REVIEW: A Ghostly Gift by Angie Fox

Title: A Ghostly Gift (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries #1.5)
Author: Angie Fox
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
Publisher: Moose Island Books
Publication Date: January 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Verity Long doesn't want to see ghosts, and she'd rather not let anyone know her little secret, either. But when a restless spirit stirs up trouble in her friend's resale shop, Verity and her very new, very dead gangster friend team up to learn what is really happening.

They discover an age-old secret and must learn the truth behind a mysterious disappearance…before it's too late.

My Thoughts: The next installment of the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries is a very short novella with Verity and Frankie investigating some paranormal disturbances at a vintage resale shop. Verity isn’t sure if working with ghosts is something she wants or is cut out for. Her boyfriend, Ellis would likely have a problem with it. So, she doesn’t tell him and even Frankie isn’t that enthusiastic about this assignment either.

During her initial investigation, Verity meets the ghost of a WWII soldier who is looking for the woman he planned to marry when he returned from the war. Unfortunately, he never returned and he cannot find her on either the immortal plane of existence or on Earth. He is desperate for Verity to find her and tell her he always loved her and still does. The ring he gave to her has been sold to the resale shop and he wants Verity to give it back to her.

This story was very short and I paired the reading with the audio which was narrated by Tavia Gilbert. As with the first book in this series, she does an excellent job bringing all the personalities of the various characters to life. This story is packed full of action despite its short length and the only issue I had with this story is that Lucy, Verity’s pet skunk, does not make an appearance.

My Final Verdict: This story got me a little misty eyed and I always love a happily ever after, even for ghosts. I highly recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries and ghosts

Thank you to the publisher, Moose Island Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Jane in Love by Rachel Givney

Title: Jane in Love
Author: Rachel Givney
Narrator: Billie Fulford Brown
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Time Travel Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A charming, romantic debut novel in which Jane Austen, heralded author, ends up time-traveling almost 200 years in the future. There she finds the love she's written about and the destiny she's dreamed of...but is it worth her legacy?

Bath, England, 1803. At 28, Jane Austen prefers walking and reading to balls and assemblies; she dreams of someday publishing her carefully crafted stories. Already on the shelf and in grave danger of becoming a spinster, Jane goes searching for a radical solution—and as a result, seemingly by accident, time-travels. She lands in...

Bath, England, present day. The film set of Northanger Abbey. Sofia Wentworth is a Hollywood actress starring in a new period film, an attempt to reinvent her flagging career and, secretly, an attempt to reinvent her failing marriage. When Sofia meets Jane, she marvels at the young actress who can’t seem to "break character," even off set. And Jane—acquainting herself with the horseless steel carriages and seriously shocking fashion of the twenty-first century— meets Sofia, a woman unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Then she meets Fred, Sofia’s brother, who has the audacity to be handsome, clever, and kind-hearted.

What happens when Jane, against her better judgement, falls in love with Fred? And when Sofia learns the truth about her new friend Jane? And worst of all, if Jane stays with Fred, will she ever achieve her dream, the one she's now seen come true?

My Thoughts: As exciting as the concept of time travel sounds, the consequences of altering the past and thereby changing the future are just too horrific to contemplate. The world would suffer an immense loss if Jane Austen never wrote and was never published. I thoroughly enjoyed this cautionary tale of how this could happen should Jane Austen find herself over two hundred years in the future.

The world knows the biography of Jane Austen, a woman born way before her time in a period where women had no rights, no voice and earning an independent wage was unthinkable for any woman of genteel or moral breeding. In Jane’s day, women not only were expected to marry (and marry well), but anything beyond that and society was scandalized. Unfortunately for Jane, at nearly thirty years of age and no marriage prospects on the horizon, despairs of ever finding a husband and having a family. She fears she will become a spinster and burden to her family. When Jane is given an opportunity to find her one true love, the last thing she expects is to travel over two hundred years into the future.

Unfortunately for Jane, she has traveled into the future before she drafts her novels so the longer she stays in the present, the more risk she faces of erasing her work and, ultimately, her legacy from history.

I loved this story and seeing the world through Jane’s eyes. Her shock at the changes she sees in Bath were realistic and I felt immense empathy for her as she tries to navigate modern London on the tube and escalators attempting to find a way back home. Her rapt fascination with all of the modern conveniences surrounding her was refreshing to behold. I also loved the supporting characters of Sofia Wentworth and her brother, Fred. Their willingness to help a stranger and their acceptance of Jane’s circumstances and her true identity were heartwarming.

