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anabel_unker
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*
The edition I will be reviewing is the 2023 illustrated re-release of THIS WINTER.
Tender and heartwarming, THIS WINTER captures an imperfect family in a hard season. Oseman continues to impress me with her writing and artwork, but the root of her work-- the love-- will always separate her work as something incredibly special. THIS WINTER was no different, and is the perfect companion to both her incredibly popular Heartstopper series, and her first novel, Solitaire.
The edition I will be reviewing is the 2023 illustrated re-release of THIS WINTER.
Tender and heartwarming, THIS WINTER captures an imperfect family in a hard season. Oseman continues to impress me with her writing and artwork, but the root of her work-- the love-- will always separate her work as something incredibly special. THIS WINTER was no different, and is the perfect companion to both her incredibly popular Heartstopper series, and her first novel, Solitaire.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
After the disastrous end to her marriage back in her homeland, Paris offers a sparkling new opportunity that Charlotte "Charlie" James is determined to take with both hands. After landing the plum new job as correspondent for British-based newspaper The Times, Charlie's aware she'll have to work twice as hard as her male counterparts to prove her writing chops. When her first article covering the Circus Ball hosted by Lady Ashworth turns into a front-page homicide piece, Charlie finds herself intertwined with not only the local police, but also all of the murder suspects-- meaning she'll have to work to solve this mystery before any other reporter can steal her scoop.
Fun, flirty, and a little bit sexy-- THE PARIS MYSTERY is loaded with beautiful fashion, gorgeous men, and plenty of thrills. The story is every bit as lovely as that gorgeous cover, and is the promising start of Manning's newest cozy mystery series.
After the disastrous end to her marriage back in her homeland, Paris offers a sparkling new opportunity that Charlotte "Charlie" James is determined to take with both hands. After landing the plum new job as correspondent for British-based newspaper The Times, Charlie's aware she'll have to work twice as hard as her male counterparts to prove her writing chops. When her first article covering the Circus Ball hosted by Lady Ashworth turns into a front-page homicide piece, Charlie finds herself intertwined with not only the local police, but also all of the murder suspects-- meaning she'll have to work to solve this mystery before any other reporter can steal her scoop.
Fun, flirty, and a little bit sexy-- THE PARIS MYSTERY is loaded with beautiful fashion, gorgeous men, and plenty of thrills. The story is every bit as lovely as that gorgeous cover, and is the promising start of Manning's newest cozy mystery series.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Trigger warnings: pedophilia, sexual abuse, grooming, death
In this retelling of Shakespeare's beloved Romeo and Juliet, FAIR ROSALINE takes a deeper look at not only the off-cast character of Rosaline, but the titular characters of the original play.
After the death of her beloved mother, Rosaline Capulet discovers her father has no plans to pay for her dowry-- but instead, Rosaline will live out her days at the local nunnery she visited as a child. Desperate for one last night of freedom, Rosaline sneaks into the Montague household's summer party where she meets the infamous Romeo. Quickly swept off her feet by the charming man, Rosaline will soon uncover the dark underbelly of her fair Verona and the love of her Romeo.
Rosaline is a strong heroine and her character arc was compelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending of the story,. Solomons frequently pulls dialogue directly from Romeo and Juliet and blends it into the story seamlessly, and she did a superb job bringing 14th/15th century Verona to life.
However, this story was wild. Extra points to the author for creativity-- the idea of. FAIR ROSALINE is certainly not for the die hard fans of Shakespeare, because the departure from the source material is pretty intense.
Trigger warnings: pedophilia, sexual abuse, grooming, death
In this retelling of Shakespeare's beloved Romeo and Juliet, FAIR ROSALINE takes a deeper look at not only the off-cast character of Rosaline, but the titular characters of the original play.
After the death of her beloved mother, Rosaline Capulet discovers her father has no plans to pay for her dowry-- but instead, Rosaline will live out her days at the local nunnery she visited as a child. Desperate for one last night of freedom, Rosaline sneaks into the Montague household's summer party where she meets the infamous Romeo. Quickly swept off her feet by the charming man, Rosaline will soon uncover the dark underbelly of her fair Verona and the love of her Romeo.
