“The Summer She Went Missing” by Chelsea Ichaso (ARC Review)

February 29, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Ichaso, Chelsea. The Summer She Went Missing. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-1728251097 | $11.99 USD | 384 pages | YA Thriller

Blurb

Last summer, they searched for Audrey Covington.

This summer, they’ll search for the truth.

Paige Redmond has always felt lucky to spend her summers in Clearwater Ridge, with lazy days sunning at the waterfalls and nights partying at the sprawling houses of the rich families who vacation there. The Covingtons are one of these families, and beautiful, brilliant Audrey Covington is Paige’s best friend. And last year, when Audrey’s crush-worthy brother Dylan finally started noticing Paige, she was sure it would be the best summer ever.

Except Audrey didn’t seem quite like herself. Then one night, she didn’t come home. Though Audrey wasn’t the first girl to disappear in Clearwater Ridge, she left behind more lies than clues. Now, one summer later, her case has gone cold, and nobody, least of all Paige, can make sense of what happened.

When Paige stumbles across a secret hidden in Audrey’s room, however, it changes everything she thought she knew about last summer. She and Dylan set out on their own investigation, discovering things even the police don’t know about the people of Clearwater Ridge. But tracking down missing girls—girls who might be beyond saving by now—means entering a world far darker than Paige has ever imagined. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll become the next girl to vanish.

Review

4 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Summer She Went Missing is another engrossing thriller from Chelsea Ichaso, and just like with the first book I read from her, I really enjoyed it. While it’s a bit different than what I was expecting in some ways, that’s very much a good thing, and it kept me guessing throughout. What initially seemed fairly basic and obvious became much more complex as the story went on, and I was very impressed with how the story turned out. While the story took a little while to get into, there was enough to keep me interested until the story picked up until about halfway through.

I wasn’t super sure about the characters at first, but I soon became intrigued by the dynamics between them. Paige and Audrey were best friends, and Dylan was Audrey’s older brother, and their families spent summers together. I particularly appreciated following Paige as she re-examined her friendship with Audrey. Paige and Dylan have a solid dynamic as friends-to-lovers, and while it didn’t blow me away, it’s quite cute for what it is as a subplot.

This was an engaging read, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy YA thrillers.

Author Bio

Chelsea Ichaso writes twisty thrillers for young adults, including LITTLE CREEPING THINGS (Sourcebooks Fire, 2020), DEAD GIRLS CAN’T TELL SECRETS (Sourcebooks Fire, 2022), THEY’RE WATCHING YOU (Sourcebooks Fire, 2023) , THE SUMMER SHE WENT MISSING (Sourcebooks Fire, March 5th, 2024), debut adult thriller SO I LIED (Thomas and Mercer, Winter, 2025) and WE WERE WARNED (Sourcebooks Fire, Spring, 2025). A former high school English teacher, she currently resides in southern California with her husband and children. When she’s not reading or writing, Chelsea can be found on the soccer field.

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“The Empire of Gold” (The Daevabad Trilogy #3) by S.A. Chakraborty (Review)

February 29, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Chakraborty, S.A. The Empire of Gold. New York: Harper Voyager, 2020.

ISBN-13: 978-0062678171 | $19.99 USD | 816 pages | Historical Fantasy

Blurb

“No series since George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire has quite captured both palace intrigue and the way that tribal infighting and war hurt the vulnerable the most.” —Paste Magazine

The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war.

Daevabad has fallen.

After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.

But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.

Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. While Nahri finds peace in the old rhythms and familiar comforts of her human home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior are at the mercy of a new tyrant. Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains. Seeking support in his mother’s homeland, he discovers that his connection to the marid goes far deeper than expected and threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith.

As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved . . . and take a stand for those they once hurt.

In the series

#1 The City of Brass

#2 The Kingdom of Copper

Review

5 stars

The Daevabad Trilogy has been absolutely beautiful thus far, and The Empire of Gold brought it all together beautifully. Thematically, I continue to love the continued Middle Eastern (particularly Egyptian and Arabian) influences, as well as an exploration of the legacy of war and its impact on people as a whole.