This is my first time reading this author, I really loved her voice, and her description of Jane felt accurate. I am now deeply interested in reading more from this author as well as Jane Austen’s books. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format. The audio performance by Billie Fulford Brown was exceptional and gave me a lot of insight into Jane’s character and personality as well as the dilemma she faces with the difficult decision she has to make of whether she should stay or return to 1803.

My Final Verdict: In theory, time travel sounds exciting but the reality is dangerous and should only ever be attempted with great caution. I highly recommend this story to fans of time travel, who I believe will thoroughly enjoy this story as well as fans of Jane Austen and readers of historical and contemporary romance.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: How to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Mansell

Title: How to Mend a Broken Heart
Author: Anna Mansell
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: March 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: When Rhys is called to the hospital to meet Susan, a woman he barely knows, he is compelled to help her. Still grieving the loss of his brother months earlier, Rhys knows all too well the feeling of loneliness.

There are years between them, but Rhys is the only person Susan will respond to, and when she asks him to bring her most treasured possession, a book of fairytales, he is intrigued.

Hidden in the book is a clue to Susan’s past, and the painful regrets she carries with her. And as Rhys starts to unearth Susan’s secrets, he finds that his own grief begins to heal too...

Together, Susan and Rhys must learn to live again. Can they help each other to find happiness and finally mend their broken hearts?

How to Mend a Broken Heart is a heart-wrenching and absorbing story about second chances, forgiveness, and making every second count.

My Thoughts: This book may trigger some readers as the topics of suicide, depression, adoption and loss are a part of the story. This story made me feel all the feels learning about Rhys and his grief over losing his brother, meeting Susan and the life she lived and the loneliness she has felt throughout her life and Kat, struggling with the loss of her long term relationship and insecurity in her skills as a newly promoted ward nurse at the hospital where Susan is brought after her accident. I felt immense empathy for these characters and how this story would play out.

Rhys’s connection to Susan was confusing in the beginning as it appears she is a former customer of his plumbing business. She has no other family member or friend listed in her address book other than Rhys. His confusion about being called felt realistic and his reaction and sense of wanting to help was heartwarming to see.

Through the majority of this story, Susan is nonverbal and the only person she demonstrates a reaction to is Rhys. I felt a lot of confusion about this character and wondered what happened to her in her life that has made her isolate herself. As the story continues and more was revealed, it broke my heart and I cried numerous times.

I admired Kat, the nurse overseeing Susan’s care at the hospital. I felt an immediate connection to her. She is healing from a breakup of her five year relationship and feels immense uncertainty in her ability to perform at the new expected level that comes with her pending promotion. She also demonstrates an immense compassion for all of her patients. Her concern for Susan exceeds what would normally be considered as just doing her job.

I loved these characters and felt like I was walking alongside them rooting for them and crying at the pain and loss they have been given. This story flowed at a wonderful pace and I love this author’s voice. This was my first experience with this author and I am looking forward to reading more from her.

My Final Verdict: A book that tells a moving story with characters that a reader can connect with and empathize with cannot be recommended highly enough. In addition to readers who enjoy women’s fiction, this story will appeal to fans of general fiction and contemporary romance as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Brunch and Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent

Title: Brunch and Other Obligations
Author: Suzanne Nugent
Narrator: Janina Edwards
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publication Date: May 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: The only thing reclusive bookworm Nora, high-powered attorney Christina, and supermom-in-training Leanne ever had in common was their best friend, Molly. When Molly dies, she leaves mysterious gifts and cryptic notes for each of her grieving best friends, along with one final request: that these three mismatched frenemies have brunch together every month for a year.

Filled with heart wrenching scenes and witty prose, Brunch and Other Obligations explores the intricate dynamics of girlhood acquaintances who are forced to reconnect as women. This upbeat novel reminds readers that there’s hope for getting through the hard times in life―with a lot of patience, humor, and a standing brunch date.

My Thoughts: If you go by the description of this book, like I did, you would expect this book to have mandatory tissues at the ready. Though this book gave me a few moments of the feels, I was quite surprised at how witty this story actually was and easy to relate to. We all have that friend in our lives that we consider our best friend even though she may be friends with other women who also consider her their best friend. The tricky part is you know these other friends, but having a mutual best friend does not make you friends with them. In fact, you barely tolerate each other.

