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#BookReview Funny Story by Emily Henry @PenguinRandomCA #EmilyHenry #FunnyStory #PenguinReads

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#BookReview Funny Story by Emily Henry @PenguinRandomCA #EmilyHenry #FunnyStory #PenguinReads Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Published by: Berkley on Apr. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Review:

Amusing, smart, and adorably romantic!

Funny Story is an engaging, witty, roommates-to-more romance that features the quiet, wary Daphne and the outgoing, charming Miles as together they navigate their heartbreak and discover that their exes leaving them might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

The writing is sweet and crisp. The characters are quirky, charismatic, and genuine. And the plot is an irresistible blend of life, love, friendship, family, flirting, light drama, tricky situations, spirited shenanigans, awkward moments, and delectable romance.

I’ve always been a fan of Emily Henry novels, and Funny Story has just become another favourite. It’s funny, tender, deliciously swoon-worthy and without a doubt, one of the best rom-coms I’ve had the pleasure to read this year.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emily Henry

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.

Photo by Devyn Glista/St. Blanc Studios.

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#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Collected Regrets of Clover

Author: Mikki Brammer

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 21, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life?

From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.

Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story––and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as it turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.

Review:

Absorbing, heartfelt, and sweet!

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a heartwarming, compelling tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Clover Brooks, a death doula who after helping many people pass into the next life and compiling and reviewing a list of their regrets, finally discovers the importance of taking chances, embracing change, and finding contentment.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are complex, authentic, and supportive. And the plot is a delightful tale about life, loss, family, kindness, love, self-discovery, happiness, romance, grief, death, and moving on.

Overall, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a tender, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Brammer, complete with strong, endearing characters, a touching storyline, and an insightful look into remorse and the unbreakable ties that bind us to those we love.

 

This book is available in paperback now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

       

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Mikki Brammer

Mikki Brammer is an Australian journalist based in New York City, by way of France and Spain. She writes about design, architecture and art for publications such as Architectural Digest, Dwell and ELLE Decor. The Collected Regrets of Clover is her debut novel.

Photo Credit: Mark Wickens

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#BookReview The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @harperbooks #TheFiveYearLie #SarinaBowen #HarperBooks

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#BookReview The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @harperbooks #TheFiveYearLie #SarinaBowen #HarperBooks Title: The Five Year Lie

Author: Sarina Bowen

Published by: Harper Books on May 7, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

Format: Paperback

Source: Harper Books

Book Rating: 9/10

She thought it was love. Then he vanished.

On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty’s phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it’s been several years since she learned he died.

Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.

Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her.

The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew.

With a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.

Review:

Sinister, sharp, and engrossing!

The Five Year Lie is a chilling, cyber thriller that transports you into the life of Ariel Cafferty, a young mother whose world gets turned upside down when she suddenly receives a text message that should have been delivered five years ago from the man she once loved but who suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are mysterious, troubled, and multilayered. And the plot intertwines and unravels quickly into a suspenseful, intricate tale of lies, secrets, manipulation, familial drama, unexpected twists, heart-wrenching motivations, violence, and deception.

Overall, The Five Year Lie is a tortuous, clever, creepy page-turner by Bowen that kept me guessing from the very first page, showcased her ability to be a master of more than just the romance genre, and ultimately, left me shocked, surprised, thoroughly entertained, and eager for more.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Harper Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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#BookReview The Last Time She Saw Him By Kate White @katemwhite @harperbooks #TheLastTimeSheSawHim #KateWhite #HarperBooks

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#BookReview The Last Time She Saw Him By Kate White @katemwhite @harperbooks #TheLastTimeSheSawHim #KateWhite #HarperBooks Title: The Last Time She Saw him

Author: Kate White

Published by: Harper Books on May 14, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: Harper Books

Book Rating: 8/10

A young woman is left reeling after a broken engagement is followed by a shocking death—one she must prove was a murder, in the latest psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kate White.

It’s summer in New York City, but Kiki Reed isn’t feeling very sunny. She recently broke off her engagement to Jamie Larsson, a great guy, but just not “the one.” And although she knows it was for the best, she feels guilty for hurting him.