While this book is the longest in the series (at around 800 pages!), it’s very well worth its weight in gold (and paper), given the sheer scope of the story and the ground it covers. There were a lot of questions to be answered, and it came together satisfyingly, albeit with a somewhat bittersweet note. Chakraborty has also found her feet as a writer through crafting the series, as while I had some minor issues with the first two, this was utterly engaging and immersive.

I also loved the characters and seeing them come to the conclusions of their story arcs. Dara remains a favorite, even as his story got darker and bleaker, but I loved the grit of it. Ali and Nahri also grew a lot, and I loved seeing how they were changed by their heartache and losses, but also the enduring romance between them through it all.

This is an amazing conclusion to an epic series, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy immersive historical fantasy.

Author Bio

Shannon Chakraborty is the author of the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling Daevabad Trilogy. Her work has been translated into over a dozen language and nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. You can find her online at www.sachakraborty.com or on Instagram and Twitter as @SAChakrabooks.

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“Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man” by Violet Marsh (ARC Review)

February 28, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Marsh, Violet. Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man. New York: Forever, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-1538739693 | $16.99 USD | 336 pages | Regency Romance

Blurb

Family secrets, a brother’s best friend’s romance, and scandalous mystery combine in this delightfully witty historical rom-com—perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore, Enola Holmes, and Netflix’s Bridgerton!

Lady Charlotte Lovett should have never run away upon discovering her betrothal. But when one has been promised to a man who, rumor has it, killed his previous two wives, one does what one must. The only thing that can get her out of this engagement is proving that Viscount Hawley is as sinister as she thinks he is. And the person who would know best is his very own brother.

In many ways, Dr. Matthew Talbot is the exact opposite of his sibling—scholarly, shy, and shunned by society. But like his brother, he has secrets, and he doesn’t need Charlotte exposing them in her quest to take down the viscount. It only seems prudent to help her while keeping her from poking her nose in all the wrong places. But as they put their hearts at risk to grow closer to each other, they are also getting closer to a dangerous confrontation with Hawley.

Review

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Violet Marsh’s previous historical novels, and I was excited that she was releasing a Regency romance, although I was a tad concerned that it was being cross-marketed as a mystery. While I love a good historical mystery/romance, they often fall into two camps for me: too cozy, or with too much emphasis on one over the other. While I don’t think it was so much the former, I did feel like the latter was somewhat the case here, with the mystery being very underwhelming. I don’t mind when the culprit is known, but that does mean that catching him out has to be interesting, and I just didn’t feel there was a ton of suspense there. And while he’s very much a villain who deserves to be punished, I really didn’t feel the stakes with him specifically.

I did like how Marsh captured a new aspect of class and gender warfare through the dynamics of the coffeehouses. While this setting (or something akin to this setting, like gentlemen’s clubs and the like) are not unfamiliar for historical romance, it was great to see this interrogated a little more than most books in the genre do, beyond the surface-level illicitness of it all.

And the characters are a lot of fun, and I love the dynamics between them. Charlotte is great, and I love her blossoming romance with Matthew throughout. And there’s a great found-family dynamic with the supporting cast, including Charlotte’s twin Alexander, among others, so I’d love to see another book with them all working together again with a more compelling mystery plot.

While I didn’t 100% love this book, I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the book and see the potential here. If you’re looking for a historical romance with great found-family group dynamics and a howdunit mystery plot, I’d recommend checking this out!

Author Bio

Two-time Golden Heart finalist Violet Marsh is a lawyer who decided it was more fun to write witty banter than contractual terms. A romance enthusiast, she relishes the transformative power of love, especially when a seeming mismatch becomes the perfect pairing.

Marsh also enjoys visiting the past–whether strolling through a castle’s ruins, wandering around a stately manor, or researching her family genealogy online (where she discovered at least one alleged pirate, a female tavern owner, and several blacksmiths). She indulges in her love of history by writing period pieces filled with independent-minded women and men smart enough to fall for them.

