Review: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 5 of 5: Finlay Donovan

Although this is a great series, and you should read all of the books that come before this one, there is really no need to. You won't find yourself getting lost since the author does a great job of brushing us up on some of the past adventures.

This book does end with a bit of a cliffhanger.

This book is a tad steamy but not really descriptive with the love scenes.

One of the things that prevented me from giving this a five-star review is that I find that Finaly is a total pushover. She allows people to take advantage of her without even a whimper on her part.

Otherwise, this is a great, cozy, fast read, and it is well worth digging up the earlier books. Many of them are free to borrow with KU.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there's not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

When the focus of the investigation widens to include Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, though, Finlay and Vero are left with little choice but to get closer to Mrs. Haggerty and uncover her secrets . . . before the police start digging up theirs. But who will solve the mystery first?

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Review: Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS

Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic book that showed a side of WWII that most of us have never seen. This book chronicles the lives of four very different women with a few things in common. However, one thing they did have in common was an aptitude for languages.

The of the women you most likely have never heard of unless you were in the OSS (now the CIA) and the very famous Marlene Dietrich (who gave up her German citizenship and became an Amercan because of the war).

As explained in the synopsis of the book, these four women (Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene) became famous for working with the OSS in a covert and successful military campaign that created propaganda of the dark kind.

This book is written with chapters based on each woman. We glimpse through their eyes the atrocities of this war, and we see them do their part to fight it. We also get a good look at the gender inequality of the times.

This was a difficult book for me to put down - so I didn't! I loved every minute of it and came out of this thinking that I could have been friends with any or all of them. The author made them into flesh and blood instead of just characters on a page.

I highly recommend this book and think it would be a perfect read for book clubs that are looking for a history book that isn't dry and is a bit unusual.

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

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SYNOPSIS: "The incredible untold story of four women who helped win WWII by generating a wave of black propaganda.

Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII.

As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.

In Propaganda Girls, bestselling author Lisa Rogak brings to vivid life the incredible true story of four unsung heroes, whose spellbinding achievements would change the course of history."

Review: The Persians: A Novel

The Persians: A Novel by Sanam Mahloudji
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

1.5 This is a reprint from 2024 Germany. Publisher ‏ : ‎ Piper ebooks; 1st edition (May 31, 2024)

Darkly funny" this book was not. Dark, yes; funny, no. Too many generations of self-centered, selfish elitists who come to this country to escape persecution (and of course never file for a green card) and try to be the same things - well, most of them try. I was trepaditious when in the first chapter we see nearly the whole lot of them doing coke, drinking, and stealing. And pretty much trashing a hotel room in Aspen, Colorado, while there for a family reunion for Christmas.

For me, the book went downhill from there. I get bored when most of any book is centered on introspection - pages and pages of woe is me.

I gave it my best shot and made it to 50% of this book. This was enough for me to give my honest opinion.

*ARC supplied by Blackstone Publishing, Inc/Scribner, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "A family confronts a past that is both keeping them together and preventing them from breaking free.

Meet the Valiat family. In Iran they were somebodies. In America they’re nobodies. First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose who stayed in Tehran during the revolution. Her daughters, Shirin and Seema, left for America in 1979. She lives in a shabby apartment, paranoid and alone—except when she is visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law–breaking granddaughter who takes her debauchery with a side of purpose yet somehow manages to survive. The other granddaughter, Bita, is a self-righteous but lost law student spending her days in New York City eating pancakes and quietly giving away her belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family’s brittle status quo cracks open. Shirin embarks upon a grand but half-baked quest to restore the family name—but what does that even mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Will they ever realize that life is more than just an old story?"

Review: Six Weeks in Reno

Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gave me a fascinating insight into what it was like to get a divorce in the early 1930s. It also gave me a look into the different types of people who came to Reno for their divorces. Mostly, they were all monied women since this was at the height of the depression. I doubt that a less monied woman would be able to afford to become a "six-weeker."

Many things surprised me about this book, and some things that I could see from a mile off. I could see Evelyn's husband for what he was, even though she didn't speak of it until the very last chapter.
We saw the best and the worst of people, and we even had a bit of a romance going. It would have been interesting to have a couple more chapters that dealt with the consequences of Evelyns divorce once she got home. Did her kids forgive her? Did she resume modeling? How did she get along with her sister?

All in all, it is an excellent read and perfect for book clubs since it gives us a lot to chew over.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Lake Union Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.


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SYNOPSIS: "A woman at a “divorce ranch” in 1930s Reno strives to live life on her own terms in a powerful novel about heartbreak, hope, and the allure of the unknown.

September 27, 1931. Today my new life begins.