When Kiki accepts an invitation to a party at a friend’s Connecticut country house, she knows Jamie will be there, too, but decides to get their first interaction over with. When they come face to face, their exchange is brief and pleasant, a huge relief for her.

Then, as the party is winding down, a shot rings out. The few remaining guests run outside to find Jamie inside his car, dead from a gunshot wound.

Shocked and grieving, Kiki soon hears that the police are leaning toward ruling it a suicide, but she knows that Jamie was moving on from their breakup, and truly doubts that he’s taken his own life. Determined to find the truth, she rents a house in the area to look for the missing link that will get the police to take her seriously. But as she peels away the layers, she uncovers something far more sinister than she had ever imagined—and it may be her life on the line next. . . .

Review:

Suspenseful, intricate, and gripping!

The Last Time She Saw Him is a complex, twisty tale that takes you into the life of Kiki Reed, a successful career coach who, after her ex-fiancé commits suicide at the end of a dinner party they’ve both attended, decides to do whatever she can to prove there is no way he would ever take his own life, but rather he was murdered.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are secretive, ruthless, and driven. And the plot unravels quickly into an ominous tale full of twists, turns, lies, deception, manipulation, suspicious personalities, revelations, and murder.

Overall, The Last Time She Saw Him is a quick, tortuous, sinister tale by White that had me hooked from the very first page and, ultimately, left me satisfied, surprised, and entertained.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Harper Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kate White

Kate White is the New York Times bestselling author of eight standalone psychological thrillers, including Have You Seen Me? (2020) and the upcoming The Fiancée (June 2021), as well as eight Bailey Weggins mysteries, including Such a Perfect Wife, which was nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award. Kate, the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, is also the author of several popular career books for women, including I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve and Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead, as well the editor of the Anthony and Agatha Award-nominated The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. 

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#BookReview Collide by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Collide #OffTheIceSeries #PenguinReads

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#BookReview Collide by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Collide #OffTheIceSeries #PenguinReads Title: Collide

Author: Bal Khabra

Series: Off the Ice #1

Published by: Berkley on May 14, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

An ultimatum from her professor thrusts Summer Preston into an unexpected collision with hockey captain Aiden Crawford. She’s caught in a delicate balance between fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a sport psychologist and veering far away from this god-awful sport.

For Aiden Crawford, being the captain of the college hockey team has its perks, except when a reckless mistake by his team threatens to jeopardize their entire season. Consequently, his coach nominates him as the subject of a research paper. It’s the last thing he wants to do, especially since the girl leading the project looks like she could wield his skates as a weapon.

Summer can’t stand his blasé approach to life, and Aiden doesn’t understand her uptight, scheduled one. They are off to a rocky start, and provoking each other is what they do best, but defeat isn’t something either of them is willing to accept.

Review:

Sporty, sexy, and satisfying!

Collide is a passionate, sweet tale featuring the intelligent, feisty Summer who is more than happy to use a hockey player as a subject for her research paper but is more than confident that she would never date one, and the responsible, hunky Aidan who will do whatever it takes to get his team to the playoffs even if it means working off their escapades by helping out a girl that drives him absolutely crazy but is infuriatingly pretty.

The writing is light and crisp. The characters are charismatic, kind, and fun-loving. And the plot is the perfect blend of drama, emotion, humour, heat, witty banter, chemistry, friendship, family, romance, and hockey.

Overall, I found Collide to be a charming, steamy, entertaining start to this new Off the Ice series by Khabra that, as a true fan of the sports romance genre, has left me excited and definitely eager for more.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Bal Khabra

Bal Khabra is a Canadian writer and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media. When inspiration strikes, she is found filling her notes app with ideas for romance novels. She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.

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#BookReview Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden @KDAldenAuthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2024 #KDAlden #LadyCodebreaker

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#BookReview Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden @KDAldenAuthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2024 #KDAlden #LadyCodebreaker Title: Lady Codebreaker

Author: K.D. Alden

Published by: Forever on Mar. 12, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

Fans of Kate Quinn and Kristina McMorris will love this gripping historical novel based on the true story of the woman who used her codebreaking skills to bring down Prohibition gangsters and WWII Nazis, and who ultimately helped found the present-day NSA.