Marsh lives at home with Prince Handy (a guy who can fix things is definitely sexier than a mere charmer), a whirlwind (her toddler), and a suburban nesting dog (whose cuteness Marsh shamelessly uses to promote her books).

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“A Drop of Venom” by Sajni Patel (Review)

February 27, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Patel, Sajni. A Drop of Venom. Los Angeles: Rick Riordan Presents/Hyperion, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-1368092685 | $18.99 USD | 416 pages | YA Fantasy

Blurb

Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.

Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.

Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting the slayer his freedom.

Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”SEE LESS

Review

3 stars

I’ve mostly enjoyed Sajni Patel’s books up to this point, even if they’re not my favorite or the most revolutionary thing in the world. But I was excited to see her try something new with a Rick Riordan Presents book, although I somehow missed the memo until I picked up A Drop of Venom that it was one of the new YA books, not a Middle Grade…I don’t remember seeing anything in the marketing about that. There are introductory letters from both Patel and Riordan unpacking some of the content, including the relevant content warning around the intense depictions of sexual assault, however, which I do appreciate, and would recommend readers to not skip them.

In theory, the concept of the book is great. Like any RRP book across age groups, there’s mythology at its core, and I like how it marries the Greek myth of Medusa with Indian folklore, particularly that of the naga. There’s a lot of potential here, especially when you also factor in the themes.

And I think they’re somewhat well realized in the character of Manisha. She’s truly compelling, and while she goes through a lot of pain as a result of her assault, she ultimately transforms, gaining new powers and strength. And while I think there’s something to be said for the fact that her story is overly bleak at times, I also respect that this story highlights the power of feminine rage in the face of oppression.

The story fell flat for me in two places. I was very confused at the pacing and timeline of the story. The story starts in a more or less linear narrative to set things up, but then we’re following Manisha in the “past,” and Pratyush in the “present,” and eventually the two converge, but I just found myself very discombobulated, and wondering what the purpose of it all was. Add to that that Manisha is a much more defined character, so the brief “excursions” with Pratyush felt distracting…he wasn’t given the same gravitas for me that Manisha had.

And the book was so slow paced, in part due to some of these timeline choices, so I struggled to get through it at times, even with the positives that are there.

While I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped, I like what it’s trying to do. If this sounds appealing to you, and you’re mentally prepared for the content around sexual assault, I’d recommend checking this out to see if it works for you.

Author Bio

Sajni Patel is an award-winning author of women’s fiction and young adult books drawing on her experiences growing up in Texas, an inexplicable knack for romance and comedy, and the recently resurfaced dark side of fantastical things. Her works have appeared on numerous Best of the Year and Must Read lists, including Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine, Teen Vogue, Apple Books, AudioFile, Tribeza, Austin Woman , NBC, Insider Reviews, PopSugar, BuzzFeed Books, and many others.

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“Snowed in with Summer” by Tiana Warner (ARC Review)

February 26, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Warner, Tiana. Snowed in with Summer. [Germany]: Ylva Publishing, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-3963248894 | $16.99 USD | 216 pages | Contemporary Romance

Blurb

Take one ex-girlfriend, a wilderness adventure, and only one cabin. What could possibly go wrong in this fun second-chance lesbian romance?

Avery is finally going on the winter excursion to the Yukon she’s been planning all year. Dog sledding, ice fishing, the Northern Lights… It’s going to be amazing! Then her boyfriend dumps her the night before the trip. Worse, she gets paired up with the only other solo traveler in the group: Summer, her ex-girlfriend from high school.

Unlike Avery, who has a plan for everything, Summer lives a nomadic life—free, spontaneous, with no time for relationships. There would be no point in rekindling what they had—not when the last time ended so badly.

Stuck in a tiny yurt together and forced to partner up for activities, Avery and Summer must find a way to get along. But what if, amidst all that ice and snow, they also discover a flame that was never extinguished?

