Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms after a hella-bad breakup, and is trying to help her aunt with her restaurant, which is in financial trouble. When Lila’s ex-boyfriend drops dead during his meal with his stepfather, the restaurant’s landlord, Lila becomes the prime suspect. She decides to investigate the nefarious ex to find out who really killed him. Lila is…not great at detecting. Lila’s investigation mainly rests on her going to different restaurants, … Continue reading Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala →
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is a fun rom-com in which a single mom enters a baking contest (a fictional version of The Great British Bake Off) and finds true love. The question is not “will she find true love” but “with whom will she find it?” Readers should expect to be very hungry while reading this book, as well as by turns amused, infuriated, and delighted. They should also expect to be really moved … Continue reading Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall →
Elysium Girls begins in a small Oklahoma town in 1835. The tiny town of Elysium is trying to make it through the Dust Bowl years after the massive dust storms of Black Sunday (April 14, 1935) scour the land and leave survivors in what seems to be the only town left in the world. There’s no telephone, no radio, nothing but desert. People can wander in the desert up to a point, but beyond Elysium … Continue reading Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost →
The Lady Has a Past is a really strong romantic thriller with mild paranormal elements that delivers on both the thriller and the romantic aspects of the story. Unfortunately, while I thoroughly enjoyed this story while I was reading it, I found myself increasingly troubled by certain aspects of the narrative once I began to reflect on the story in order to write this review. The story begins when apprentice PI and former socialite Lyra … Continue reading The Lady Has A Past by Amanda Quick →
The Shadow in the Glass is marketed as a Gothic Cinderella story, which is totally my jam, but in reality what I got was a Faustian morality tale with some Cinderella themes. It was a depressing read overall and, this is a big spoiler but an important one: Even if I meant to read this as a Faustian morality tale, it still left some questions unanswered at the end of the novel, and not in … Continue reading The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood →
Back when we used to take vacations (sigh, those wild pre-Covid days, how fun-filled they were…) they often began badly, what with trying to get packed in time and flying in coach and all the other bother of getting from one place to another. However, after a certain transitional period, the vacation would become enjoyable, perhaps even emotionally meaningful and moving. This is the experience I had with People We Meet On Vacation, a book … Continue reading People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry →
From Little Tokyo, With Love is a modern day, urban, feminist Cinderella meets nure-onna. It is a YA featuring a biracial girl with a ‘kaiju temper’ who prefers monsters to princesses and I am totally here for it. Riki is the daughter of a Japanese-American woman who died in childbirth. Her father, who abandoned Riki’s mother when she found out she was pregnant, was White. Riki is being raised by her Japanese-American aunts, alongside her … Continue reading From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn →
Prospects of a Woman is a historical novel, very much not a romance, about a woman who finds her independence in California during the Gold Rush. It’s written by a local author and the sense of place is solid all throughout the book, anchoring the story of an angry woman who feels incomplete for much of the story. While I did not like the main character initially, I did enjoy her character development, and I … Continue reading Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger →
The Bookshop of Second Chances is of the “my life just imploded but I inherited something in a far away place so I can GTFO” genre. Thea Mottram’s husband cheated on her with a close friend, and Thea found out because he accidentally sexted her instead of his mistress. Thea then loses her job, but finds out (as she’s packing up her things to move out of her home and her marriage) that a distant … Continue reading The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser →
The Nature of a Lady is a gorgeous story full of secrets and treasure hunts and mysteries and adventure, with a very sweet central romance and a strong sense of place. It is also that rare gem, an Inspirational romance that really works for me both as a romance and on a theological level, while also being just a really good read. Lady Elizabeth Sinclair has never been good at fitting in where she is … Continue reading The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M. White →
This review was brought to you in high-definition and surround sound by Crystal Anne with An E. Crystal is a Hufflepuff who works as an autism consultant by day and goes to Library School at night. She reads a lot, she cross-stitches a lot, and is always ready to make someone a reading list. NB: This book is currently .99 digitally for May the 4th! … Guess who’s back? This time with bonus Grogu gifs! … Continue reading Star Wars: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray →
