forfictionsake's Reviews (1.18k)

Mark this as the first time I've listened to an audiobook at 1 time speed. My only regret with this read is not having the physical book so I could reference the outfits they were talking about. I really loved how this audiobook sounded like a podcast or conversation between Dolly and the other people in the book. I loved how she had some of the designers featured in the book! 

I loved this book so so much! I really enjoyed how the author included bits about the. D&D campaign in the story. I seriously could have read a whole story of just their campaign. I also really enjoyed the fact that while there was romance involved in this story, Quinn's life did not just focus on Logan. I like how she was finding her way in this new friend group and at a new school. She had all these dynamic relationships with her family and some drama with her grandmother. These all felt like very real experiences that young people go through. 

Thank you to Net Galley and HTP books for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I was young I read a book called Ties that Bind Ties That Break. That book opened my eyes to the tradition of foot binding. The Lotus Shoes felt like the grown up, follow up to that book. I really liked the juxtaposition of classic Chinese beliefs with the encroaching Christian beliefs. I thought this was a very vulnerable and interesting look at honor, tradition and a young woman climbing out of the life that she was born into.

Some reads are mirrors and some reads are windows. This book was a great window for me to learn about something I was unfamiliar with. I will be seeking out more books from this author in the future.  

This book is like following Luke and Lorelei when they first met, but with a sped up time line to the relationship finish line. Instead of Stars Hollow's charm, Baltimore's charm is a supporting character to this adorable romance. I just finished this book 2 minutes ago and I am SO OBSESSED with the writing, these characters and the magic of this book.

I will say I almost thought this book was going to be a 4 stars at the 3rd act breakup, but B.K. Borison turned it around so fast. The way the Aiden and Lucie finally came together for real was SO SWEET! 

I'm going to go eat a Berger cookie and wait for the audiobook to drop this week so I can resist these characters ASAP! 

 I really love the duel timelines from this book! Sarah Penner does a great job at weaving stories together that excellently compliment each other. I was really invested in both the past and the present day timelines. 

I also really loved the archeological aspect of the modern timeline. I felt like I was watching an episode of Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates.

Beautifully written. Sandra uses her words and pages so wisely. Though this story is short and many of the chapters are short, she really packs a lot of meaning and opportunities for reflection in this story. 100% I recommend reading the A House of my Own introduction. I enjoyed reading about Sandra's connection to place and belonging. 

Cawpile Rating:  7.86/10

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin and the Hive for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Characters: 7/10 My downfall for this book was that I did not read the previous books in the series. While this acted like any other interconnected series where reading previous books is not necessary to understand the plot of this book, I think having a bigger connection to the other characters in the book would have helped me care more about the other characters. 

Bailey and Stuart felt like very well rounded characters. I really felt a connection to them in the story. Bailey's sleuthing was particularly interesting to me. 

Atmosphere: 8/10 This story felt like a very authentic, Montana ranch story. It fulfilled all my desires for a cowboy romance at the time of reading.

Writing: 7/10 The author did an excellent job at writing this who done it story. I truly had no idea who was murdering these girls. The author did a good job at creating suspicion for many of the members of the town. 

Plot: 8/10 Again, the plot of figuring out who murdered the girls was incredibly intriguing.

Intrigue:  8/10

Logic 9/10

Enjoyment: 8/10 This was my first BJ Daniels story. I'm looking forward to trying more of her books in the future!