It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Hosted at The Book Date. Come join in the fun.
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme
This week we’ve had rain several days which has held me back from walking as much as I’ve wanted to. Thank goodness for workout dvd’s which I still do. We were going to go to the Fall Festival yesterday at the state park but decided to skip it because my daughter has asthma, and the cool and rainy weather wouldn’t have been in her best interest. She didn’t really care as she was busy watching anime. I’ve been cramming in books like crazy reading. I have 2 blog tours to post on the 24th and I haven’t started either book. The one I just posted yesterday was supposed to be posted by the day before. It’s not fun falling behind. My kitten is 16 weeks old and just about the size of our 9-year-old cat. She can hold her own with her when he play fights with her, she’ll take him down.
Berkley wants me to get my review in for this one.
Currently reading
Not sure what else if anything I’ll get in reading wise this week. I do have some more Halloween/Fall books I’d like to get read before months end.
TV WATCHED THIS WEEK
None, I’m not a tv watcher. I don’t have any streaming services. I don’t NetFlix and Chill 🙂 I do own a tv though so I can hook my dvd player up to it and do my workouts.
Have a lovely start to your week. Thanks for stopping by.
336 pages September 26,2023 publication date Revell publisher
ABOUT THE BOOK
Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is.
It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her.
As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.
MY THOUGHTS
If you’ve been reading my blog any amount of time at all you’ll notice I read a lot of different authors. Some say they want the tried-and-true authors and won’t try a debut author. I say that’s nonsense. If I hadn’t tried this author, I wouldn’t have found a new favorite author with all the elements I love in books.
Moonberry Lake is heartwarming and charming and located in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota. Its small-town descriptions will make you want to visit, and then stay. Cora hasn’t been in Moonberry Lake since childhood but when life doesn’t go as planned, she finds herself back there with a surprising inheritance, her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge.
Her family has kept secrets from her and while in Moonberry she’ll try to work her way through them with some unforeseen results.
Now the characters living in Moonberry are quite an eclectic bunch. Everyone has their own opinion, and they are quite different from each other. They all openly welcome her, except for one character. I’m hoping to find out more about this character in a future book.
The renovation of the family lodge is going beautifully and while the construction is going on Cora has time to settle in and really talk to her neighbors, like so many of us don’t have time for now a day.
I have to say Cora’s character seemed a little naive, but I didn’t like her any less. Of all the characters if I had to choose a favorite I’d choose Kitty, there is something very special about her.
Let’s talk about a few other characters, the dental receptionist, she is annoying. No one would keep a dental receptionist on like that, even if you did like her and felt sorry for her. I still liked her though; I thought her character was funny. I also liked the man she helped around his house, who is so introverted. All quirky neighbors, all have a story to tell and a lesson to teach. You will fall in love with this heartwarming story and not want to leave it. I am greatly looking forward to another book in the series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
THE AUTHOR
Holly Varni is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and the crazy neighbor who mowed his lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. She wants to give readers characters they can connect with, admire, laugh at, and most of all love.
She is podcast host of “Moments from Moonberry Lake,” and author of the “Moonberry Lake” series.
In her personal life, she married a University Professor with the same chocolate eyes as her romantic lead. They live on the Central Coast of California with their three sons. The characters of Moonberry Lake and their unique stories came about as she was trying to survive being a boy mom. When not doing laundry or writing, she has the privilege of being a Hospice volunteer, where she sits with the dying and listens to their stories.
Have you read this book? Did you love it as much as I did?
Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping in.
Hello friends. How are things going with you? This week I am hooking up with Reading Reality who hosts Stacking the Shelves. It’s a fun meme to list the books we’ve acquired in the past week. They may be bought, borrowed or stolen, hopefully not stolen though 🙂
367 pages October 20,2023 publication date Graupius Books publisher
ABOUT THE BOOK
Scotland’s all misty lochs and magical forests and perfect boyfriends, right?
When dance student Amalphia Treadwell embarks on a secret relationship with her charismatic new teacher, she has no idea of the danger that lurks in his school in Scotland.
She’s soon dealing with her boyfriend’s obsessive ex, the strange research taking place at the castle school and her own ever-evolving relationship issues.