Review

4 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Tiana Warner once again delivers a sweet sapphic treat with Snowed In with Summer. What begins as an awkward reunion between exes slowly transitions into a tender second chance romance.

Avery is very relatable throughout, and I immediately for her when her boyfriend dumped her right when they were about to leave for their trip to the Yukon, meaning she’s stuck alone on a couples’ trip. And then, if things couldn’t get worse, the only other solo person there is her ex, Summer.

I really liked the interplay between the two, with them being very much opposites, a factor that played a role in their initial breakup. But I loved seeing Avery come to learn more about herself through reconnecting with Summer, with Summer awakening the adventurer within her. While I did feel like the story was a little lacking at times due to the sole focus on Avery’s POV, there is a sense that the adventurous Summer was also missing something she ultimately found by reuniting with Avery.

I really enjoyed this, and would recommend it if you enjoy sapphic romance, especially with the second chance and forced proximity/snowed-in together tropes.

Author Bio

Tiana Warner is a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author whose books have been featured on BuzzFeed, Gizmodo, Paste Magazine, Tor, Book Riot, Foreword Reviews, and more. She is the winner of the Best Indie Book Award, the Dante Rossetti Awards, and Sequential Magazine’s Favourite Writer Award. Her works have been optioned for film and TV.

Tiana is a bisexual author who mainly writes sapphic fiction. Her books include the critically acclaimed, Amazon bestselling series, Mermaids of Eriana Kwai and its graphic novel adaptation, as well as The Valkyrie’s Daughter (Entangled Teen), and several lesbian romance novels with Ylva Publishing.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, Tiana is a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, a lifelong horseback rider, and an outdoor enthusiast. She is passionate about animal welfare and environmental causes.

Contact her at tiana [at] tianawarner.com.

Website

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“Earth Earls Are Easy” (Lords of Dystopia #1) by Catherine Stein (ARC Review)

February 26, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Stein, Catherine. Earth Earls Are Easy. [United States]: Steam Cat Press, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-1949862461 | $5.99 USD | 294 pages | Sci-Fi/Dystopian Romance

Blurb

Wyatt Hartford, Earl of Windborne, spends his days running a smuggling operation under the noses of his political enemies. Twenty years prior, Wyatt and three other young, orphaned aristocrats fled war- and weather-ravaged Earth for the Martian city-state of Utopia. Now the four friends—nicknamed the Lords of Dystopia—use their money and influence to champion citizens’ rights and progressive reforms. To the downtrodden, they are leaders. To the noble scions of Queen Victoria’s empire, they are a threat.

Mercenary Nova Pratt likes her assignments—and her life—efficient, tidy, and uncomplicated. Her latest contract ought to be perfect: Find and arrest the smuggler known as the Viper. Lock up the bad guy and save the day. Her target is no hardened criminal, though. He’s a rainbows-and-sunshine chaos gremlin with a mischievous smile and hips that won’t stop swaying to chipper Earth-pop. Nova can’t look away.

Wyatt won’t let a surly, law-abiding merc derail his operation, even if her scowl and sharp commands make his blood run hot. When he uncovers a smuggling scheme far more nefarious than his own, he seizes the opportunity to point Nova at the real villains. It won’t be easy to work as reluctant allies while resisting their inconvenient attraction. But as political games turn deadly, these opposites must trust one another to fight for what’s right—by putting their lives and their hearts on the line.

Review

4 stars

I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Catherine Stein once again starts a compelling new series, Lords of Dystopia, with a solid first book, Earth Earls Are Easy. Once again somewhat genre-bending, it’s both a little outside Stein’s wheelhouse up to this point, yet at the same time not at all. Instead of an alt-historical or steampunk Victorian or Edwardian world, we are transported to the far-off dystopian future. I was a bit perplexed how she would tie in aristocrats as the heroes, given the optics with them basically being equivalent to the corporate shills and corrupt politicians who figure in many similar stories as the oppressors, but just like with some of their equivalents in some recently published historical romances, I love how they use their money to fight for the rights of the common man, instead of siding with these corrupt overlords.