The story begins on the heels of the death of Molly, best friend of three other women, Nora, Leanne and Christina. These women have all known each other forever but Molly’s friendship is the only thing they have in common. After Molly’s funeral, they gather at the home of Molly’s parents where they are each given an item that Molly treasured to take and keep. They are also instructed that they are to meet every month for brunch for a year and this is where I really thought the story got interesting. These women have nothing in common so the expected awkwardness and drawn-out silences run rampant and they can only talk about Molly so much before that subject runs its course too.

The chapters are broken up between the three women and their individual points of view where the reader gets the opportunity to know each of them better. Nora is reclusive and avoids contact with others as much as possible. Christina is struggling with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and Leanne is desperate to start a family. Their brunch dates also gave me a lot of understanding into Molly’s personality.

The author does a great job of drawing characters all struggling with the loss of their best friend while being thrust into uncomfortable situations and managing their own lives and struggles. This was my first time reading this author and I will be looking for more of her work. I paired the reading of this book with the audio format and Janina Edwards’s narration was excellently performed. Her performance gave me a lot of insight into the lives of these women which helped me to get to know them better.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this book very enjoyable and was probably just as surprised as they were when they started to become friends. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction and relationship driven stories.

Thank you to the publisher, She Writes Press, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz

Title: The Grace Kelly Dress
Author: Brenda Janowitz
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Publisher: Harlequin – Graydon House Books
Publication Date: March 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love in this beguiling new novel from Brenda Janowitz.

Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly-lookalike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride's handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice—one that could put all she's worked for at risk: love, security, and of course, the dress.

Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname "Rocky," has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there's just one problem: Rocky doesn't want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn't her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan's heart. But what she doesn't know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother's life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.

As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress's history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky's wedding, they'll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.

My Thoughts: This was a beautifully crafted story. A wedding dress inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress is the central character that touches the lives of three women who will wear it. The chapters rotate between Paris in 1958, to Long Island in 1982 and Brooklyn in 2020. Each time period focuses on the seamstress who made the dress in Paris in 1958, the bride in 1982 and her daughter also a bride in 2020. The author does a brilliant job creating characters I immediately felt a connection to and liked. I also really enjoyed that the author adds a bit of mystery as to who the bride in 1958 is as well as who the bride marries in 1982. I do wish, though, that the reader was given more detail about the grooms and what happens to them.

I love this author’s voice and attention to detail that enhances the story instead of confusing the reader. I also loved all three time periods. This story is full of wonderful supporting characters from each time period so picking a favorite character and setting was impossible. This book also got me in the feels many times and I was rooting for all three women to achieve their dreams and goals.

I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format and loved the narration performance by Cassandra Campbell. Her French accents for Rose and the characters in Paris was flawless and beautiful to hear. The characters and the story came to life so flawlessly, I was easily transported into the story.

My Final Verdict: If you are new to this author’s work, then The Grace Kelly Dress is a great place to start. I’ve been a fan of this author for nearly twenty years and I know I’m in good hands when I pick up one of her books. I highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance and women’s fiction.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin – Graydon House Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Murder, Magic and What We Wore by Kelly Jones

Title: Murder, Magic and What We Wore
Author: Kelly Jones
Publisher: Random House Children’s
Publication Date: September 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Young Adult
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN

Description: The year is 1818, the city is London, and our heroine, 16-year-old Annis Whitworth, has just learned that her father is dead and all his money is missing. And so, of course, she decides to become a spy.

Annis always suspected that her father was a spy, so following in his footsteps to unmask his killer makes perfect sense. Alas, it does not make sense to England’s current spymasters—not even when Annis reveals that she has the rare magical ability to sew glamours: garments that can disguise the wearer completely.

Well, if the spies are too pigheaded to take on a young woman of quality, then Annis will take them on.

She’ll follow the clues her father left behind and discover what befell him.

She’ll prove she can sew an impenetrable disguise.

She’ll earn a living without stooping to become a—shudder—governess.

It can’t be any harder than navigating the London social season, can it?

My Thoughts: Although this book is marketed for the young adult or teen audience, it never crossed my mind that the protagonist is only sixteen years old. I suppose in Regency England, being sixteen years old is practically an adult but it never occurred to me until I finished this book who its target audience is.