Amalphia works hard to be the best dancer she can be, but as tension builds within the old walls of the castle, she begins to wonder if she will ever escape the dank dark of the dungeon…
Dark, witty, sexy and fun, Tendu is a compelling and seductive story of love, dance and obsession. Get your copy today.
Ailish’s dance background and love of history and spicy stories are what inspired this heady mix of romance and ballet set in a castle. She lives in Scotland beside a loch with her husband and two children where she dances and writes and eats rather too much chocolate.
Tendu contains graphic sex scenes, violence, trauma and adult language.
MY THOUGHTS
I believe the author writes about what she knows and loves. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I enjoyed what I read. There is a content warning and I appreciated knowing what was upcoming.
If you enjoy mentions of chocolate and lots of cake, this book is for you.
There are evolving relationships and strong character development. The description of Scotland sounds magical and mysterious, like a place I would seriously enjoy being. A young dancer, an older male teacher, an evolving relationship.
There is some darkness, a castle with its hidden secrets, a maniacal character who has everyone fooled at first, but we begin to feel the danger. Very atmospheric, I could feel what the characters were feeling, feel their pain, it broke my heart and then healed it and made it sing.
Excellent, I’ll be on the lookout for more by the author.
I was given a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Ailish Sinclair trained as a dancer and taught dance for many years, before working in schools to help children with special needs.
She now lives beside a loch with her husband and two children where she still dances (medical conditions allowing) and writes and eats rather too much chocolate.
Thank you for stopping in. May blessings rain upon you.
Kitty held her husband close to her chest, covering his beloved body with her own. She called for help, but none came. She stared down at the face she loved so well. “Edgar! Don’t go, my darling, not now. Not after all we’ve been through… please don’t leave me here alone…” 1944. Beautiful American Kitty Larsson knows better than most that fighting the Nazis comes at a price. She’s spent years working undercover as an agent for the British and knows that doing what is right could cost her everything… When Kitty is captured during a mission and her true identity is revealed, she learns her beloved husband, Edgar, has gone missing. The Gestapo tell her they have him, and that his life is in her hands. If she doesn’t cooperate, he will die and her worst fears will be realized. If they are telling the truth, Kitty’s secrets might be enough to save the man she loves… But what if they are lying? Fueled by her desire to do what is right, but also to save the man she loves, Kitty knows that she won’t be able to rest until she can escape and find Edgar. Because surely, somewhere out there, he is still alive… As the war rages, Kitty tries to think of a plan. Surely this isn’t where it all ends? She needs to know whether Edgar is safe, and to hold him in her arms once again. But, to do that, will Kitty finally have to make the ultimate sacrifice? An absolutely unputdownable, gripping and powerful story about love, courage and doing what is right in the midst of the darkness of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name is Eva and All the Light We Cannot See.
MY THOUGHTS
This is a series that I’d recommend you read in order to as each story builds upon the last. The author’s writing style is one I really enjoy.
When I am looking for a realistic and well researched historical fiction book, I can always count on this author to deliver. The book is absolutely unputdownable to me. After reading and following Kitty and Edgar’s story I knew I had to keep reading each book in the series
. I was holding my breath as I read. You could feel the tension crackling in the air, will she be caught, will Edgar stay safe? Kitty has been a long-time spy, putting herself in life-threatening situations. She’s on a runaway train of events and there’s no brakes.
There’s a lot of action and suspense. She doesn’t trust the Nazi’s. When she is captured, she is told they will kill Edgar if she doesn’t spill what she knows. Is it true, is Edgar even alive?
I was rooting for Kitty and Edgar’s character’s the whole way through in this series. They put themselves in so much danger. Doing what is right isn’t easy all the time. I applaud Kitty for her courage during the darkest of times and her straightforward attitude.
Sometimes you have to face the dark to receive the light and she is a perfect example of this. Her powerful love and devotion kept her going.
The author’s writing style is so realistic that I could picture it as I read like a film running through my mind.
Mesmerizing, I eagerly look forward to more amazing books by the author. This brought all my emotions to the forefront.