After twenty years in a loveless marriage, Evelyn Henderson will do anything to escape her stifling suburban life. She boards a train for Reno, Nevada, a former frontier town that’s booming thanks to “six-weekers”: women from all walks of life who take up residence there just long enough to secure an uncontested divorce—a right they don’t yet have in their home states.

Evelyn settles into the Flying N Ranch and soon bonds with her housemates, most of whom have never ventured this far from home—or from societal conventions. The Biggest Little City in the World offers a heady taste of freedom for the six-weekers: horseback riding in denim and fringe by day and being courted by dance-hall cowboys by night. But underneath the glamour are the grim realities of Depression-era America, as well as the devastating consequences of escape.

As Evelyn is drawn out of her shell by a Hollywood-handsome wrangler and challenged by her new friends to reengage with the world in all its heartbreaking complexity, one thing becomes clear: six weeks will change her life forever."

Review: The Last American Heiresses

The Last American Heiresses by Stephen Greco
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I would never have picked this book had I realized that this is the same author that wrote Such Good Friends: A Novel of Truman Capote & Lee Radziwill. This is a perfect book club choice. You will love this book if you love lush, never-ending descriptions of clothing, decor, architecture, art, dated gossip, and a supposed friendship between the two wealthiest women in America (at the time).

Frankly, I just don't have what it takes to enjoy books of this caliber. I need something that takes me away from this world. I need something that will make me think, laugh, cry, and use my imagination, something that will pique my curiosity. This book did none of those things for me. It felt as if the longer I read it, the longer the book became until I felt that it would never end.

I wanted to read more about Emma and Ollie and the film she was making. That would have been interesting. Instead, we got a book about the two most selfish women in the world.
I understand that the rich are different from the likes of me, but this was just a mishmash of spoiled, entitled behavior---yes, yes, I know it was a different era. I think what really did it for me was the apparent padding of this book with all of the never-ending descriptions---of EVERYTHING.


The era that is the basis for this book will make it a little awkward for those of us who were born in the late 50's and only know of some of these people when they were already past their prime. But, on the other hand, if you are much younger than me, then you might find this an exciting slice of mid to late-20th-century history. But, of course, it is history about the wealthy jet-setters, and it only touches briefly on anything significant that was going on in America at the time.

Although this wasn't my cup of tea, I think that many out in Bookland will enjoy this look into the rich and famous.

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SYNOPSIS: "A dazzling novel that draws readers into the ultra-glamorous lives of legendary heiresses Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton, the public rivalry that defined them, and the secret bond that sustained them both, from the author of the acclaimed Such Good Friends.

The press dubs them “the Gold Dust twins.” Born within a week of one another in Manhattan in 1912, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton both inherit unimaginable fortunes. By the time of their lavish
coming-out balls, they are two of the richest women in the world. Barbara, heiress to the Woolworth millions, amasses seven husbands over her lifetime. Doris, meanwhile, has a sophistication and financial savvy that Barbara tries endlessly to emulate.
 
When filmmaker Emma Radetsky begins researching her new documentary about prominent women and their jewelry collections, she’s familiar with the lore surrounding both Doris and Barbara—the couture gowns, exotic homes, and romantic interludes—including sequential marriages to the same notorious playboy. And of course, the priceless jewels they acquire as easily as candy.
 
Yet delving into their backgrounds with the help of one of Doris’s closest companions, Oliver Wendell Shaw, Emma encounters a deeper story—of a private game to manipulate the media, and a hidden, life-long kinship between two complex women who understood each other as no one else could.
 
Interweaving past and present, filled with sumptuous details from an age of excess, Stephen Greco’s novel is also a mesmerizing story about the nature of celebrity and the transformative power of friendship."

Review: The Lost Passenger

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel did have its ups and downs, but all in all, it was a gripping read. Add to that the very last page, which I never would have expected, and I'd have to say WOW. I would actually love another book that builds on Elinor and her sons lives.

What starts as a romantic novel quickly turns in a direction I never expected. Then, of course, we have the sinking of the Titanic and how Elinor and Teddy's life changes from that moment on.

It was fascinating to read about the time period, especially about New York in the 1910s; you get a good lesson in PTSD, excellent writing, and a lovely little backstab, or shall I say, Elinor gets to 'thumb her nose' at one of the objects of her early misery!

Great historical fiction!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Penguin Random House/ Ballantine Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Sometimes it takes a disaster to change your life.

