Review: Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer

“Fans of Jodi Picoult and Kristin Hannah now have a new go-to author.” —Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives

From the bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say comes a poignant novel about the fault in memories and the lies that can bond a family together—or tear it apart.

With her father recently moved to a care facility for his worsening dementia, Beth Walsh volunteers to clear out the family home and is surprised to discover the door to her childhood playroom padlocked. She’s even more shocked at what’s behind it—a hoarder’s mess of her father’s paintings, mounds of discarded papers and miscellaneous junk in the otherwise fastidiously tidy house.

As she picks through the clutter, she finds a loose journal entry in what appears to be her late mother’s handwriting. Beth and her siblings grew up believing their mother died in a car accident when they were little more than toddlers, but this note suggests something much darker. Beth soon pieces together a disturbing portrait of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and a husband who bears little resemblance to the loving father Beth and her siblings know. With a newborn of her own and struggling with motherhood, Beth finds there may be more tying her and her mother together than she ever suspected.

Exploring the expectations society places on women of every generation, Kelly Rimmer explores the profound struggles two women unwittingly share across the decades set within an engrossing family mystery that may unravel everything they believed to be true.

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: April 14th, 2020

by Graydon House

4.5/5

Sometimes starting a new book by an author that is also new (to me) can be daunting, especially when you hear great things about said author. It puts pressure not just on myself but on the book itself, which is precisely what happened here. Kelly Rimmer has written numerous books and this is my first with Truths I Never Told You.

There were many things that I enjoyed here:
1. The dual time period, it’s a favorite of mine.
2. Multiple points of view, it’s great to get different sides to a story.
3. The historical aspect, yes the 1950s is historical and getting a look at that time period makes me happy to be born when I was.

There are many layers that revolve around this group of 4 siblings with Beth playing center stage. Dementia and postpartum depression are some serious subjects to tackle and Kelly Rimmer did a great job. Whether she experienced them first hand herself or not I don’t know but she sure knew how to write with feeling and be authentic at the same time. It’s not that often that a book sprouts tears but this one did. Usually, I find myself favoring one time period over the other, but such wasn't the case here, I genuinely cared for all the characters and the various situations.

Truths I Never Told You is a story of love, heartache, and family.  There was mystery to keep me on my toes and an ending that was very satisfying (for this reader).

My thanks to Harper Collins Canada for an advanced copy of this book, which releases April 14th, in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

" Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a bold, intoxicating, page-turner. Karma Brown has long been a favorite of mine and this book is proof she just keeps getting better and better. This is a thrilling, audacious story about women daring to take control."--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the Six

When Alice Hale reluctantly leaves a promising career in publicity, following her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. However, she is determined to become a writer--and to work hard to build the kind of life her husband dreams of, complete with children.

At first, the old house seems to resent Alice as much as she resents it, but when she finds an old cookbook buried in a box in the basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook's previous owner: 1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she begins to settle into her new surroundings, even as her friends and family grow concerned that she has embraced them too fully: wearing vintage dresses and pearls like a 1950s housewife, making elaborate old-fashioned dishes like Baked Alaska, and drifting steadily away from her usual pursuits.

Alice justifies the changes merely as research for her novel...but when she discovers that Nellie left clues about her own life within the cookbook's pages--and in a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to Nellie's mother--she quickly realizes that the housewife's secrets may have been anything but harmless. As she uncovers a more sinister side to Nellie's marriage and with pressure mounting in her own relationship, Alice realizes that to protect herself she must harbor and hatch a few secrets of her own...

Paperback, 336 pages

Published December 31st, 2019

by Viking

3.5/5

I think this is the 3rd book I've read so far this year from the 1950s, I'm not complaining, in fact, I rather enjoy it.  Women are still the minority with the role of housewife front and center, pity the woman who thinks otherwise.

Dual time periods are still my favorite.  Getting a taste of 2 stories and seeing what connects them, going on the journey alongside and seeing if I can undercover clues along the way.  With this book, I enjoyed the format.  Chapters that belong to Nellie back in 1952 usually start with sayings/quotes that one must take as comical (even though sad).

"Don't expect your husband to make you happy while you are simply a passive agent.  Do your best to make him happy and you will find happiness yourself. - Blanche Ebbutt, Don'ts for Wives (1913)"

With old magazines and a cookbook connecting these two women, add in an unsettling house Recipes was an engaging story.  Even though I wasn't really a fan of the characters that doesn't mean the book didn't work.  This is my first time reading Karma Brown and cant wait to read more.

