#NetGalley #BookReview The Librarian by Valerie Keogh #Psychological #Mystery

Review

The Librarian

by Valerie Keogh

Release date: April 21st, 2023

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(3.5 rounded up)

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Librarian by Valerie Keogh from Net Galley and Boldwood Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night….

Introverted Ava Warrington works as a librarian at Tate Modern. Living a quiet life in London, a dedicated workaholic. When Ava and her best friend Poppy visit a bistro for a drink as usual her attractive, flirtatious, and outgoing friend gets close to a handsome gentleman she spots at the bar. When Ava, feeling ill, excuses herself for a few minutes and upon her return to the table notices her seat was filled by the gentleman that Poppy had been flirting with. While getting ready to leave another man approaches Ava, insistent on buying her a drink but when he politely declines the man pursues her and becomes aggressive. When she stands her ground, he is angry and warns her that she will be sorry. Not being able to shake the incident, she realizes that it is the ten-year anniversary of a traumatic event from her university days which has caused her to run away from the world and hide in her “safe life.” When she is set up for a heinous crime at work, suspended, making her feel like her world is falling apart.

While trying to think who could be setting her up her mind kept coming back to the gentleman at the bistro as he was the only one who had taken issue with her. She confides in her friend Poppy who is self-interested, occupied with her new romance. A colleague believes her and wants to help so they decide to stake out the bistro together for the mysterious man. Things take a bizarre turn when she experiences a few creepy occurrences, she feels she is being watched and she learns of the murder of a colleague. When it becomes clear to Ava that she is alone it is up to her to clear her own name and get her job back. When at her lowest, not sure if her paranoia is due to the ten-year anniversary, her friend Poppy goes missing after making plans with her and when she realizes she is alone she turns to her older sister Judy for help. After a string of occurrences lead her on a harrowing journey, she learns that she can no longer run away from her past.

This was a tough review for me…parts of it I really enjoyed, some not so much but, in my opinion, it had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. I enjoyed the atmosphere and tension the author brought to the page as well as the cleverly crafted and complex characters, I will say this, wow, the villains were definitely chill worthy. However, there were numerous references to the traumatic event from Ava’s past to the point of becoming tedious. The event is not really revealed until the climax and even then, the backstory seemed disappointing. Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night.

#NetGalley #BookReview A Wealth of Deception (Scandal Mountain Antiques #2) by Trish Esden #Mystery #Art

 A Wealth of Deception

Scandal Mountain Antiques #2

by Trish Esden

Release date: April 18th, 2023  

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Wealth of Deception (Scandal Mountain Antiques #2) by Trish Esden from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.  

…Replete with a clever, intriguing, suspenseful plot, as well as a cast of quirky interesting and dynamic characters, this entry was an entertaining read…

Having read and reviewed Trish Esden’s first book, The Art of Decoy I am pleased to say the second in the Scandal Mountain Antiques series didn’t disappoint. Picking up where The Art of Decoy left us, Edie, Tuck and Kaya are struggling to keep Scandal Mountain Fine Arts and Antiques above water when they receive a desperate plea from a local, Annie, to give an appraisal and purchase a few items from an estate. Needing a boost, they jump at the chance, hoping for some hidden gems that could bring in some quick cash. When pursuing through the items Edie notices what looks like a collage from the artist Vespa, who is heating up the art scene with her “outsider art.” Annie is embarrassed by the dark piece and claims the collage was made by her brother Erik in a rehabilitation program for those with traumatic brain injury. When Edie begins to question the provenance of the collage the mystery begins to surface but when clues begin to emerge depicting something more nefarious Edie puts herself in the crosshairs of a murderer and scandal that puts her and everyone she loves in danger.

I love art and I love mysteries, combining this with technology and romance and this was right up my alley. Replete with a clever, intriguing, suspenseful plot, as well as a cast of quirky interesting and dynamic characters, this entry was an entertaining read. Although slow building it paid off with a nail-biting climax and heartwarming ending. I enjoyed the book and cannot wait to read more in this series, I highly recommend it.

#NetGalley #BookReview Writing for Impact: 8 Secrets from Science That Will Fire Up Your Readers’ Brains by Bill Birchard #Writing #Communication #Neuroscience

Review

Writing for Impact

8 Secrets from Science That Will Fire Up Your Readers’ Brains

by Bill Birchard

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of Writing for Impact, 8 Secrets from Science That Will Fire Up Your Readers’ Brains by Bill Birchard from Netgalley and Harper Collins Leadership, in order to read and give an honest review.

… A well-written, informative, and down to earth guide for writers of all kinds, I highly recommend it…

If you are a writer and enjoy learning what happens in the brains of your readers, this book is for you. Being a writer and having a strong love of learning about neuroscience I personally found this book fascinating.  

In Writing for Impact, Author, Bill Birchard offers his eight tips to help writers engage and evoke an emotional response in their readers. Each chapter goes into detail on how to keep It Simple, Specific, Surprising, Stirring, Seductive, Smart, Social and Story-driven offering advice, examples and neurological research that will help writers understand how our writing can impact readers. 

Although very research forward, I found Writing for Impact to be a practical guide to writing that I will refer to again. A well-written, informative, and down to earth guide for writers of all kinds, I highly recommend it. 

#NetGalley #BookReview Homecoming, A Novel by Kate Morton #mystery #family #generational #historical

Review

Homecoming

A Novel

by Kate Morton

Release date: April 4th, 2023

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of Homecoming, A Novel by Kate Morton from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in order to read and give an honest review.

… True to form, Morton does not disappoint with her intricately woven plotlines and beautiful prose, the author tells a perfectly blended generational saga with a captivating mystery …

Being a fan of Kate Morton I was thrilled to be given an opportunity to read and review her latest book Homecoming. True to form Morton does not disappoint with her intricately woven plotlines and beautiful prose, the author tells a perfectly blended generational saga with a captivating mystery told in dual timelines and from multiple points of views

We start Christmas Eve of 1959 on the Turner family estate called Halcyon in Tambilla, Australia, a grocery delivery man stumbles across the bodies of a mother and her children looking like they were resting after a picnic all except for a newborn daughter who was nowhere to be found. Nora, the mother’s sister-in-law, and children’s aunt, misses the picnic as she is days away from giving birth. The murder goes unsolved for decades and the youngest child remains missing until the remains are found two decades later.

In 2018 when journalist Jess receives a call that her grandmother Nora has suffered a fall, she rushes to her side in Australia. Walking into the hospital room Jess is shocked to find her once intelligent and strong grandmother, lying in a hospital bed, in a feeble and confused state saying things that just do not make sense. Nora was Jess’s world, and she feels she would not be who she is without the love and guidance she received from her grandmother, especially when her mother Polly was unable. Desperate to be there for Nora and to make sense of her strange mutterings she begins to dig deep hoping to get to the root of what is tormenting her beloved grandmother.

Jess uncovers a connection to a true-crime author who had written an in-depth account of the tragedy that occurred Christmas Eve those decades ago. While at her grandmother’s estate, Darling House, Jess begins uncovering clues that point her to the events that occurred at Halcyon in 1959 and family secrets that will undo all she thought was true about her family. After reuniting with her mother Polly, Jess learns that she is not alone on her quest.

Several mysteries are presented, some I guessed early on, but some caught me by surprise at the very end. I absolutely loved this book, it is not for those who are looking for a fast-paced page-turner, it definitely requires patience as it is a slow but satisfying story that is worth taking time to read and I would highly recommend! There are trigger warnings however…be advised there is discussion of suicide, infanticide, filicide, miscarriage.