Marrying above your social class can come with unexpected consequences, as Elinor Coombes discovers when she is swept into a fairy-tale marriage with the son of an aristocratic English family. She soon realizes that it was the appeal of her father’s hard-earned wealth rather than her pretty face that attracted her new husband and his family. Curtailed by rigid social rules that include being allowed to see her nanny-raised infant son for only moments each day, Elinor resigns herself to a lonely future. So a present from her father—tickets for the maiden voyage of a luxurious new ship called the Titanic—offers a welcome escape from the cold, controlling atmosphere of her husband’s ancestral home, and some precious time with her little son, Teddy.

When the ship goes down, Elinor grasps the opportunity to take Teddy and start a new life—but only if they can disappear completely, listed among the dead. Penniless and using another woman’s name, she must learn to survive in New York City, a brash new world that couldn’t be more different from her own, and to keep their secret safe. But alas, it's not safe—she's been spotted by another survivor who's eager to profit from his discovery.

An absorbing historical drama set between the old world of the oppressive English aristocracy and the new world of opportunity and freedom, The Lost Passenger is a grippingly dramatic story about starting over in a brand-new world, triumphing over adversity, and finding hope in the face of great loss.

GenresHistorical FictionFictionHistoricalAdultDramaRelationshipsWomens Fiction

Review: A Web of Obsidian

A Web of Obsidian by Lydia M. Hawke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book so much that I've already pre-ordered the next in this series (at least, I hope it will be a series!) A Tangle of Obsidian, which will be published June 3, 2025. Thank goodness I don't have too long to wait!

What can you say about a book that has Mages, monsters, secret consortiums, magic, and a 69-year-old ex-nun protagonist?

This book kept me reading far past my bedtime. It was horrifying, mystifying, action-packed, and at the same time sad—so many losses.

The answers to Monica's problem/magic might have been in a journal but the journal was stolen by
Eldon Rusk, a billionaire. Yes, I typed that correctly, though we can all imagine just who the author was talking about!

I really can't describe the plot without giving things away and I'm sorry for that. However, for people of a certain age, this is a reminder that you are only as old as you allow yourself to be. At 69, Monica was a kick-ass heroine who cared about everyone but herself.

I loved this book, and it will be going on my comfort bookshelf. (These are books that I re-read at least yearly, sometimes more often!)

*ARC supplied by the publisher Michem Publishing/AbeBooks, the author, and NetGalley.



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SYNOPSIS: "She may be too old to start a fight, but she’s not too old to finish one.

At sixty-nine years old and with two black belts to her name, former nun Monica Barrett has never backed down from a fight. So when a woman turns up on her doorstep with an attacker on her heels, Monica is quick to step in.

But this assailant has powers—he moves with uncanny speed, strikes with brutal accuracy, and isn’t after the woman at all. Instead, he wants what she has: a smooth, flat piece of rock that she throws to Monica.

The instant she touches the stone, everything Monica has ever known turns upside down. Inhuman power surges through her and destroys her attacker. And that’s just the beginning.

More attacks follow–first on her home, then on the shelter she runs. Horrified, Monica is determined to rid herself of the stone and whatever it holds. But when it becomes clear that its dark power is all that stands between her and losing everything she holds dear, she may have no choice but to become its keeper.

And its wielder. "

Review: Maya & Natasha: A Novel

Maya & Natasha: A Novel by Elyse Durham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

Watching (reading about) the growth of these fraternal twin sisters during the aftermath of WWII, seeing them work so hard at ballet to be the best, and hoping to find a little relief from the taboos of the times was fascinating.

I love reading about different times and cultures, so this book was perfect for me. I also love reading about ballet and have done so since I first read the book  . While the book Maya and Natash does not in any way resemble the highlighted book, it does bring the era into great focus.

The betrayal of one sister pretty much changes things for both of them, and the final betrayal was clever of the author.

An excellent look at Russia during that time period, the 1960s, and family.

*ARC supplied by the publisher HarperCollins, the author, and NetGalley.

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This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.

Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by their mother, a prima ballerina at the Kirov Ballet who would rather die than not dance. Taken in by their mother’s best friend at the Kirov, the girls are raised to be dancers themselves. The Vaganova Ballet Academy—and the totalitarian Soviet regime—is the only world they know.

In 1958, now seniors at the Vaganova at the height of the Cold War, all Maya and Natasha and their classmates want is to dance with the Kirov, and to join the company on its tour to America next year. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha’s due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.

Maya, long accustomed to living in her sister’s shadow, accepts her bitter fate, until a new dance partner inspires her to dream bigger and practice harder. For the first time—and at the cruelest possible moment—the sisters are equally matched. And then one sister betrays the other, altering their lives forever and splitting them in two, though neither will stray far from the other’s orbit.

As one of the twins pursues her ballet career and experiences a world outside Russia for the first time, the other is cast in an epic film adaptation of War and Peace, produced and financed by the Soviet State. As the Cold War heats up, Maya and Natasha must confront their to East versus West; to the government that saved them versus their dreams of freedom; and, always, to each other.