Don’t let that stop you from reading this utterly charming tale of a young woman who finds out that not only her father was murdered but he was also a spy. She also discovers that her father was very close to exposing a plot so heinous and foul that those who are actively working to bring Napolean Bonaparte back from exile have no issue getting rid of anyone who gets in their way, even a young girl. To make matters worse, Annis and her aunt learn they are destitute as her father’s money has also disappeared. To solve their financial dilemma, Annis decides she will become a spy too, only the War Office doesn’t take her seriously even though she has the rare talent of sewing glamours into garments, which can be useful for a spy, as it will disguise them completely.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and, like Annis, was quite surprised at the turn of events in this story. Keeping up with who could be trusted, whether they be a spy or a typical cad, could turn into a full time job and some much needed lessons in knife wielding and throwing comes at an opportune time. I admired Annis and her aunt, Cassia, for their ability to think quickly on their feet to try to solve their financial crisis while trying to keep their situation on the down low.

The big villain reveal wasn’t as much of a surprise as other events in the story and that is why I hope this author will write more as this story ends with many loose threads and hints of further adventures awaiting Annis, her aunt and their housemaid, Millie.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story was very enjoyable and I highly recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries, historical settings and madcap adventures.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Children’s, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre

Title: A Familiar Stranger
Author: A.R. Torre
Narrator: Christina Traister, Chris Ciulla, Patrick Lawlor, Leon Nixon
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication Date: September 2022
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Such a quiet and ordinary wife and mother. Who will even notice what she’s done?

Lillian Smith leads an unexceptional life, writing obituaries and killing time with her inattentive husband and disconnected son. Then she meets David, a handsome stranger, in a coffee shop. Lured into an affair, she invents a new persona, one without strings, deadlines, or brooding husbands.

Lillian has never felt so reckless, unpredictable, or wanted. But as her affair with David intensifies, she withdraws from everything that’s real, even her closest friend. When evidence of her life as a secret lover finds its way onto her son’s social media, she risks ruining much more than her marriage or reputation.

As lies beget lies, Lillian’s two worlds spiral dangerously out of control. And betrayals run deeper than she imagines. Because Lillian isn’t the only one leading a double life.

My Thoughts: I have to start this review by saying that I thought this was book was going to be another run of the mill adulterous spouse story and that somebody dies. My least favorite plot device is adultery so I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope that this book would be any different or that it would make me feel anything other than contempt for the cheating cheaters.

A Familiar Stranger is the first book I have read by this author and the story blew all of my preconceived notions out of the water. Yes, there is adultery and both Lillian and her husband, Mike, are equally guilty, but this story goes way beyond a small matter of adultery. This story opens up a whole other avenue of sinister dealings below the surface that the reader is completely unprepared for. Let me just say that lies and secrets can destroy a marriage and lives much worse than adultery can.

The author creates some very unique and interesting characters in this book. I wasn’t able to relate or empathize with most of them, but they were multi-layered and surprised me numerous times. I absolutely did not agree with either Lillian or Mike and thought they were both despicable characters. Lillian is unstable, needy and manipulative. Mike is sinister and untrustworthy. How they managed to stay married for nearly twenty years shocked and surprised me. Lillian’s best friend Sam was an interesting character and he surprised me as well. If I had to pick a character that I had any empathy for it would be Lillian’s teenage son, Jacob. He is the one most traumatized by his parents and their deceit so I felt bad for him. Several additional supporting characters added much more to the story.

I chose the audiobook format for this story and the narration performed by Christina Traister, Chris Ciulla, Patrick Lawlor and Leon Nixon was exceptional. These characters were brought to life for me with the performances and they felt genuine and sincere. The narration was performed so seamlessly, I had a difficult time putting the book down and it was so easy to picture it in my mind as though I were standing in the room watching the events unfold.

Knowing almost immediately that there is a death had me on pins and needles and when it is revealed not only who died, but how and why added to the suspense of this story. Stories like this are why I love to read. It’s not often that an author can draft a story that will shock the reader to the core but will also have the reader’s attention so riveted to the events transpiring in the story, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to the reader when the story ends. This author is such an author and I hope that this is the level of reading entertainment I can expect when I read the rest of her work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story was simply amazing and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy mysteries and thrillers as well as stories that shock and surprise the reader while leaving them wanting more.