Rosaline is a strong heroine and her character arc was compelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending of the story,
Spoiler
specifically that there was hope Rosaline could find fulfillment at the nunnery, but it was let open ended for reader interpretationHowever, this story was wild. Extra points to the author for creativity-- the idea of
Spoiler
a middle aged Romeo being the pimp of the upper class sex trade where he seduces literal children (Juliet is 13 in this story, Rosaline 15) and then sells them into sexual slavery is certainly creative
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has taken it upon herself to defy fate. She will not allow her family to starve in their war-torn homeland of Machland and works herself to the bone making a name for herself as a dress maker. Her gowns, thanks to her magic of imbuing clothing with emotion and skill as a designer, become so highly sought after she is commissioned by the Prince Regent of neighboring Avaland to create the wedding wardrobe for his younger brother, Kit Carmine. After her journey to the new land, Niamh has only one plan-- make it through the wedding season with her health intact and her pockets lined with enough coin to open her own dress shop and support her family. However, Niamh soon finds herself in over her head as she starts to look past the shiny veneer of both Avaland and its Prince Kit.
Brimming with delicious longing and magic, A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT captures the spirit of Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle with all the frothy delight of a regency era romance. Its representation of the queer community and mental health is commendable, and Saft did a marvelous job of creating a truly stunning and enchanting world rife with political intrigue.
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has taken it upon herself to defy fate. She will not allow her family to starve in their war-torn homeland of Machland and works herself to the bone making a name for herself as a dress maker. Her gowns, thanks to her magic of imbuing clothing with emotion and skill as a designer, become so highly sought after she is commissioned by the Prince Regent of neighboring Avaland to create the wedding wardrobe for his younger brother, Kit Carmine. After her journey to the new land, Niamh has only one plan-- make it through the wedding season with her health intact and her pockets lined with enough coin to open her own dress shop and support her family. However, Niamh soon finds herself in over her head as she starts to look past the shiny veneer of both Avaland and its Prince Kit.
Brimming with delicious longing and magic, A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT captures the spirit of Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle with all the frothy delight of a regency era romance. Its representation of the queer community and mental health is commendable, and Saft did a marvelous job of creating a truly stunning and enchanting world rife with political intrigue.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
The first in Debra Sennefelder's new cozy mystery series, HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES follows Mallory Monroe and her fight to clear her name. After recently purchasing her aunt's beloved local bakery, Mallory manages to put her own spin on the business and begins offering decorated cookies to the people of Wingate, Connecticut. However, after a very public argument with the town's busy-body, Mallory discovers her body and becomes the number-one suspect. In a bid to clear her name (and improve her cookie sales), Mallory decides to do some investigating of her own with some serious consequences...
CRUMBLES was the quintessential cozy mystery-- complete with a cat named Agatha and a handsome detective--but it didn't offer anything new or fresh to the genre. Sennefelder did a wonderful job creating a charming new world for her stories and each character felt well developed, if a little forthcoming to the new baker. At times it felt like Mallory had too many suspects, and each person gave just enough information to keep the reader in the dark on who the killer could be (or, at times, too much information to be believable). Mallory was aggressive in her questioning, and I'm curious if her confrontational approach (and, I'm sure, her label as a nosey busy-body) will be addressed in later books.
Overall, a safe choice for fans of Joanna Flukes or anyone looking for a standard cozy book.
The first in Debra Sennefelder's new cozy mystery series, HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES follows Mallory Monroe and her fight to clear her name. After recently purchasing her aunt's beloved local bakery, Mallory manages to put her own spin on the business and begins offering decorated cookies to the people of Wingate, Connecticut. However, after a very public argument with the town's busy-body, Mallory discovers her body and becomes the number-one suspect. In a bid to clear her name (and improve her cookie sales), Mallory decides to do some investigating of her own with some serious consequences...
CRUMBLES was the quintessential cozy mystery-- complete with a cat named Agatha and a handsome detective--but it didn't offer anything new or fresh to the genre. Sennefelder did a wonderful job creating a charming new world for her stories and each character felt well developed, if a little forthcoming to the new baker. At times it felt like Mallory had too many suspects, and each person gave just enough information to keep the reader in the dark on who the killer could be (or, at times, too much information to be believable). Mallory was aggressive in her questioning, and I'm curious if her confrontational approach (and, I'm sure, her label as a nosey busy-body) will be addressed in later books.