And this sets up a very interesting dynamic for the central couple. I love how Wyatt is very concerned with doing good for the less fortunate, and he’s also just absolutely chaos in human form. And then we have Nova, who contrasts my preconceived notions of mercenary characters by being the law-abiding one, and being in pursuit of Wyatt for his wrongdoings. I love how their initial opposition to one another gave way to the deepening connection for each other, even as it was tested by their rival loyalties.

Amid the sexy romance, there’s some solid space/dystopian politics and the characters need to ultimately work together against the Big Bad. While this story is very much a standalone in providing a happy ending for Wyatt and Nova, the external threats aren’t fully resolved, providing a solid overarching conflict that will likely play out over the rest of the series.

This is an enjoyable first-in-series, and I’m excited for what’s to come. If you’re looking for a unique take on sci-fi-dystopian romance, I’d recommend checking this out!

Author Bio

Award-winning author Catherine Stein believes that everyone deserves love and that Happily Ever After has the power to help, to heal, and to comfort. She writes sassy, sexy romance set during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her books are full of action, adventure, magic, and fantastic technologies.

Catherine lives in Michigan with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She loves steampunk and Oxford commas, and can often be found dressed in Renaissance Festival clothing, drinking copious amounts of tea.

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“Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm” by Siobhan McDermott (ARC Review)

February 25, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

McDermott, Siobhan. Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm. New York: Delacorte Press, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-0593706114 | $18.99 USD | 384 pages | MG Fantasy

Blurb

A 12-year-old girl wins an invitation to train as an apprentice to immortals in the first book of the new must-read magical series destined to take the world by storm—perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, Skandar and Eragon. Let the competition begin!

“A new classic fantasy adventure.” — Eoin Colfer, author of the internationally best-selling Artemis Fowl series

An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging’s only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She’s in.

In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals’ attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls.

When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?

Review

4 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm drew me in with a solid premise, and some solid comp titles in the realm of middle-grade fantasy-adventure, including Amari and the Night Brothers. Upon picking it up, I was immediately drawn to the world building in particular, and how it utilizes concepts from Chinese mythology. There are some gaps when it comes to the technical side of the magic and how it all works, but I can let it slide as something that might bother an adult reader more than a child.

Zhi Ging is a great protagonist to follow, and I like that she had a good balance of more mundane, relatable issues to deal with, like bullies, as well as magical ones. She goes on the fairly standard hero’s journey for the genre, but the story has its own charm as she comes into her own as a young heroine.

The story is high on the action, and pretty fast-paced, with few moments of lull in between. The writing is fairly accessible, yet lyrical, and I like how the book is split into fairly short chapters, keeping the intrigue and tension high.

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to where this could go as a series. If you enjoy middle grade fantasy, I’d recommend checking this out!

Author Bio

Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore from her Chinese momm and Irish dad. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. She worked in publishing for six years, during which she took part in every event imaginable: from a ‘yoga with your dog’ session in a bookshop to running around Isle of Man in a full unicorn onesie. She is now the PR Lead at BBC Maestro. Paper Dragons is her debut novel and was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to traveling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

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“The Phoenix Crown” by Kate Quinn (Review)

February 24, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Quinn, Kate. The Phoenix Crown. New York: William Morrow, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-0063304734 | $18.99 USD | 400 pages | Historical Fiction

Blurb

From bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.

San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.

His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined . . . until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.

Review

2.5 stars

I’ve only read Kate Quinn once or twice before in collaborations with other authors, although I do have some interest in her books, tempered a bit by the length of some of them. By contrast, Janie Chang is an author I have read a bit from, and was interested to read more from. So, I was mildly excited for The Phoenix Crown, especially as the premise sounded promising. While it did not fully deliver, there are aspects I enjoyed.

The setting is absolutely well-rendered, and I really enjoyed the depiction of early 1900s San Francisco in particular, especially Chinatown. And considering Versailles is often associated with the aristocracy pre-French Revolutions, it was so fascinating to see it in a new light in the twentieth century.