This book was part of my 2020 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (book 14).

Review: A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

The highly anticipated, brand-new timeslip romance from New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley

For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread-its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal's cipher.

But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal's reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn't hold the secrets Sara expects. As Mary's tale grows more and more dire, Sara, too, must carefully choose which turning to take... to find the road that will lead her safely home.

Paperback, 528 pages

Published April 7th, 2015

by Sourcebooks Landmark

3/5

Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite authors, her passion for history is evident with each book of hers that I have read. 

A Desperate Fortune is told with alternating viewpoints, each one unique.  The past is vividly portrayed and while it was interesting I found the pace way too slow.  To the point that I started out reading the book but after 110 pages switched over to the audiobook.  It helped a little. There are some nice author notes that talk about the real Mary Dundas, which is always a treat to read.

The present-day story actually kept my attention more so than the past.  Reading about someone with Asperger opened my eyes to what they struggle with and how those around perceive them.  A nice touch.

All in all, though this isn't one of my favorite Kearsley books she still will be one that I reach for when looking for timeslip historical stories.

This book was part of my 202 Reading of my Shelf Challenge (book 13).

Review: The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan

A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past—for herself and the sake of her family’s future—in a heartfelt novel about fate, choices, and second chances.

Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’ lakeside resort. The “Catskills of the Midwest” was the perfect place for Betty to prepare for bigger things. She’d head to college in New York City. Her career as a fashion editor would flourish. But first, she’d enjoy a wondrous last summer at the beach falling deeply in love with an irresistible college boy and competing in the annual Miss South Haven pageant. On the precipice of a well-planned life, Betty’s future was limitless.

Decades later, the choices of that long-ago season still reverberate for Betty, now known as Boop. Especially when her granddaughter comes to her with a dilemma that echoes Boop’s memories of first love, broken hearts, and faraway dreams. It’s time to finally face the past—for the sake of her family and her own happiness. Maybe in reconciling the life she once imagined with the life she’s lived, Boop will discover it’s never too late for a second chance.

 Kindle Edition, 300 pages

Expected publication: April 1st, 2020

by Lake Union Publishing

4.5/5

Amy Sue Nathan is a new author for me, she is a Tall Poppy Writer (check out the website for some awesome writers here) and I'm thrilled to be one of their reviewers.

Summer isn’t here yet but this would be a perfect beach read. It took me to the Catskills of the Midwest (didn’t even know they had one) in 1951. Betty planned it to be her last summer of fun before starting at Barnard’s in the fall. Her future is all planned out.

Current day Betty is...well, older but wiser? Forced to acknowledge that fateful summer reveals memories buried and secrets revealed.

As I was getting into this book I started to worry that this was going to be another predictable story and for a bit it was, until it wasn’t. Weaving back and forth in time with the majority taking place at a Jewish Summer Resort run/owned by the grandparents of Betty. The Last Bathing Beauty is a well written story with authentic characters and multiple layers. It’s not just about first love but forbidden love, family and secrets (just to name a few).

This book releases next week and will be available on different platforms. I recommend this book to those that enjoy coming of age stories as well as taking a peek at a bygone era.

My thanks to the author for an advanced e copy (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review

Review: Veiled in Smoke (The Windy City Saga #1) by Jocelyn Green

Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, they lose much more than just their store.

The sisters become separated from their father, and after Meg burns her hands in an attempt to save a family heirloom, they make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend not only died during the fire--he was murdered. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum.

Though homeless, injured, and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life, but prove her father's innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad.

Paperback, 416 pages

Published February 4th 2020

by Bethany House Publishers

****

Ever since reading The Mark of the King, Jocelyn Green has become one of my go-to authors.  She writes her books around real historical events that haven't been getting much attention.

Coming in at 400 pages there is great detail to the aftermath of The Great Fire, not all of it necessary but it did paint a picture of what life was like, the struggles that were encountered with the winter approaching.

But it wasn’t just about the fire, it was about people struggling with their own internal demons. It’s about PTSD back when it was called a Soldier Heart, the treatment and social stigma that went with it. It’s the story of two sisters, who run a bookshop, searching for love and meaning. When the dust settles it’s also about a murder and the search for truth.