Overall, a safe choice for fans of Joanna Flukes or anyone looking for a standard cozy book.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*
Gigi is absolutely, completely, head-over-heels in love with a man she has never met. Just Zane's voice alone has her convinced he is the person she wants to spend her life with. The only problem, besides only knowing was a google search and audiobook narrator profile can tell her about him, Zane lives in London, England. Decidedly not close to her romance bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Then, in an unexpectedly kind gesture, Gigi's beloved book club surprises her with a 30th birthday gift of a trip to meet her one and only... sort of. Is this the most perfect opportunity for a meet-cute Gigi could have dreamed of? Absolutely. And she is going to do everything in her power to get her happily ever after.
The main romance was... meh. I'm all for witty banter, light flirting and tension, and avoiding 'insta-love'-- however, it felt as though Gigi and her love interest were play(?) arguing so much there wasn't much else to the basis of their relationship. I would have loved for more moments that proved they were a good fit for each other (like an in depth discussion on their mutual love of books or, really, just anything that provided more depth to him besides just the basics of 'he's hot and funny'.) , not just that they like to take digs at each other.
In my opinion, however, the true stars of this romance book were the side characters. Each person's story was so unique, I often found myself rooting for them rather than Gigi and her love interest. They often felt more fully formed than the leading man himself. Additionally, Guertin did a WONDERFUL job of bringing the beauty and atmosphere of England to life. I could lose myself in her descriptions of the British countryside, and it made me desperate to return so I could take the exact tour Gigi was on.
Overall, GIGI, LISTENING is a fun, lighthearted read perfect to bring along on vacations of your own.
Gigi is absolutely, completely, head-over-heels in love with a man she has never met. Just Zane's voice alone has her convinced he is the person she wants to spend her life with. The only problem, besides only knowing was a google search and audiobook narrator profile can tell her about him, Zane lives in London, England. Decidedly not close to her romance bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Then, in an unexpectedly kind gesture, Gigi's beloved book club surprises her with a 30th birthday gift of a trip to meet her one and only... sort of. Is this the most perfect opportunity for a meet-cute Gigi could have dreamed of? Absolutely. And she is going to do everything in her power to get her happily ever after.
The main romance was... meh. I'm all for witty banter, light flirting and tension, and avoiding 'insta-love'-- however, it felt as though Gigi and her love interest were play(?) arguing so much there wasn't much else to the basis of their relationship. I would have loved for more moments that proved they were a good fit for each other (like an in depth discussion on their mutual love of books or, really, just anything that provided more depth to him besides just the basics of 'he's hot and funny'.) , not just that they like to take digs at each other.
In my opinion, however, the true stars of this romance book were the side characters. Each person's story was so unique, I often found myself rooting for them rather than Gigi and her love interest. They often felt more fully formed than the leading man himself. Additionally, Guertin did a WONDERFUL job of bringing the beauty and atmosphere of England to life. I could lose myself in her descriptions of the British countryside, and it made me desperate to return so I could take the exact tour Gigi was on.
Overall, GIGI, LISTENING is a fun, lighthearted read perfect to bring along on vacations of your own.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Simultaneously delicious, intriguing, and educational, THE LOST SUPPER takes the reader on a journey through human history as author Taras Grescoe discovers, and delights, in some of the lost delicacies of humanity. From Roman fermented fish (or garum) to the sourdough bread feasted upon by ancient Egyptians, Grescoe's mission to document his experience is in the spirit of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and provides his readers with numerous gastronomic delights (at least, through his writing).
THE LOST SUPPER offers the general population a look into how our past and future may be intertwined, and all that we stand to lose by letting our traditions be forgotten in favor of progress. Its approachable and informative, perfect for both scholars and people wanting to dip their toes into the world of 'gastronomic archaeology' and understanding food biodiversity.
Simultaneously delicious, intriguing, and educational, THE LOST SUPPER takes the reader on a journey through human history as author Taras Grescoe discovers, and delights, in some of the lost delicacies of humanity. From Roman fermented fish (or garum) to the sourdough bread feasted upon by ancient Egyptians, Grescoe's mission to document his experience is in the spirit of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and provides his readers with numerous gastronomic delights (at least, through his writing).
THE LOST SUPPER offers the general population a look into how our past and future may be intertwined, and all that we stand to lose by letting our traditions be forgotten in favor of progress. Its approachable and informative, perfect for both scholars and people wanting to dip their toes into the world of 'gastronomic archaeology' and understanding food biodiversity.