Review: The Kennedy Girl

The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm of two minds about this book. There are some parts that I enjoyed, but the character of Mia was annoying and overly naive at times. I realize that she was only 19, but even a 19-year-old should have been more skeptical of the offer made to her. Okay, rant over!

This book was set in the early 1960s during the middle of the Cold War. Espionage is at its height, and things are so much different in the spying game than I imagine they are today.

Mia, our main character, gets mixed up unknowingly into this game and is a good little sheep, always doing what the "bad" guys want her to do. But playing the role of double agent was quite interesting, and she did it well.

This is a predictable book, but it still has its moments.

ARC* supplied by the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "From esteemed author Julia Bryan Thomas comes a novel for readers who loved the fashion and glamour of The Second Life of Mirielle West and the clandestine intrigue of The Secrets We Kept, showcasing a journey to France through the eyes of a wide-eyed American orphan who becomes embroiled in an international espionage scheme.

This American Girl in Paris might hold the fate of nations...

It's the 1960s, and the fashion culture of New York, Paris, and Milan is starting to make an impression on the mid-century American woman. Jackie Kennedy's effortless style leads the nation, although Mia's bustling bakery job doesn't often give her the time or money to craft a stylish closet after her idol in the White House. But when a mysterious stranger suddenly offers her a modeling job in Paris at the esteemed House of Rousseau, she takes a chance on it, despite knowing nothing about the world of fashion. As an orphan with big dreams, holding a one-way plane ticket to Paris, she sets off for what she hopes is a better life.

But the job of a model runs deeper than photoshoots and runway walks, and as Mia adjusts to the Parisienne lifestyle, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. Becoming more and more successful in her position as an up-and-coming model, she is soon drawn into the Cold War by the very fashion house she works for. And as she finds herself falling further into national crimes and politics, Mia will soon have to decide which side of history she's really on.

Jackie Kennedy is no longer the only woman for whom fashion and politics dramatically collide...

The Kennedy Girl is an immersive and heart-pounding story perfect for history buffs and armchair travelers alike, with glimpses into both the propulsive Cold War era of espionage and the inner-workings of the most prestigious Parisian fashion houses."

Review: The Business Trip

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you have Kindle Unlimited right now, this book is free to borrow.

Wow! What a debut! If you like twisty plots and red herrings with unbelievably intricate endings, this book is for you!

As they say, Karma can be a *itch. For the book's first half, you become enmeshed in Jasmine's and Stephanies lives. One is leaving her abusive boyfriend, and the other is getting ready to go to a news broadcasters conference. They meet on a plane, and this is the beginning of things going in a much different direction.

I have to admit I really did not like Jasmines' idea that the whole world owes her. She was a character that was pathetic one minute and hateful the next.

I never once thought the book would end the way it did, and I am so glad; otherwise, I don't think I would have been so enthusiastic, nor would I have enjoyed it so much.

Geez, this author can really write---both plot and believable characters.

I highly recommend this book; if you are in a book club, this will be perfect.

I am going to be buying my own copy, and it will be going on my comfort-read bookshelf!

*ARC supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press/ Macmillan Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?"

Review: A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage: A Novel

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage: A Novel by Asia Mackay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I needed time to think about this book before writing my review. This book is a curious mix of a horror novel and family fiction. I was going to DNF this book, but curiosity, more than anything, had me reading until the end.

Fox and Haze seem to be the perfect couple, and they are as long as they are killing evil men. Once they had their child, life changed. No more killing, and from there, life goes totally downhill for them. Also, note that Fox is ultra-rich with what appears to be a good job. Haze is a famous artist renowned for her mixed-media canvases. You can imagine what she mixed into her paintings! They had met in Paris when Haze was caught by Fox taking care of business - shall we say.

The whole plot is a bit unbelievable, but that is fiction, right? Well, the ending is even more unbelievable but somewhat clever.

What I did have were significant issues with the whining and moaning from Haze -and she whined and moaned about everything. We get that she had a bad childhood. For goodness sake, you can't pick up a book today where someone isn't blaming everything in their lives about their childhoods. Fox wasn't much better, and all this inner dialoguing eventually got on my nerves to the point that I just didn't care what happened to them.