Once again Jocelyn Green has done extensive research and written a compelling story based on historical events. I love how she has taken me off the beaten path with a unique book that appears to be the first in The Windy City Saga. Released last month it is readily available in all formats.

This book was part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge.

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Paperback, 496 pages

Published January 28th, 2019

by Bloomsbury YA

4.5/5

This is my first time reading Brigid Kemmerer, it’s a nice sized book to get lost in. Between a gorgeous cover plus a Beauty and the Beast retelling what can go wrong? Right?!

Told with the alternating voices of Rhen and Harper this is the first book in a planned trilogy. Right from the get-go I was kept on my toes and absorbed in the pages. When Harper finds herself in a world not her our she doesn’t take things lightly. Her feisty spirit, logical thinking, and fiery determination keeps not just Rhen but Grey on their toes. Who is Grey you ask? Read the book!

Rhen has been the crown prince of Emberfall for years and years and years, could this be his final season? Time will tell. I loved his story, his thoughts, getting inside his brain to connect to the real Rhen.

Coming in just shy of 500 pages (yea it might have been a tad too long) I was thoroughly entertained, A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a book of discovering oneself. It’s about taking a stand and seeing what you are made of. It was a unique story and a great retelling. A book I  highly recommend.

Book two is A Heart so Fierce and Broken, my copy is in the hands of Canada Post at the moment winging its way from the Bookdepository in the UK - did you know they offer free shipping?

This book was part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge (book 12 so far).

Review: Stars Across the Ocean by Kimberley Freeman

The powerful new novel from Kimberley Freeman.

A rich and satisfying story of two women with indomitable spirits and the high costs they have to pay for being strong-minded, from the author of the bestselling LIGHTHOUSE BAY and EMBER ISLAND.

A story about love, motherhood, and learning whom you belong to in the world.

In 1874, wild and willful Agnes Resolute finally leaves the foundling home where she grew up on the bleak moors of northern England. On her departure, she discovers that she was abandoned with a small token of her mother: a unicorn button. Agnes had always believed her mother to be too poor to keep her, but Agnes has been working as a laundress at the foundling home and recognizes the button as belonging to the imperious and beautiful Genevieve Breakby, daughter of a local noble family. Agnes had only seen her once but has never forgotten her. She investigates and discovers Genevieve is now in London. Agnes follows, living hard in the poor end of London until she finds out Genevieve has moved to France.

This sets Agnes off on her own adventure: to Paris, Agnes follows her mother's trail, and starts to see it is also a trail of destruction. Finally, in Sydney she tracks Genevieve down. But is Genevieve capable of being the mother Agnes hopes she will be?

A powerful story about women with indomitable spirits, about love and motherhood, and about learning whom you belong to in the world.Praise for Kimberley Freeman's writing:

Paperback, 449 pages

Published May 1st, 2017

by Hachette Australia

4/5

Kimberley Freeman is one of my go-to authors, with a flair for dual time periods she reminds me of Kate Morton with intricate plots and great writing.

Agnes Resolute is a feisty character, and getting to know her and her traits are what makes this novel work. One coincidence after another works for her as it did for this reader.

This is another dual time period story revolving between current day and 1874, traveling to many locales. Most of the book centers in the past with its adventure, family drama and maybe a touch of romance. As Agnes tries to discover who she is this journey of self-discovery leads her where she least expects.

Present-day is shorter but equally interesting to read. Traveling clear across the globe Victoria makes some discoveries of her own which set in motion changes she never saw coming.

I love Freeman’s writing style, she knows how to grab this reader till I am absorbed in not just the story but the characters as well. I’ve yet to be disappointed in any of her books. If you haven’t read her I highly recommend both print and audio formats work great.

This book is part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge.

Review: The Orphan House by Ann Bennett

As she looks at the baby wriggling in her father’s arms, a bolt of recognition goes through her and she takes a step back. And it’s in that moment that she begins to protect her father’s secrets.

1934, Weirfield-on-Thames. Connie Burroughs loves living in the orphanage that her father runs. Exploring its nooks and crannies with her sister, hearing the pounding of a hundred pairs of feet on the wooden stairs, having a father who is doing so much good. But everything changes the day she sees him carrying a newborn baby that he says he found near the broken front gate. A baby she recognizes…

Present-day. Arriving at her father’s beloved cottage beside the river, Sarah Jennings is hoping for peace and quiet, to escape her difficult divorce. But when she finds her father unwell and hunched over boxes of files on the orphanage where he was abandoned as a child, she decides to investigate it herself.