Grace Smith has never been one to conform to society’s expectations. She flees small-town Indiana to seek adventure—and finds more than she bargained for when she’s hired by an eccentric millionaire to learn codebreaking. Soon she’s using those skills to help head the government’s fledgling cryptanalysis unit.

During Prohibition, Grace takes up the fight against rumrunners—not to mention Al Capone himself. And as the country careens from one Great War to another, it’s Grace who must crack the secrets of foreign governments, catch spies, and derail saboteurs . . . before it’s too late.

With wry wit and sheer grit, she forges her own path as a codebreaker, wife, mother. She’s spent a lifetime going up against powerful men and winning. But as war rages and the stakes grow impossibly high, Grace faces a truly impossible choice: her family or her country?

Review:

Moving, alluring, and intense!

Lady Codebreaker is a thrilling, captivating tale set from 1917 to 1958 that takes you into the life of Grace Smith, a young American girl who, after leaving her small home town in the hopes of something more, finds herself learning cryptanalysis, having a distinguished career, and marrying a loyal, successful man all during a time of chaos and upheaval and two world wars.

The prose is rich and vivid. The characters are intelligent, brave, and strong. And the plot is an insightful, compelling blend of life, loss, secrets, surprises, heartbreak, betrayal, politics, power, friendship, and romance.

Overall, Lady Codebreaker is an intricate, passionate, fascinating tale by Alden based on real-life events that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters within it that you can’t help but be fully absorbed and invested.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About K.D. Alden

K.D. Alden is the pseudonym of an award-winning author who has written more than twenty novels in various genres. She has been the recipient of the Maggie Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award and an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. A Mother’s Promise is her first historical novel.

K.D. is a graduate of Smith College, grew up in Austin, Texas, and resides in south Florida with her husband and two rescue greyhounds.

Photograph by Christhopher Hawke.

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#BookReview The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves @tgarvisgraves @StMartinsPress #TheTrailOfLostHearts #TraceyGarvisGraves #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves @tgarvisgraves @StMartinsPress #TheTrailOfLostHearts #TraceyGarvisGraves #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Trail of Lost Hearts

Author: Tracey Garvis Graves

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Mar. 26, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves takes readers on a life affirming journey, where two lost souls find the unexpected courage to love again.

Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need. But her worldview shatters when the universe delivers two life-altering blows she didn’t see coming, and all she wants to do is put the whole heartbreaking mess behind her. No one is more surprised than Wren when she discovers that geocaching―the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects―is the only thing getting her out of bed and out of her head. She decides that a weeklong solo quest geocaching in Oregon is exactly what she needs to take back control of her life.

Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe―or men in general―but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.

What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.

Review:

Heartwarming, sweet, and uplifting!

The Trail of Lost Hearts is a heartfelt, tender tale that takes you into the lives of Wren, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when she suffers an extreme loss she never saw coming, and Marshall, a clinical psychologist who is still struggling to recover from a devastating tragedy and loss of his own.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are lonely, kind, and respectful. And the plot is a reflective, engaging tale about life, loss, family, friendship, relationships, attraction, grief, happiness, self-discovery, mental health, taking chances, new beginnings, and unconditional love.

Overall, The Trail of Lost Hearts is a sentimental, charming, heart-tugging tale by Graves that reminds you that life is complicated, love can be messy, and things often happen for a reason.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

       

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Tracey Garvis Graves

Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-five languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, The Girl He Used to Know, and Heard It in a Love Song. She is hard at work on her next book.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack

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#BookReview Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack Title: Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies

Author: Catherine Mack

Series: The Vacation Mysteries #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Apr. 30, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary competitors, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

Review:

Atmospheric, witty, and highly entertaining!

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a charming, captivating tale that transports you to Rome, Italy and into the life of Eleanor Dash, a successful author who, after being sent on a tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first book in her bestselling series with an eclectic group of people that includes authors, fans, a stalker, and an ex, finds herself unexpectedly tied up in a murder investigation with a multitude of suspects when it quickly becomes apparent that someone in their group is determined to kill off the real-life persona of the main character from her books.