Review: Can't Help Faking in Love

Can't Help Faking in Love by Swati Hegde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a sweet and fast read, perfect for the beach. It follows the trope of fake dating perfectly and gives us a lovely HEA. This book may be a little different than the usual 'fake' dating because it was set in India, and India follows a different set of standards than most Americans do. Yes, there was a bit of pre-marital sex involved, but nothing too descriptive.

Veer is really a wonderful character, a rare mixture of caring, responsibility, heavy emotions, and, eventually, a deep love.

Harsha is a little more challenging to describe; she was born rich but is determined to make it on her own. At first, she displays a bit of snobbishness, but we soon discover the truth. She didn't have a wonderful upbringing (at least in her eyes), her beloved cousin has turned into someone Harsha doesn't recognize, which puts Harsha in a jamb when her cousin's wedding is approaching.

All in all, it is a fun read with a message. A great second book since her debut with Match Me If You Can. As I said, it is a fun book for beach or vacation.

ARC supplied by the publisher Penguin Random House, the author, and NetGalley

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SYNOPSIS:"A young woman with Bollywood roots hires a barista to act as her boyfriend for her cousin’s wedding—only to learn you can’t fake chemistry like theirs—in this desi romance from the author of Match Me If You Can

Harsha Godbole has never felt love from her family, but she’s always been surrounded by their Bollywood business mogul wealth. Now back in Bangalore after studying in America, Harsha is ready to start her adult life without their money. But that becomes impossible when everything she’s worked so hard for comes crumbling down. Fearful of showing up to her cousin’s upcoming wedding as a failure—and worse, a single failure—Harsha decides to put her trust fund to good use . . . 

Veer Kannan does everything for his family. He even gave up his dreams of becoming a Bollywood star to get a more consistent gig . . . although working as a barista wasn’t really the big break he was hoping for. It’s a humble life, but a happy one, nonetheless. Then financial aid falls through for his brother’s first year in business school, so now Veer needs to come up with a large sum of money, and fast.

Harsha’s outlandish plan to hire her favorite barista as her fake boyfriend for the weekend-long wedding bash is received surprisingly well by Veer, who hopes this will be his ticket to Bollywood. But Harsha and Veer get way more than they bargained for in this heartwarming journey to finding unexpected love and courage."

Review: Paris Undercover

Paris Undercover by Matthew Goodman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've differing opinions about this book, so I'm arguing with myself on how I rate this book. Was it a three because a lot of it was repetitive? Was it a five because of the history that I learned? Was it a two because I couldn't handle the torture scenes? Was it a three because a lot of the book didn't really follow the lives of the two women? Was it a five because of all the research that went into this book? I probably shouldn't give it a star rating because I'm so torn. I also must have missed how one friend betrayed the other. I couldn't see it as a problem with Etta but a problem with her ghostwriters/publishers.

This is the perfect book for those who want to take a look at the war, not from the English side but from the French side. An excellent book for those who want to see the actual repercussions of the war and its aftermath on women who did their bit to fight the Nazis.

This is an excellent read for book clubs and scholars.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created a daring escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. With one in a German prison camp, the other wrote a book about it—a memoir that was built on lies. Now the bestselling author of Eighty Days shares their incredible, never-before-told full story.

Etta Shiber and Kitty Bonnefous are the unlikeliest of two seemingly ordinary women, an American widow and an English divorcée, living quietly together in Paris. Yet during the Nazi occupation, these two friends find themselves unexpectedly plunged into the whirlwind of history. With the help of a French country priest and others, they rescue untold numbers of British and French soldiers trapped behind enemy lines—some of whom they daringly smuggle through Nazi checkpoints in the trunk of their car.

Ultimately the Gestapo captures them both. After eighteen months in prison, Etta, a New Yorker of Jewish descent, is returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange. Back home, hoping to bring attention to her friend Kitty’s bravery, Etta publishes a memoir about their work. Paris-Underground becomes a publishing sensation and Etta a celebrity. Meanwhile Kitty spends the rest of the war in solitary confinement in a Nazi prison, entirely unaware of the book that has been written about her – and the deeds that have been claimed in her name.

In researching this story, Matthew Goodman uncovered military records, personal testimonies, and Etta Shiber’s own never-before-seen wartime letters. Together they reveal, for the first time, the shocking truth behind Etta's bestselling memoir and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences of its publication. More than just a story of two women’s remarkable courage, Paris Undercover is also a vivid, gripping account of deceit, betrayal, and personal redemption'.

GenresNonfictionHistoryBiographyWorld War IIHistoricalWar