The only person left alive who lived at Cedar Hall is Connie Burroughs, but Connie sits quietly in her nursing home for a reason. The sewing box under Connie’s bed hides secrets that will change Sarah’s life forever, uncovering a connection between them that has darker consequences than she could ever imagine.

A heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting tale inspired by the lives of the children who lived at the author’s great-grandfather’s orphanage. Fans of Before We Were Yours, The Orphan’s Tale and The Orphan Train will be hooked.

 Kindle, 322 pages

Expected publication: February 28th, 2020

by Bookouture

3/5

This is my first time reading anything by Ann Bennett, I thought the synopsis sounded like a great read.  With so many great reviews I hunkered down to read about an old house, secrets and this baby Connie recognized so clearly.

The Orphan House is a multi-POV story that centers around an old house with secrets to share. Told from the perspective of 3 women it was the past storylines that I was really drawn to. Connie goes back and forth in time as she sits in a nursing home, her story was interesting enough and piqued my curiosity.

Sarah is running from a marriage that seemed fine one day and the next in shambles, I would have loved to be privy to more details along the way about what happened. I struggled to come to grips with this storyline at times, it felt a little disjointed at times.

The concept for the book was great but I wasn't as captivated as I usually am with dual time period mysteries, it didn't have the same emotional impact.

My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He'll only ever be there when she's at the office. In fact, they'll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes - first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea...especially if you've never met.

Paperback 366 pages

Published May 28th 2019

by Flatiron Books

5/5

I received this book through my Valentines SweetReadsBox and to be honest, it was an impulse purchase -I’m not into books labeled romance. Historical romance is good because I usually get a history lesson at the same time. Rom/Com is something new for me and being in the mood for something lite, but not too cute and fluffy, I grabbed this to take on a recent cruise and I loved it! Making my favorites list as well.

Told with alternating POV between Tiffy and Leon they communicated via post-it notes and texts. It was witty and made me smile, it felt natural and totally believable. Both of them have baggage they don’t share and were struggling to deal with.

What I really enjoyed were the many layers, it wasn’t just a romance story but dealt with other issues that included abuse and gaslighting. These serious subject matters were handled with the right balance and not minimized but brought upfront and center, it takes a talented author that can do that in the midst of a rom/com.

This is Beth O’Leary’s debut, she has set a high bar for herself. Her second book releases next month, The Switch and I can’t wait to read it.

This book is part of my 2020 reading of my shelf challenge.

Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Mothers never forget. Daughters never forgive.

In her compulsive, sharply-drawn debut, Stephanie Wrobel peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships.

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she's forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling...

And she's waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

“Sensationally good - two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction...”—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Blue Moon

“Dazzling, dark and utterly delicious”—J P Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before

“One of the most captivating and disturbing thrillers I've read this year. An astonishing debut”— Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife 

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Expected publication: March 17th, 2020

by Simon & Schuster
2.5/5

I think it was the cover that drew me to this book, plus seeing it out and about over social media. I loved the sounds of a thriller that would keep me on my toes.

I'll start by saying I know nothing of the news story that inspired this book and to be honest I have no intention of googling it because the thought, as a mom, is just mind-boggling. That being said be forwarned I am going against the flow with my short review. But I will start at the beginning.

This book got off to a great start, it was intriguing and got me curious as to 'the why' of Rose taking her mother in.  Told with alternating POV's between Mom, Rose and a younger Rose I was given a clear picture of what transpired.  While the book was well written the deeper I went the more I found it disturbing and really didn't like the characters anymore.  Unlike others, I did not feel an emotional connection to Rose.  I felt like a deer in the headlights and couldn't turn away, I had to see how it would end.  Ultimately the book ended in a way that left me feeling unsatisfied.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Auto Review: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, “one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot” (The New York Times Book Review), a moving novel about tradition, tea farming, and the bonds between mothers and daughters.

In their remote mountain village, Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. For the Akha people, ensconced in ritual and routine, life goes on as it has for generations—until a stranger appears at the village gate in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers has ever seen.

The stranger’s arrival marks the first entrance of the modern world in the lives of the Akha people. Slowly, Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, begins to reject the customs that shaped her early life. When she has a baby out of wedlock—conceived with a man her parents consider a poor choice—she rejects the tradition that would compel her to give the child over to be killed, and instead leaves her, wrapped in a blanket with a tea cake tucked in its folds, near an orphanage in a nearby city.