The writing style is humorous and light. The characters are sharp, quirky, and impulsive. And the plot, told using a mixture of narration and footnotes, is a pacey whodunit full of family, friendship, danger, mystique, oddball situations, hilarious mishaps, red herrings, amateur sleuthing, lies, secrets, deception, deduction, attraction, revelations, and new beginnings.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series by Mack, and if you enjoy a charming mystery with idyllic settings, unique characters, and a touch of romance, then this novel is the perfect choice.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Mack

CATHERINE MACK (she/her) is the pseudonym for the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.

Photo Credit: Fany Ducharme

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#BookReview Extinction by Douglas Preston @ForgeReads #Extinction #DouglasPreston #ForgeBooks #ForgeReads

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#BookReview Extinction by Douglas Preston @ForgeReads #Extinction #DouglasPreston #ForgeBooks #ForgeReads Title: Extinction

Author: Douglas Preston

Published by: Forge Books on Apr. 23, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Forge Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire’s son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection—but extinction.

Review:

Menacing, creative, and creepy!

Extinction is a fast-paced, addictive thriller that sees Colorado CBI Agent Frankie Cash heading to the exclusive Erebus Resort to investigate the disappearance of two honeymooners, Mark and Gloria Gunnerson, but while it seems at first glance to be a case of kidnapping and possible murder, it quickly becomes apparent that something a lot more sinister is underway in this speciality facility where science and genome editing have managed to bring some of the most beloved prehistoric mammals back to life.

The writing is crisp and polished. The characters are complex, astute, and tenacious. And the plot is an eerie tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deduction, mayhem, experimentation, power, grandiose delusions, violence, and murder.

Overall, Extinction is an intense, enthralling, disturbing page-turner by Preston that is a scary reminder that advances in science can be good or bad depending on how someone chooses to use them.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Forge Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Douglas Preston

DOUGLAS PRESTON has published forty books of both nonfiction and fiction, of which over thirty have been New York Times bestsellers, a half-dozen reaching the #1 position. He is the co-author, with Lincoln Child, of the Pendergast series of thrillers. He also writes nonfiction pieces for the New Yorker Magazine. He worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. He is president emeritus of the Authors Guild and serves on the Advisory Board of the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe.

Photo Credit: Deborah Feingold

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#BookReview A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke @SimonSchusterCA #AShortWalkThroughAWideWorld #DouglasWesterbeke #SimonSchusterCA

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#BookReview A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke @SimonSchusterCA #AShortWalkThroughAWideWorld #DouglasWesterbeke #SimonSchusterCA Title: A Short Walk Through a Wide World

Author: Douglas Westerbeke

Published by: Simon & Schuster Canada on Apr. 2, 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Life of Pi in this dazzlingly epic debut that charts the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving.

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death.

When medical treatment only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realizes that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days nor return to a place where she’s already been.

From the scorched dunes of the Calashino Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and ultimately, to truly live. But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s…

Fiercely independent and hopeful, yet full of longing, Aubry Tourvel is an unforgettable character fighting her way through a world of wonders to find a place she can call home. A spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible, A Short Walk Through a Wide World reminds us that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey—no matter how long it lasts—that makes us who we are.

Review:

Poignant, hopeful, and creative!

A Short Walk Through a Wide World is an immersive, evocative tale that sweeps you away to Paris during 1885 and into the life of nine-year-old Aubry Tourvel who, after throwing her beloved wooden puzzle ball into a well, becomes inflicted with a mysterious disease that seems to only be healed by never staying in one place for more than a few days and thus begins a lifetime adventure that sees her looping the globe multiple times while experiencing such wondrous things as fishing in Greece, love on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and the joy of perusing unimaginably vast libraries where time and space don’t even exist in order to stay alive.

The prose is vivid and rich. The characters are vulnerable, conflicted, and burdened. And the plot is a enigmatic, absorbing tale of life, love, loss, family, friendship, self-identity, magical realism, solitude, and joy.

Overall, A Short Walk Through a Wide World is a mystifying, impactful, hopeful debut by Westerbeke that combines a contemplative imagination with the magic of the supernatural to weave a heart-tugging, bittersweet tale steeped in an abundance of loneliness, optimism, tenderness, and pain.

 

This novel is available now.

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Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Douglas Westerbeke

Douglas Westerbeke is a librarian who lives in Ohio and works at one of the largest libraries in the US. He has spent the last decade on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, which inspired him to write his own book.

Photograph by Roan.

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