But this book was so painfully slow. It doesn’t help that the book centers the earthquake as the focal point, so you know at almost all times how much time left you have for the book to make its snail’s-pace toward it. The gravitas of the event is there, but given how boring parts of the book were prior, it almost lessens the impact. And while the jury’s still out if this is a problem for me with Kate Quinn’s writing or just how she and Janie Chang executed this book in particular, it does make me laugh that I thought Quinn’s other, longer books were daunting, given how this normal-length book was such a slog.

The characters were…just ok. Suling was somewhat more interesting, being a Chinese lesbian, and I admit she carried me through the book. The others weren’t bad, but they just weren’t all that captivating, which is sad, because there’s a lot of cool characters and concepts that, in theory, should really appeal to me.

While this book was really underwhelming, I believe this was just not for me, although I do still enjoy Janie Chang’s writing and am tentatively interested in reading more from Kate Quinn in the future. However, if this book sounds interesting to you, I’d recommend checking this out to see what you think.

Author Bio

Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, and The Diamond Eye. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.

Kate’s Website

Born in Taiwan, Janie Chang has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, New Zealand, and Canada. She writes historical fiction, often drawing from family history and ancestral stories. She has a degree in computer science and is a graduate of the Writer’s Studio Program at Simon Fraser University. She is the author of Three Souls, Dragon Springs Road, and The Library of Legends.

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“An Unlikely Proposition” (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves (ARC Review)

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Eves, Rosalyn. An Unlikely Proposition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2024.

ISBN-13: 978-0374390273 | $20.99 USD | 304 pages | YA Regency Romance

Blurb

A standalone companion to An Improbable Season, this Regency romance ⁠— perfect for fans of Bridgerton — is about following your heart, pursuing your dreams, and falling head over heels in love.

Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband and a year of mourning, the seventeen year old wants nothing more than her independence and to have a little fun. She’s hardly looking to remarry, despite pressures from her late husband’s nephew, who is keen on obtaining her inheritance. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed. Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?

Thalia is determined to begin afresh after a disastrous first Season in London. No romantic distractions, but only her work as a poet and newfound companion to Eleanor. Determined to get her poems published, she struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer. As the spring progresses, Thalia does not expect to take interest in a man from her past (a man who is engaged to her employer, no less!), but some feelings demand to be felt even if the timing isn’t quite right.

Rosalyn Eves’s An Unlikely Proposition is a transportive Regency drama that captures the sparkle of London, thrill of friendship, and swoon of new love.

In the series

#1 An Improbable Season

Review

3.75 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to hear Rosalyn Eves was writing another historical romance, following last year’s An Improbable Season, which I really enjoyed. But while there’s a lot I enjoyed about this book, there were also some elements that left me perplexed.

It was wonderful to see Thalia again from the last book, and while you don’t need to have read that one to understand this one, it will amplify your enjoyment. I loved reading about her literary pursuits, especially since it led to cameos from some iconic figures from the literary world at the time, like John Keats and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (and just when Taylor Swift announced the Tortured Poets variant that some people are speculating is referencing Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” too!).

I found myself much more mixed about Eleanor’s story, and it’s one of those cases where I wonder if this was actually meant to be a YA story at the outset, or it became one for marketing purposes, and the powers that be felt it wouldn’t matter because YA is increasingly targeting adults. Because while there isn’t much that I’d call objectionable here (there’s suggestive references, but nothing explicit), the whole premise on Eleanor’s side works so much better if she’s not a teenager. While it’s not impossible for a seventeen year old girl in the Regency period to already have been married and widowed, it would be extremely rare, as women of her station typically would have their debut in society at the age she is now, and be married by her early twenties. Add on the year of mourning and it just made it hard to suspend disbelief that she was so young. I would often forget how old she was, because of how many books I’d read with a similar plotline to this, but then I’d be reminded of it, and I’d be confused again.