As Li-yan comes into herself, leaving her insular village for an education, a business, and city life, her daughter, Haley, is raised in California by loving adoptive parents. Despite her privileged childhood, Haley wonders about her origins. Across the ocean, Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. Over the course of years, each searches for meaning in the study of Pu’er, the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for centuries.

A powerful story about circumstances, culture, and distance, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane paints an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and celebrates the bond of family.

Paperback, 371 pages

Published April 3rd, 2018

by Scribner

5/5

This is my second book by Lisa See, the first being The Island of the Sea Women (which I loved). This book has come highly recommended to me by my favorite book buddy Laurie aka TheBakingBookworm so I jumped into the audio version and was not disappointed.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction is the learning aspect, this one was full of not just tea history but the culture of Li-yan’s people. Their practices and superstitions and how strongly they influenced their lives.

It isn’t until halfway through the book that it turns into a dual narrative. So much was brought to the table from the adoptees' side, it gave me a better perspective at understanding the process and struggles they encountered.

I once had the privilege of going to an author event and meeting Lisa See. She talked about her research, travels to locales, meeting the people, it gave a great insight into her writing process. With this book the acknowledgments show again her dedication to her stories, her accuracy and passion just shine through. I have so much respect for what she does to be authentic and deliver such wonderful stories.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is a coming of age story with so many layers - the relationship between mother & daughter, heritage, self-discovery and how good a great cup of tea is.

While I am a new Lisa See reader, already I have a nice little pile that I can’t wait to dig into.

This book was part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge.

click on cover to see my review

Review: A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l'Etoile, and the proprietress, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.

Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper--and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high-class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family--and it's up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth before it's too late for all of them.

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 10th, 2020

by Berkley

3.5/5

Veronica Speedwell and Stoker have been one of my favorite couples since reading A Curious Beginning, the sexual tension, with its sarcastic dialogue between these two and the situations they find themselves in makes for an entertaining read.

 In anticipation of this release (the 5th in series) I did a reread via audiobook, they are excellent and I highly recommend, I was able to put voices to these unique individuals. I don’t feel this book would work as a stand-alone, there are lots of backstories that would be confusing and make for an unenjoyable read.

Beginning where book 4 left off and I gotta say the author sure knows how to start a book, what a hoot! The synopsis above does a great job outlining the story, and yes there is action and adventure that is to be expected with these two, but this one just lacked a little something that I can't quite put my finger on. It had the twists and turns that surprised me and went in a direction I didn't anticipate.

I read this on my kindle which features the dictionary. Veronica has a vocabulary (as does the author) that had me looking up words without interrupting the flow. A Murderous Relation had Jack the Ripper and Prince Eddy making appearances and brought back fictional characters from previous books. If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend it.

  My thanks to Berkley (via Netgalley) for an advanced e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Secret of White Stone Gate (Black Hollow Lane #2) by Julia Nobel

In this exciting sequel to The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane, Emmy's adventures dealing with a sinister organization, a missing father, and secrets she's not sure who to trust with continue.

After spending the summer at home in Connecticut, Emmy cannot wait to return to Wellsworth for the new school year and reunite with her best friends, Lola and Jack. Before she leaves Emmy receives a note from her father telling her to hide the remaining relics The Order of Black Hollow Lane are after—and to trust no one.

When Lola is framed for a serious crime she didn't commit, Emmy knows that she and her friends are not safe. The Order wants Emmy to give up her father's location... if she doesn't, those she loves will pay the price.

Emmy and Jack need to figure out a way to clear Lola's name without bending to the Order's sinister demands. And Emmy needs to figure out who she can trust with her secrets before it's too late.

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Expected publication: March 3rd, 2020

by Sourcebooks Young Readers

3/5

The 2nd book continues a few months after the conclusion of book 1, The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane. I really enjoyed that book, it set the stage for this series with its many layers, interesting characters, and plot. While being familiar with most of the players there were a few new ones that added interest, intrigue and had me wondering if I could trust any of them.

That being said I didn’t find this one as captivating as the first one, I missed the many layers and a number of plot points reminding me too much of Harry Potter (which is a series I adore).

I’m not sure how many books are in this series, I will continue as I am curious about what will happen to Emmy and her friends.

My thanks to Sourcebooks (via NetGalley) for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.