Pub Date 20 Oct 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American who transplanted to Austria. She is the granddaughter of Ukrainian partisans and grandparents who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Born in 1969, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of “Nordeast” Minneapolis, part of the Ukrainian diaspora, and started her writing career with short stories, travel narratives, and poetry. She worked as a journalist and managing magazine editor, before jumping the desk and pursuing her own writing and traveling. Her books tackle David-vs.-Goliath themes with strong women battling for the Underdogs against a system, be it political, geographical, or industrial. Sometimes all three. “I enjoy discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in my characters when they come into conflict,” she says. “And all of my stories have been inspired by injustices I’ve discovered along my travels.”
For more on Chrystyna, dive in at inktreks(dot)com
First Line Friday is hosted at Reading Is My Super Power. It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m featuring the first line of A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder.
And the first line is………
Hope Early blew out a breath as she started at the plans spread across her kitchen table. She’d been studying them for days. At this point, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for.
Yesterday I featured a Christmas cozy, today a Halloween one. Maybe I should get to the Halloween one before the end of the month, hopefully I can fit it in.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .
When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.
Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .
276 pages October 5,2023 publication date Beyond the Page publisher
Do you like Halloween books? I know some don’t. I have a few Halloween/Fall books I still need to read for this year but seem to keep getting sidetracked by other books I need to read on a deadline. Here’s to reading Halloween books in February 🙂
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Hosted by Carole’s Random Life.
THIS WEEK’S NEGLECTED BOOK
Pub Date 27 Sep 2022
Description
It’s holiday season in the picturesque, coastal town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts! But in USA Today bestselling author Sally Goldenbaum’s latest Seaside Knitters Society mystery, the knitting club sleuths will have to take a break from crafting cozy Christmas gifts to investigate a murder at the Mayor’s holiday party.
Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses—crackling bonfires, the scent of snow in the salty air, carols ringing out on the village green. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson, but the new addition has trouble fitting into the yarn shop’s holiday spirit. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way—until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her…
Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at Mayor Beatrice Scaglia’s holiday party, where a well-dressed crowd admires the mayor’s sumptuous new home and the celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to-die-for. Before the party-goers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef—and young wife of the Endicott’s old Harvard friend—is found dead beneath the mistletoe.
Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice—and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air…
I am drawn to holiday cozies, what about you? I’m not sure why I haven’t read this one yet. Too many books, too little time as they say. I actually have a tattoo with that on it 🙂
Have you read this author yet? Will you be reading this one?
Today I am excited to share with you the cover reveal for Christmas at the Cabin by Rebecca Boxall. The colors are outstanding and very pleasing to the eyes.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Christmas at the Cabin
A festive, coming-of-age tale about an Oxbridge candidate and a young homeless man who find themselves in the bittersweet predicament of falling in love with exactly the right person at exactly the wrong time.
Well-to-do Jed never imagined he’d end up homeless, but family circumstances have made it his only option. Local vicar, Ben, tries to help him but there’s an element of self-punishment to the homelessness that makes Jed continue to put up with his situation – until disaster leads him to re-consider the vicar’s offer of a place to stay.
Hattie is on the cusp of adulthood, frantically trying to persuade her mum that she doesn’t want to attend an elite university, preferring the idea of pursuing her love of art and textiles. When she meets Jed, she badly wants to understand his circumstances and why, when she has everything at her fingertips, he doesn’t.
Hattie’s mum, Christine, has had a hard life and is desperate for more for her only child. When she meets Ben, the vicar who’s trying to help Jed, she finds an unlikely ally, and the two heartbroken souls find themselves drawn to each other. Until they find their relationship suddenly tested to the limit.
One thing’s for certain: none of these characters is looking forward to Christmas. It’s the worst time of year for each of them, for different reasons. But perhaps this year, the festive season could defy all expectations.
Rebecca Boxall is the award-nominated author of five bestselling novels – Christmas at the Vicarage, Home for Winter, Christmas on the Coast, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.
Pre-order Links
Publication Date: 24th November 2023
Author Bio –
Rebecca Boxall was born in East Sussex in 1977 and grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her family and Rodney the cat. She read English at the University of Warwick before she trained as a lawyer and more recently worked at a psychiatric unit.
She is the No. 1 bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage and Christmas on the Coast as well as the bestselling writer of Home for Winter, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse, in respect of which she was nominated for the Romantic Novel Awards in 2020. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.
Vegan Book Blogger 