The romances are cute, and while I did sometimes feel like there being two of them meant that they were a tad underwhelming in places, I did like each of the love interests and feel they suited each of the girls.

The one major issue aside, I did mostly like this book. While I don’t know if it will work for avid historical romance readers, especially those like me who may be prone to overthink certain aspects, I think this is a fun book for younger readers and others looking to try a fun historical romance.

Author Bio

Rosalyn Eves grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, the telling and reading of stories are still some of her favorite things to do. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives. She dislikes housework on principle.

She has a PhD in English from Penn State and teaches English at Southern Utah University.

Rosalyn is represented by Josh Adams of Adams literary.

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“The Perfect Find” by Tia Williams (Review)

February 23, 2024 ~ courtneytonokawa ~ Leave a comment

Williams, Tia. The Perfect Find. 2016. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2021.

ISBN-13: 978-1538709245 | $18.99 USD | 368 pages | Contemporary Romance

Blurb

Soon to be a Netflix movie starring Gabrielle Union! Will a forty-year-old woman with everything on the line – her high-stakes career, ticking biological clock, bank account – risk it all for a secret romance with the one person who could destroy her comeback, for good?

Jenna Jones, former It-girl fashion editor, is forty, broke and desperate for a second chance. When she’s dumped by her longtime fiancé and fired from Darling magazine, she begs for a job from her arch nemesis, Darcy Vale. Darcy, the beyond-bitchy publisher of StyleZine.com, agrees to hire her rival – only because her fashion site needs a jolt from Jenna’s old school cred. But Jenna soon realizes she’s in over her head.

Jenna’s working with digital-savvy millennials half her age, has never even “Twittered,” and pretends to still be a Fashion Somebody while living a style lie (she sold her designer wardrobe to afford her sketched-out studio, and now quietly wears Walmart’s finest). What’s worse is that the twenty-two-year-old videographer assigned to shoot her web series is driving her crazy. Wildly sexy with a smile Jenna feels in her thighs, Eric Combs is way off-limits – but almost too delicious to resist.

Review

4 stars

I really enjoyed Tia Williams’ more recent books, including her latest, but I’ve heard mixed things about her earlier work, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try them. However, I found myself craving more after the aforementioned new title, so I finally bit the bullet and picked up The Perfect Find. Upon reading the premise, I immediately got subtle “Younger meets Devil Wears Prada with Black leads.” And while, yes, it’s not comparable craft-wise with Seven Days in June or even Ricki Wilde, I really liked this.

While books set in the world of high-fashion can be daunting, due to the numerous references to brands and whatnot, I actually didn’t mind. There are a few somewhat dated pop culture references, but nothing that’s super cringey or took me out of the story.

Both the leads are compelling, even if they are complete opposites. Jenna is a forty-year-old woman who is fairly established in her career, albeit a bit out of touch with the current techy focus of the fashion world and lagging behind as a result, who is hoping to have kids before she’s physically unable to, while Eric is a young twentysomething just getting his start in life. I really liked their easy chemistry, and how they really got along with each other as prospective partners, as well as having great sex, which makes the fact that everything is standing in the way of them being together all the more devastating.

I will say I do agree with other reviewers that the ending did almost ruin the book. But I can understand the purpose of the ending, even if I don’t fully agree with it.

In spite of the minor issues, I enjoyed this book overall. If you’re looking for a heartfelt, yet sexy age-gap Black romance that engages with the taboo of it all in an intriguing way, I’d recommend you checking this out!

Author Bio

Tia Williams had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, Lucky, Teen People, and Essence. In 2004, she pioneered the beauty-blog industry with her award-winning site, Shake Your Beauty. She wrote the bestselling debut novel The Accidental Diva and penned two young adult novels, It Chicks and Sixteen Candles. Her award-winning novel The Perfect Find is a Netflix movie starring Gabrielle Union. Her latest novel is New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, Seven Days in June, published by Grand Central.

Tia currently lives with her daughter and her husband in Brooklyn.

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