the Amish Mail-Order Bride series, it can be read as a standalone.

Margaret Yoder continues to be tempted by the Englisch friends she made during her Rumspringa. She also continues to be at loggerheads with her mother who thinks her youngest daughter can do nothing right. Margaret is spirited and unable to conform to her mother’s rigid need to control everything. She has no desire to marry but when ordered to begin looking for a husband, Margaret returns to Birch Creek, OH to stay with her beloved Aenti Mary and Onkle Freemont and help them with their harvest. She is a hard worker but she also has plenty of free time. Margaret spends time exploring the nearby woods where she searches for flowers. She has renewed interest in herbal treatments after crossing paths with Owen Bontrager who is on a forced vacation. The two become good friends after agreeing neither is planning to marry but will love find them when they’re not looking?

After her Rumspringa, Margaret decided to fully commit to being Amish. But she discovered that leaving behind parts of Englisch life is easier said than done. She is determined to live up to her decision, but the strife between her and her mother is hurtful and troubling. Margaret is nothing like her mother or her sisters so she always feels like a failure. The opportunity to visit her Aenti Mary is just what she needs to escape from her mother’s disappointment.

Owen works on his family’s farm and he puts in long hours ensuring they are successful. He works longer than anyone and he has exacting standards for how things are to be done. Owen is very frustrated by his father’s edict to take a week off from work. When boredom sets in, he begins reading his grandfather’s books.

Owen and Margaret’s friendship is based on their mutual interests but it does not take long for their feelings for each other to deepen. However, neither of them wants to break their agreement to be friends only. What will they do when Margaret acquiesces to her mother’s unexpected demand?

Matched and Married is a heartwarming romance with a delightful cast of characters. Owen and Margaret have strong personalities and they a perfect match, but will they give in to their growing feelings for each other? In addition to their romance, another member of their community is trying to move on from her husband’s desertion but not knowing if he will ever return complicates her life. With an engaging storyline, relatable characters and realistic issues to overcome, Kathleen Fuller’s latest addition to the Amish Mail-Order Bride series is sure to be a hit with readers.

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Filed under Amish, Amish Mail-Order Bride Series, Contemporary, Kathleen Fuller, Matched and Married, Rated B, Review, Romance, Zondervan

September 30, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross

Title: The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

With a dramatic wartime love story woven through, JoAnn Ross’s brilliant new novel is a gorgeous generational saga about the rivalry, history and loyalty that bond sisters together

When conflict photographer Jackson Swann dies, he leaves behind a conflict of his own making when his three daughters, each born to a different mother, discover that they’re now responsible for the family’s Oregon vineyard—and for a family they didn’t ask for.

After a successful career as a child TV star, Tess is, for the first time, suffering from a serious identity crisis, and grieving for the absent father she’s resented all her life.

Charlotte, brought up to be a proper Southern wife, gave up her own career to support her husband’s political ambitions. On the worst day of her life, she discovers her beloved father has died, she has two sisters she never knew about and her husband has fallen in love with another woman.

Natalie, daughter of Jack’s longtime mistress, has always known about her half sisters, and has dreaded the day when Tess and Charlotte find out she’s the daughter their father kept.

As the sisters reluctantly gather at the vineyard, they’re soon enchanted by the Swann family matriarch and namesake of Maison de Madeleine wines, whose stories of bravery in WWII France and love for a wounded American soldier will reveal the family legacy they’ve each inherited and change the course of all their lives.

Review:

The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross is a wonderful novel of family, new beginnings and love.

Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jackson Swann captured horrifying images the world needed to see. He put his career first as he put himself in danger to take the photos that showed the worst of humanity. Jackson married and divorced his first wife and walked away from his daughter, Tess. He then married wife number two and although their marriage was essentially a war zone, he acquiesced to his wife’s wishes to remain married in name only. He remained a part of his daughter Charlotte’s life and they treasure their times together. Jackson’s final relationship lasted twenty-six years and he was very involved in his soul mate and their daughter Natalie’s lives. When he discovers he has terminal cancer, Jackson suffers regrets and failings as a father. He has hopes the terms of his will can unite his adult daughters as he brings them together at his family’s estate and vineyard in Aberdeen, Oregon. Will Jackson succeed in giving them the home and family they each deserve?