Fantasy fairy tale ending *sigh*, what are you going to do?

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Bantam/Random House, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Two former serial killers trying to keep their past buried realize that old habits die hard in this “wildly original, razor-sharp thriller” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestsellingauthor of All the Colors of the Dark).

I wasn't smashing the patriarchy; I was killing it. Literally.

Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they're murderers. Well, they used to be. They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to rid from the world. Then Hazel got pregnant.

Now, they’re just another mom-and-dad-and-baby. They gave up vigilante justice for life in the suburbs: arranged play dates instead of body disposals, diapers over daggers, mommy conversations instead of the sweet seduction right before a kill. Hazel finds her new life terribly dull. And the more she forces herself to play her monotonous, predictable role, the more she begins to feel that murderous itch again.

Meanwhile, Fox has really taken to being a father. Always the planner, he loves being five steps ahead of everyone and knowing exactly what’s coming around the bend. Plus, if anyone can understand Hazel needing one more kill, it’s Fox. But then Hazel kills someone without telling Fox. And when police show up at their door, Hazel realizes it will take everything she has to keep her family together."

Review: Southern by Design

Southern by Design by Grace Helena Walz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The synopsis gives you a very, very good idea of what this book will be about. Of course, there is a HEA also, which you could see from a mile away! That is a comforting aspect of this novel.


I would have given this book more stars except for the fact that there was just a little too much 'plot' that really wasn't needed and that this author tried just a little too hard to write about the South, like author Mary Kay Andrews does. It didn't work for me. There were just too many things going on that weren't needed to get to the finish line. Everyone had some problem that needed Mack's attention, and Mack's mother was a caricature, which could sometimes be annoying.

It's predictable.

ARC supplied by the publisher Harper Muse/HarperCollins, the author, and NetGalley.


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SYNOPSIS: "Sweet Magnolias meets Fixer Upper in this delightfully refreshing debut about a woman bravely chasing her dreams, building a life on her own terms, and maybe even discovering a second chance at love.

Magnolia "Mack" Bishop is staring down the barrel at single motherhood--thanks to an unsolicited personal picture her husband texted another woman that quickly went viral among every mom group in town. But she's determined to not let it distract her from the professional victory she's inches away securing Charleston's prestigious Historic Preservation Design Fellowship, the apple of every local designer's eye.

But when the final house tour is undone by a host of calamities, Mack's shot at the fellowship goes up in flames. Smelling blood in the water, Mack's mother, the original Magnolia Bishop, breezes in with a project lead--strings attached. If there's one thing Magnolia lives for, aside from maintaining her station atop the Southern social ladder, it's to control Mack's life . . . and that includes keeping the identity of the absentee father Mack never knew in the shadows.

While working for her mother is the professional equivalent of moving into one's parent's basement, Mack spots an opportunity to make it her own when a television network puts a call out for local designers. Pitching the home renovation TV pilot of her dreams--one with a historic preservation twist--might just be the way to finally prove herself. Still, she'll have to do it covertly to avoid her mother's interference.

Just when Mack finds her professional footing, at home she spots an impossibly familiar figure unloading his moving truck into the newly sold house next door. She is furious, floored, and regrettably flustered because Lincoln Kelly is the one who got away. Fifteen years earlier he was a summer romance she inadvertently fell in love with, and when he left, following his dreams to New York, Mack was broken-hearted.

Filled with characters who could step off the page and a reminder that nothing worth saving is beyond repair, this charming and delightful debut novel will resonate with readers of Southern women's fiction by Mary Kay Andrews and Kristy Woodson Harvey."

Review: Grace of the Empire State

Grace of the Empire State by Gemma Tizzard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was riveting ... see what I did there? No, seriously, it was riveting. I couldn't put this book down. We all have an idea of what the Depression was like for the common folk, but no book that I've read so far has captured it so clearly. The research that went into this book was outstanding.

