Category: Families

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Unmarriageable

Pride and Prejudice re-imagined in 21st century Pakistan.

The five Binat sisters couldn’t be more different. Alys is a modern woman with a career and has no intention of ever marrying much to the chagrin of her obsessed mother!

Alys and her sister Jena teach English to girls knowing full well that most of them will choose marriage over career. Alys teaches them all things Jane Austen and wants to inspire them to do more with their lives.

I love how the characters names were versions of the Pride and Prejudice novel. I especially loved that mother. Oh my goodness she was dramatic! I laughed so hard at all of her efforts to marry off at least one daughter and hopefully keep them all from being ruined before then.

She sets them all up at the biggest wedding their town has ever seen and sits back and waits for the proposals to pour in. Imagine her horror when they all take control over their own lives without any help from her. Though she will take credit.

I have to say I am not a big Jane Austen fan. So much angst among them all. But this version, oh yes! I loved every minute of it!

Very Well Done!

Netgalley/January 15th 2019 by Ballantine Books

 

 

 

Sisters of the Fire (Blood and Gold Book 2) by Kim Wilkins

Sisters of the Fire (Blood and Gold, #2)

I am pretty sure this is the only Historical Fantasy series that I read. All five of the Princess Sisters are back, but alas, not together.

Each has her own path to follow and gifts to learn to control before they meet again in a fight that will pit sister against sister.

Bluebell is watching over Rowan and fighting the good fight for her father, but when she finds out there is a sword out there forged for the sole purpose of killing her, she sets out to find it. Along the way she will meet her sister Ash, searching for a dragon, Ivy, being Ivy, Rose, who is living so many lies sometimes I can’t keep up, and Willow.

Willow who has embraced the Trimartyr faith, believing the voices in her head are the mighty Maava. She has hooked up with Hakon now and is causing all kinds of trouble!

It took me a bit to get into the first book, but when this one came to me I was hooked from the beginning. Luckily this is a fast paced read and even the evil characters are interesting.

This is one of the most solid, well written Adult Historical Fantasy books out  there and I can’t wait for the next one. There will be another one, right Kim?

Well Done!

Netgalley/ January 8th 2019 by Del Rey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

her one mistake by Heidi Perks

Her One Mistake

It all started at the school fair…

Charlotte is surprised that Harriet is finally letting her four-year old, Alice, out of her sight for the first time and allowing Charlotte to take Alice and her own three kids to a fair at the school.

When Alice doesn’t come out of the Jungle Run Bouncy, Charlotte doesn’t understand. She took her eyes off of her kids for seconds. And now Alice is gone. Charlotte is being shunned, Harriet won’t speak to her and the police are hounding her as well.

Harriet comes off as a fragile and tightly wound woman. Someone who doubts their own sanity even. Her husband is an odd fellow and it looks as if he is manipulating everything she does or says and where she goes.

But is Harriet weak? Is she crazy? Does Charlotte know more than she is saying?

This is every parent’s worst nightmare. A missing child.

In this age of social media and people always checking their phones, this should be a wake up call! At first I wasn’t fond of Harriet but as the book went on my opinion of her changed. After all, how far will you go to protect your child?

I did not see that ending coming! The author has taken the biggest fear for parents and turned it in to a thriller of story!

Well Done!

Netgalley/January 8th 2019 by Gallery Books

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (Book 3 of THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY)

This is the third book of the Winternight Trilogy that began with The Bear and the Nightingale followed by The Girl in the Tower and this one carries on the beautiful and tragic tale of Vasya and the Winter King, Morozko.

We have been through many trials with our brave heroine, Vasilisa Petrovna, a girl. Yes, that’s correct she is still a girl, which only makes the heroic and terrifying deeds she does more incredible.

Things are not good in Russia. After what happened in Moscow the people are ready to throw her to the wolves. She must be a witch and she must die. Vasya is alone. Even her cousin, the Grand Prince doesn’t know what to do with her.

The Winter King has traded his freedom for hers and now his demon twin is reeking havoc on the world. Feeding on chaos and death, manipulating the weak religious priest and intent on ridding the world of humans. Even the unseen, magical creatures are afraid.

Vasya doesn’t know who to trust or to believe. But if she is to save her family and her country as well as the Winter King, she must be braver than ever and listen and learn as the country prepares to go to war with the Tatars.

So much weight on the shoulders of one girl.

I have loved these books so much. First, Arden is a genius with covers. They pull you in to a world of fairy tales and magic in the most beautiful of languages. Arden is pure genius at storytelling.

Very Well Done! *****

Netgalley/DelRay January 09,2019

 

 

 

 

THE SISTERS by ROSALIND NOONAN

The Sisters

This was an emotional read from the beginning. My heart broke for Glory. Even though I felt she had other choices.

What made this even more heartbreaking is this is still happening today. There are quite a few sensitive subjects in this book but that’s life. The author has written a beautiful and deeply moving account of what family is.

I enjoyed the different points of view and I look forward to reading more from Noonan.

Well Done!’

Netgalley/ November 27th 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Death and Daisies (A Magic Garden Mystery) by AMANDA FLOWER

Death and Daisies (A Magic Garden Mystery #2)

Florist Fiona Knox left behind her gloomy life for a magical garden in Scotland, but a murder on her shop’s opening day spells doom.

Fiona has inherited her godfather’s cottage in Duncreigan,Scotland. She has fond memories of the place and the magical garden hidden from view with high walls.

It seems like a good idea to open her flower shop there while she gets over a bad break up and a failed business. Until she finds a dead person among the blooms.

On the plus side she did meet the hunky Chief Inspector Neil Craig and her life seems to be headed in the right direction. But when her sister Isla, fresh from college, appears on her doorstep to help her out, things start going wrong.

The local minister wants her out of town and even kicked her out of church! And when the minister’s body is found on the beach there are more suspects than she can keep up with! And what is with Isla? Sneaking off, not coming home? Is she in trouble?

This time Fi may end up knowing more than she wanted to about any of it.

This is a really good series. All of Amanda’s books are good. I especially like the descriptions of the area and all of the characters are solid.

Well Done!

Netgalley/November 13th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books