Tess is a former child star turned pop singer turned author. She is close to her mother but she is slightly bitter about her father’s abandonment. Now living a quiet, solitary life, Tess is the author of a best-selling young adult series that has been made into a TV series. She has learned from the mistakes of her past but she holds everyone at arms’ length. Tess is quick to ask challenging questions after she decides to accede to her father’s last wishes in order to satisfy her curiosity about her absentee father.

Charlotte Aldredge is the wife of a lawyer with political aspirations. Like many society women, she does charity work and attends charity dinners with her husband. At his suggestion, Charlotte scaled her successful design business way back although she does still work with a few clients. Having lived her life as a people pleaser, it takes a cataclysmic problem at home for Charlotte to make the decision to honor her father’s request to go to the vineyard.

Natalie Seurat-Swann is also a photographer but she instead captures life’s happier moments. She is an urban street photographer and  a rising star in the art world. Natalie is very close to Franklin and she is devastated at his loss. She immediately drops everything to travel to the family estate where she is anxious yet nervous about meeting her sisters.

The Inheritance is an engrossing novel that features a marvelous cast of appealing characters. Despite their differences and concerns, Tess, Charlotte and Natalie are quick to warm up to each other. Tess tries to maintain an emotional distance but she is drawn to her half-sisters and the Swann family history. She also has a chance for love but only if she decides to risk her heart. Charlotte blossoms once she is away from her husband and mother and she begins to have perspective about her relationships and mistakes. Tess is thrilled by how quickly she and her sisters find common ground. She is also torn as she tries to make a decision about whether or not to act on her long-standing feelings for someone who has long been part of her life. The Swann family’s history about their grandparents’ heroic actions during World War II and their subsequent romance add depth and substance to the storyline. Without much drama or angst, JoAnn Ross brings this charming, character-driven novel to a very happy conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, HQN Books, JoAnne Ross, Rated B, Review, The Inheritance, Women's Fiction

September 28, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn

Title: Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to find yourself.

Eighteen-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. So instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed – all while questioning the ideals she grew up with.

While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship with faith. The clock is ticking on his probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive – even when he can’t possibly forget.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart.

Review:

Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn is an engaging young adult romance with a topical storyline.

Eighteen-year-old Meg Hennessey’s gap year is turned upside down when she learns a huge secret about her life. She was homeschooled growing up and very involved in an ultraconservative church whose attitudes toward women she now questions. In order to distance herself from her parents, Meg heads to the Upper Peninsula in order to meet family she never knew existed. Her great-grandmother welcomes her with open arms as does her uncle James. But it is her chance meeting with nineteen-year-old Micah Allen that results in the most changes in her life.

Micah has been in his own crisis of church for several years. His faith in God never wavered but his faith in church institution did following the poor treatment lack of support of his family’s former congregation. Micah worships in his own way but he has yet to come to terms with the precipitating event that turned him away from going to church. His relationship with his family is a little strained under the weight of an expectation that he is unfairly burdened with. Micah is immediately intrigued with newcomer Meg and their lives intersect in a very unexpected way.

Until recently, neither Meg’s faith nor her relationship with her parents has ever been tested. She has always been a dutiful daughter but in light of new information, she rightly feels betrayed. Meg is hoping this trip away will help provide some clarity about her relationship with her parents and her now complex views on religion. Always extremely sheltered, Meg takes baby steps away from her strict upbringing as she decides her own viewpoints about the more extreme versions of her former church. She is also slowly feeling her way in her burgeoning romance with Micah.

Never Saw You Coming is a charming coming of age young adult novel. Meg and Micah are multi-faceted characters whose romance is very sweet. The UP is a wonderful backdrop since so much of Micah’s personality is tied to his love of the outdoors. The elements of faith are understated but religion is an integral part of Meg and Micah’s lives. Their less than positive experiences will resonate with readers who have questions about certain aspects of more conservative doctrine.  The story-line is well-executed and Erin Hahn brings this thought-provoking young adult novel to a heartwarming conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erin Hahn, Never Saw You Coming, Rated B, Review, Romance, Wednesday Books, Young Adult