Wanted, a respectable woman to care for a motherless child.

Set in 19th Century Ireland. When William Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he puts an ad in his local newspaper looking for a nanny to take care of his newborn daughter. When an experienced nanny shows up at 43 Laurence Street, he is thankful and hires her to help take over the nanny duties from his housekeeper, Mrs. McHugh. Mrs. McHugh does not think the Nanny is all that she seems, and when strange things start happening she suspects that it has something to do with her. Mrs. McHugh confides in her close friend Betty who begins her own investigation into the mysterious nanny.

Meanwhile, when two babies are found buried in a suitcase in a country cottage, the police start an investigation. Is this somehow connected to the Nanny? Why did she come to 43 Laurence Street after all?

The Nanny at Number 43 was not at all what I expected. When I read the synopsis prior to requesting this book, I had no idea it was set in 19th Century Ireland. That’s why I included that right at the beginning of my review so people would know. I found the writing and timeline rather confusing. For example, the book was told from multiple perspectives, way too many in my opinion. They would jump around from character to character and they would go back and forth to different times, but not stating when they were taking place. Also, the characters were so hard to keep track of. There was a Jimmy (married to Betty) and a James (who was found to be poisoned). I thought they were the same characters for much of the book. The Nanny and her mother had the same name so often times I thought that when they were telling the Nanny’s background that it was the mother they were talking about or vice versa. It really confused me and was hard to keep track of.

I did enjoy the story though. I liked the mystery of who the Nanny was, and I enjoyed Mrs. McHugh as a character. I did feel there were times the book did drag on a bit mainly when they added more characters that were unnecessary to move the plot forward. This is why I am giving this book 3 stars.

Thank you BookSirens and Poolbeg Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ana and her best friend Sophie are high school freshman who stumble upon a new store in the town, Mystic Wonders, which sells crystals, occult items, clothing, and a diary that Ana purchases. Ana notices that the things she writes in the diary start to come true some with terrible consequences. She believes that she can make it do good things for her school, but they never turn out as she writes them. Sophie and their friend Jeremy try to get Ana to get rid of the diary, but will that cause one of them to get hurt or worse?

The concept of a magical diary that makes what you write in it come true, is intriguing. Taking it to the next level with the diary changing those things to make bad things happen makes for a good fantasy book for young adult readers; however, this book is very simply written and could have been more imaginative in my opinion. There could have been some scarier elements especially when dealing with an evil diary. YA readers could have handled it.

This was a very easy read and moved quickly though.

Thank you NetGalley and Zimbell House Publishing forvan advancdd copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bridie Devine is a detective hired to find a child that was kidnapped. While investigating, she realizes that perhaps the child is something else perhaps not human especially as she gets pulled into the seedy underbelly of Victorian London and meets all sorts of shady characters along the way. The child has garnered the unwanted attention of collectors of curiosities, but secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems. Set in 1800’s London, Things In Jars by Jess Kidd is definitely a fantastical tale of historical fiction coupled with folklore. We meet some interesting characters throughout the book including a ghost named Ruby and a 7-foot tall housemaid named Cora.

I loved all the quirky characters, especially Ruby and his relationship with Bridie. I hoped for a different ending for them, but understand why the author went the direction she did. The circus setting in some parts was interesting and definitely beneficial to the story.

The book is told from two different timelines. We go back and forth from 1843 where we learn of Bridie’s upbringing and what gives her the background she has in medicine, and 1863 where we focus on the kidnapping of Christabel and Bridie’s investigation in these matters. The two timelines intersected well and helped bring the story together.

I struggled with my rating because although I think the writing was exceptional, this story just wasn’t for me. I felt like the author’s descriptions at the beginning of each chapter were beautifully written, but not necessary to move the story along. They actually slowed it down a lot which almost made me not want to finish this book. I think that Victorian England is just not the right setting for me. Overall, if you like Victorian England and the fantasy genre, I think this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Linda works for her stepmother at their ranch. Her big crush, world famous bull rider, Blake is in town for the country barn dance, and Linda really wants to go. Unfortunately, her step-sisters have other ideas, but with the help of her fairy godmother, Linda gets to go to the dance and has a brief encounter with Blake. Will Blake find out who she is, and will Linda, our Cinderella Cowgirl get her Cowboy Charming?

This was a cute retelling of Cinderella set in Montana. I thought this was a fun read, but not great. There were some things left at the end of the book that I would have liked closure on. If you like fairytale retelling this was a very easy read.

After being attacked at a party on her 16th birthday, Jade vows revenge on the boys who raped her. With the help of her friends, The Coven, Jade infiltrates St. Andrew’s Prep and begins to take them down one by one. With the help of Mack, one of St. Andrew’s students, Jade gets the vengeance she deserves.

Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin is a contemporary retelling of Macbeth. I remember reading Macbeth when I was younger, but don’t really remember the story. Jade is not a very likable character which I think is true of Lady Macbeth as well. She is cunning and willing to do anything to get what she wants regardless of who gets hurt along the way. She encourages and helps Mack to murder his friends.

The story is violent and can be gory at times. If that isn’t your thing I wouldn’t recommend this book. It’s hard to read a book when you don’t like the main character, but that didn’t really bother me. I liked Mack’s character, and since I didn’t remember Macbeth, I wanted to see where it went and how it ended. I do think it was a bit too long and drawn up, but overall it was an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lydia has known Freddie since they were 14. They have been together since then, and now, more than a decade later they are engaged and planning their wedding. On the way to Lydia’s birthday dinner, Freddie and his best friend, Jonah, are in a car accident where Freddie does not survive. Lydia retreats into herself and wallows in self pity. She no longer speaks to Jonah who was her friend first and tries to push away her mother and sister, Elle.

Her mother finally talks Lydia into getting a prescription from a therapist to help deal with her grief. When she finally decides to take one of these pink pills, a strange thing happens. She’s transported to a different life, one where Freddie is still alive and their life together is progressing. Stuck between her real life and this alternate reality will Lydia ever find peace and the strength to move on without Freddie?

This book was quite an emotional roller coaster. I can’t imagine losing the love of my life the way Lydia did. I lost my father a few years ago and know how hard that has been for my mother. To lose your soulmate at any age is unfair and obviously hard to cope with. If there was a pill that could really bring you back to a life with that person would it be worth it though? Lydia learns throughout the book that things that happen in one world affect what happens in the other and not always in a good way.

Some of this book was a struggle for me. I really wanted Lydia to find happiness in her real life and for her to be able to move on, but not having lost someone like this I can’t 100 percent relate. Jonah was my favorite character, and I loved his friendship with Lydia, especially from when they were kids. I wanted them to rely more on each other while dealing with their shared grief. It was frustrating how they kept pushing each other away, but understandable as well.

I loved the way the author was able to bring it all together although I didn’t love how Freddie was portrayed towards the end. It seemed like it was an easy way to help tie things up. I couldn’t have been happier though with the ending. Overall this was a great story, and I haven’t read something like it before.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a charming story with some steamy parts. I did find that it dragged on a bit, but overall I really enjoyed it. It was a nice change of pace to read a romance about a gay couple.