danadoesbooks's Reviews (954)

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the eARC of How to Win a Wallflower!  All opinions in this review are my own.

If you are a fan of the opposites attract and brother's best friend tropes, then you will love this historical romance!  

I really enjoyed that this book has storylines beyond Charlotte's crush on John.  Both of them have their own family problems that they must try to fix and by providing help and support, it shows how right they are for each other.

As much as I enjoyed the beginning of this book, the second half was really where it picked up!  I loved the chemistry between Charlotte and John, especially when they concoct their scheme together.  The twist and the obstacles that the characters needed to overcome in order to be together at the end were exciting!

How to Win a Wallflower was a great introduction to the Rebels with a Cause series (even though it is book 3) and I can't wait to read the first two!

Thank you Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of Knot a Game!  All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved the set up for this cozy mystery.  Being disconnected from technology, learning how to knit, and solving a murder mystery sounds like a great weekend!  I like how Casey's group favors solving the real murder instead of the staged one she created.  I wish there had been more clues for the real murder.  This mystery seemed to include more red herrings than actual clues.  While I never actually figure out who did it, I like feeling like I could have if I just paid attention more.  I was shocked by the ending and aside from one mention in the beginning, I didn't think there was enough to show that the person had done it.

I ended up DNFing The Camp 170 pages into it.  This is not an easy thriller to read.  There are so many characters that are introduced that weren't even at the camp, but they are all related so you have to keep track of them.  One of the main characters was also severly injured in an unrelated attack that is mentioned but never focused on in this book. Apparently all of the storylines do come together at the end and the last 100 pages are really exciting, but I don't want to wait to get to it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of A Hpuse Full of Windsor. All opinions in this review are my own.

I had tried to read this book once before but didn't get far because Debbie's hoarding stressed me out. This time I was able to finish it!

I feel like this novel tries to do too much in a short amount of time. I didn't need all three perspectives, it could have either been Debbie past and present, or Sarah present and Debbie past. I also feel like the ending was rushed.

Despite these things, A House Full of Windsor is a heartfelt family novel about healing and finally letting go of the past.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the eARC of A Midsummer Night's Scheme.  All opinions in this review are my own.

While this is the second book in the Bookbinding Mystery, this is the first one I read.  It wasn't difficult to get caught up on the characters.  I also feel like I could still go back and read the first one without it being spoiled too much.

The crimes in A Midsummer Night's Scheme were definitely more shocking than I was used to in a cozy mystery, but they are also what kept me reading.  There was a lot of religious discussion in this book that didn't add to the story.  Normally, I like books that have multiple points of view in them, but found it hard to keep the two cousins straight at times, especially since I listened to it.

Overall, this book was a miss for me.

Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the eARC of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop!  All  opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved Days at the Morisaki Bookshop!  It reminded me of a combination between The Cat Who Saved Books and Before The Coffee Gets Cold, two of my favorites.  

This quick read was able to capture what it is like when you don't know where to go next in life and I love how the main character discovers a love of books during her time at the bookshop.  While I would love to be able to visit this street that is full of bookshops, I like that the focus of the novel was more on human relationships.  I highly recommend if you want a heartwarming read!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted eARC of Vinyl Resting Place!  All opinions in this review are my own.

Vinyl Resting Place did what I like best about cozy mysteries.  It set up a small town with a great cast of characters for future mysteries.

However, I didn't love that the focus of the investigation was on finding the uncle rather than trying to figure out who murdered the woman.  I also felt like there weren't enough breakthroughs in the cases to propel the plot forward.  Juni just kept visiting her uncle's house hoping to find something new.

I am willing to give the second book in the Record Shop series a try because I think that now the cast of characters and setting are established, the sequel can focus more on the plot.  I hope that now Juni has one mystery solved, she can improve on her investigative skills for the next one!

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of Playing It Safe!  All opinions in this review are my own.

I don't know how she does it, but Ashley Weaver has managed to make each book in the Electra McDonnell series better than the last!

In Playing It Safe, Electra is tasked with another mission from Major Ramsey, and this time it is in Sunderland.  When Electra leaves her family in London during the Blitz, she has very little information regarding her role in their latest adventure.  All she knows is her new identity and to wait for the major to contact her.  When trouble finds Electra first, she must use all that she has learned to protect her country and her own life.

I love this series and it makes it even better that I share it with Sito.  She was so excited to learn that I had an early copy of the book, so much so that she learned to use a Kindle to read it!  Sito read Playing It Safe over the course of a few days and said she couldn't put it down!  It is not an exaggeration that she has been talking about this one for months and keeps asking when the next one is coming out!

While it did take me longer to get to, Playing It Safe did not disappoint!  In addition to the mysteries Electra must solve, the question of will she pick Felix or Major Ramsey grows even more (even though I know who I want her to choose)!  The larger story arc of Electra discovering more about her parents also helps to really tie the series together.  After this ending, I am impatiently waiting for the fourth book in the series!

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the gifted eARC of The Hookup Plan!  All opinions in this review are my own.

London works hard whether it is at her job as a pediatric surgeon or planning her high school reunion.  Unfortunately, this also means that her stress levels are high.  When she reconnects with Drew Sullivan, her nemesis from high school, she decides that some casual fun will help.  What London doesn't account for is that Drew has liked her all along or that he owns the company who is in charge of helping her hospital get back in good financial standing.  Now Drew is around all the time and London is determined to keep their arrangement as casual as possible.

If you like enemies to lovers or romance books where he falls first, you have to read The Hookup Plan!  I loved London and Drew as a couple and I liked how the spice built up as the story went along.  When the first scene was fade to black, I thought the whole book would be like that.  However, as the couple grows closer, there is more and more spice.  While I could have used some more scenes with Samiah and Taylor, I liked that a lot of this book was London working through her own issues and feelings for Drew.

I am sad to see this series finished, but I like how Rochon wrapped everything up at the end!  Plus, I read these books slightly out of order and still have The Dating Playbook to read because I wanted to save the fake dating story (my favorite trope) for the end!

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of The Angel Maker!  All opinions in this review are my own.

The Angel Maker was offered to me by the publisher and not necessarily one I would have picked out for myself.  I have heard great things about North's other books, The Whisper Man and The Shadows, but they seemed too creepy for me.

While I'm not disappointed that I gave The Angel Maker a try, it was definitely much darker than I normally read.  I listened to it and found it difficult at times to keep the story straight, especially when it came to how characters were connected.  Overall, it was a decent dark thriller, but I don't think this author is for me!