The story is about twins, one a man and one a woman, their mother, a younger and ill sister, and several other families. Grace, our main character, was born to be a dancer, but circumstances intervene, and she finds herself the first Rosie the Riveter on the Empire State Building. Can you imagine working on a building like that without the safety mechanisms we have in place now? There is no net, no anything as far as safety goes. But Grace did it and even saved a life while doing so.

Life is not easy for Grace's family, nor was it easy for many other people, but horrors just keep piling up on Grace's shoulders. And just when you, the reader, think things can't get any worse, they do. But never fear; life eventually becomes better, and there is even romance in the air!

I highly recommend this book for those who like strong, capable women and like learning a bit about the era's history. This would be perfect for book clubs.

Bravo for this debut novel.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Gallery Books/Simon Schuster, the author, and NetGalley

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SYNOPSIS: "In this breathtaking debut novel, a daring dancer must take her twin brother’s place as a riveter high atop the in-progress Empire State Building to save her family from ruin.

After the death of their father, it’s up to Grace O’Connell and her twin brother Patrick to support their family as the Great Depression takes its toll on New York City. When Grace is laid off from her dancing gig and Patrick is injured at work on the construction of the Empire State Building, desperation leaves them only one Grace must disguise herself as Patrick and take his place on the half-built skyscraper.

She soon proves herself as capable as any man on the steel, and her affection for the loyal men around her—especially Italian immigrant Joe—grows by the day. But when a terrible accident happens high above the city and Grace is the only one capable of saving her stranded colleague, she must make a split-second decision to risk everything or live with her conscience forever.

Set against the backdrop of a city at a crossroads, this electrifying story is full of heart and hope, family and friendship, and the sacrifices we make for those we love."

Review: Bonded in Death

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you have been following this series since its start, you may have wondered, like I did, just what happened during the Urban Wars and who exactly fought in them. Well, this book might answer most of your questions. Maybe not all, but most.

This was a powerful book, especially considering the world as it is today. I can somehow imagine things like this happening now. It has very strong characters, some of whom don't like each other much but worked very well together. It is a great side story learning about The Twelve, who are Summersets' friends and colleagues from back in the day. And they still work well together.

Action-packed both mentally and physically, with Rourke using all of his skills, The twelve kicking in with some of their own, and the ending was just spectacular. To see the four prominent women in these books (Eve, Peabody, Reo, and Mira) completely mess with The Shark was the icing on the cake for me.

I HIGHLY recommend this book, and I feel that you can read this as a stand-alone...but if you do, be aware that it may hook you in to read all of the other 59 books.

I can't wait for the next in this series.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher The St. Martin's Publishing Group / Macmillan Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.

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Synopsis: "How do you grieve a secret? Bonded in Death introduces us to a highly specialized undercover organization of twelve elite agents from years past — after one of them drops dead.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war…

His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes…

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset—fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets—may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear—because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must—not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain—and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…"

Review: Lightfall

Lightfall by Ed Crocker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars rounded down.

I came down a half-star for several reasons---sometimes the writing was repetitious, there were a lot of characters to keep straight, and, well, those are the only things I didn't really like. There were even times that I was going to give up and make it a DNF. But I kept going, and I am so glad I did. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

This book has an interesting take on the vampire/werewolf genre since there are no humans in this world. The Vampires' needed blood sources from animals, and the larger and more vicious the animal, the more 'kick' the blood gives the vampires: that and a little magic from the sorcerers help with the 'kick.'

This is the story of our fair Samantha, a maid (unwillingly and looking for something better)in the First Lords mansion, and her cohorts, though they don't come into play till a little bit into the story. There has been a death (murder), and Samantha seems to feel like she has to solve the mystery behind it. But no, this isn't the only mystery in this novel- many mysteries are rolled into one.

Intrigue, lying, mysteries, murders, action, and adventure pepper this novel with a fine spice.

I'm looking forward to the next book and will probably be putting this on my comfort reads shelf!

* ARC was supplied by the publisher Macmillan/ St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "An epic fantasy of vampires, werewolves and sorcerers, Lightfall is the debut novel of Ed Crocker, for fans of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire and Richard Swan’s The Justice of Kings.

No humans here. Just immortals: their politics, their feuds—and their long buried secrets.

For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave.

Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets.

There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever."