Review: The Last Summer

I’ve been reading Karen Swan’s novels for *checks files* er, a long, long time. I’ve always enjoyed them, some more than others, as they provide a lovely escape from reality and some solid armchair travel. When I heard she was writing a new historical fiction series I was intrigued but cautious. I was determined to give it a try, though, and wouldn’t you know it. I absolutely loved it. The Last Summer is the first in the series of five and I did not want to put it down.

Here's the book’s description:

When the residents of St Kilda ask to be evacuated from their remote island home in the summer of 1930, it’s in search of a better life on the mainland rather than the scratch existence on their mountain in the sea.
For 18-year old tomboy Effie Gillies, it’s a bittersweet departure. She’s the best young climber on the island, as skilled and brave as any of the men. But it is Effie’s expansive knowledge of local bird life that leads her to taking up a position as curator of Dumfries House’s ornithological collection - and back into the arms of Lord Dumfries’ son and heir, Sholto.
During her last summer on St Kilda, Effie had been Sholto’s guide, and their attraction had seemed irresistible but, in the glamorous polite society of Ayrshire, it is clear they are worlds apart. When a body is discovered on the island, soon after the evacuation, a scandal erupts as she is implicated. Sholto knows she’s keeping secrets – but are they even her own?

I can’t remember ever hearing about the island of St. Kilda which is sometimes the best kind of historical fiction to read. I was immediately intrigued and plan on learning more about it before the next book in the series is published. It was such an interesting time period to read about for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the story takes place in the years between two wars. The characters, of course, have no idea but the reader does. Second, the residents of St. Kilda weren’t living as their contemporaries who lived on the mainland of Scotland (can you call a country that’s part of an island “mainland”?).

There was also the interesting division between the island people, like Effie, and the people who lived at Lord Dumfries’ estate. Not only the class division but even the lifestyle division between Effie and the servants of the house. I was surprised at how frustrated I ended up being on Effie’s behalf because of how little the servants understood her position. They had never experienced St. Kilda and didn’t bother to try and look at things from Effie’s perspective and how difficult it would have been to leave everything she knew behind and start somewhere new that was entirely foreign to her. She was the one who had to adapt and adjust her behaviours, not them. And that bothered me! It definitely shows how talented Swan is when it comes to creating characters you really care about.

The Last Summer is a long book, clocking in at 400 pages, and I’m not entirely sure it needed to be quite that long. There was a lot of set up so I’ll be interested to see if book two is just as long or if Swan will be able to skip some parts. I’ll be a bit annoyed if I end up reading the exact same scenes, just from someone else’s perspective, over and over and over again. I want to see how other character experienced the evacuation, of course, but I sense there will be some unnecessary repetition. There were also some gaps left in this story that I understand would be intentional because that character’s story is coming but it was frustrating to only get part of the information I feel like I should have gotten in certain scenes.

I wouldn’t necessarily say this book compares to some of the great historical fiction stories out there (I’m thinking of the ones written by Genevieve Graham and Kate Quinn), but I was completely invested in the story. I would kind of describe it like…as if Swan wrote a story that just happened to take place in another time. Of course, the evacuation of the residents of St. Kilda is what set off this entire series and that most definitely took place in years past but this is, essentially, a fish out of water story with a dash of romance and murder.

The Last Summer will be a great read to pick up, well, this summer! Karen Swan’s latest is an intriguing start to a new historical fiction series that will keep you turning the pages. And hopefully you’ll be just as shocked as I was when you get to the last of those pages!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Book Boyfriend

Book Boyfriend was my second read from Kris Ripper and it was just as enjoyable as the first one I read. It was fun and heartwarming! And, bonus, fabulously bookish.

Here’s the book’s description:

There are three things you need to know about Preston “PK” Kingsley:
1) He’s a writer, toiling in obscurity as an editorial assistant at a New York City publishing house.
2) He is not a cliché. No, really.
3) He’s been secretly in love with his best friend, Art, since they once drunkenly kissed in college.
When Art moves in with PK following a bad breakup, PK hopes this will be the moment when Art finally sees him as more than a friend. But Art seems to laugh off the very idea of them in a relationship, so PK returns to his writing roots—in fiction, he can say all the things he can’t say out loud.
In his book, PK can be the perfect boyfriend.
Before long, it seems like the whole world has a crush on the fictionalized version of him, including Art, who has no idea that the hot new book everyone's talking about is PK’s story. But when his brilliant plan to win Art over backfires, PK might lose not just his fantasy book boyfriend, but his best friend.

This friends-to-lovers romance has a lot of miscommunication in it which, normally, would drive me up the wall. But, for some reason, PK’s inability to say what he really feels to the object of his affection was…well, I won’t call it delightful but it was understandable. Of course he and Art should have discussed their drunken kiss years ago (it would have saved so much heartbreak) but they each had their reasons for not wanting to talk about it. Namely, they were both scared that the other didn’t share their romantic feelings. Who out there can’t understand that?

The miscommunication was kind of also part of PK’s charm, shall we say. He’s awkward AF, which his friends embrace. But they don’t really seem to understand that some of their comments about his lack of emotions are hurting him. Just because he has trouble expressing his feelings doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any. I was so happy to read as he stood up for himself and explained why he acted as he did. His charm and somewhat squirrelly nature makes this first person story seem to be a bit all over the place to read as he’s very stream of consciousness (not unlike my book reviews tend to be!) but it just meant that the story was very much PK’s and really helped me understand him as a character.

I was very firmly Team PK even when he was acting like a bit of a dink and didn’t understand how his actions would or could hurt Art. That was the very last thing he wants and it was hard for him to see how misguided some of his attempts were. Art was lovely and they were a fabulous character to get to know and see on the page. But PK was the star and it meant some side stories, like the issues with Art’s brother, were a bit…out of place. Even if they did help PK understand Art and the world around him a bit better.

Book Boyfriend was an incredible joy to read. Kris Ripper’s latest novel is fun and swoony and laugh out loud ridiculous. It’s full of characters who haven’t been seen in nearly enough romance novels. And, fellow book nerds, you’re going to love all the writing and publishing bits of the story!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, for the purposes of a bookstagram tour and an egalley was provided via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Framed in Fire

I was a latecomer to the Lane Winslow series having only started reading Iona Whishaw’s mysteries last year. It started with A Killer in King’s Cove, published in 2015, and Framed in Fire, the ninth book in the bestselling series, is about to be published. I absolutely devoured it over the Easter long weekend – both wanting to finish the story so I would know how it ended and wanting to savour every last page of this great installment.

Here’s the book’s description:

It’s early spring 1948 and Lane arrives in New Denver to find that her friend, Peter Barisoff, is not at home. Instead, in a nearby meadow, she encounters Tom, an Indigenous man in search of his ancestral lands. Lane is intrigued. Unfortunately, once Peter returns home, the day takes a gloomy turn when the trio uncovers human remains next to Peter’s garden, and Lane must tell her husband, Inspector Darling, that she’s inadvertently stumbled into his professional domain—again.
Back in Nelson, the Vitalis, Lane and Darling’s favourite restaurateurs, are victims of arson. Constable Terrell’s investigation suggests prejudice as a motive, and the case quickly escalates, as the Vitalis receive increasingly threatening notes of warning. Meanwhile, Sergeant Ames works a robbery while alienating Tina Van Eyck in his personal time, and a swirling rumour sets the entire station on edge and prompts an RCMP investigation into Darling’s integrity.
Amid the local bustle series readers have come to love, Framed in Fire is bound up in difficult questions of community and belonging, and the knowledge that trusted neighbours can sometimes be as sinister as a stranger in the dark.

There are a lot of things I love about this series. One of them is the historical facts Whishaw weaves into her mysteries. We had already met Barisoff and learned of the struggles his people, the Doukhobors, had endured when they fled Russia for Canada. In this book, Whishaw honours the First Nations people who would have lived in the area where Lane and her friends now reside. The Sinixt lived in what is now the West Kootenay region and, though there are still a few who reside in Canada (most are in Washington state), the Canadian government declared the Sinixt extinct in 1956 (not long after Lane’s story took place). Whishaw treated the Sinixt story with, what I believe is, respect and explains in her acknowledgements who she spoke to and the information she relied on from her sources to make sure she was respectful. She noted that she had had no idea about the Indigenous people who would have lived in her area and I’m glad she learned about them and could weave their story into Lane’s.

Another thing I love about these books is Lane herself. She is, as one of the characters in this book says, a warrior. She’s absolutely magnificent and I don’t blame her husband’s Sergeant, the affable Ames, for being so (platonically) infatuated with her. I am too! Given I love me some World War II historical fiction stories, I’d love to know exactly what Lane got up to during the war but then this series wouldn’t be what it is – a story of a woman who went through hell during a war and is trying (and succeeding) to rebuild her life in the peace and quiet of another country. Well, it would be peaceful if she didn’t go around finding dead bodies all the time! She’s incredibly intelligent (she’d have to be, given what she had to do during the war) and I love that the men in this series (including the aforementioned Ames as well as her husband, Inspector Darling) have nothing but the utmost respect for her. They don’t find her a nuisance when she has a thought about a case and they only get growly because they want her to be safe. What I wouldn’t give to pull up a chair on Lane’s back porch and settle in with a restorative drink to hear some of her stories.

Now, the actual mystery in this mystery novel involved, as per usual, a few different cases. I wasn’t sure if they would end up being related or not and I loved reading along and trying to connect the dots alongside Lane and Darling. I can’t say I saw the ending coming, which is always a delight when reading a mystery novel. Sure, I like feeling like I’m smart and could figure out the end but I kind of like having no idea right up until the final reveal.

I cannot recommend the Lane Winslow mystery series enough. Iona Whishaw is an immensely talented writer and she has created a heroine and a series that is so incredibly delightful to read. Framed in Fire was so, so very good and I highly encourage everyone to read it – and the rest of the books in the series!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, TouchWood Editions, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Part of Your World

I’ve been hearing about Abby Jimenez’s books for a few years now but had never gotten around to reading one. So many books, so little time, am I right? I decided to finally read my first from her when I heard about Part of Your World and had a chance to get an early copy. I mean, how could I not be intrigued when there was mention of a baby goat?!? This was a really enjoyable rom com that was heavy on both romance and comedy but also heavy on the, well, heavy stuff too. It was pretty well balanced and I had a good time reading it.

Here’s the book’s description:

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

The storyline with Alexis’s ex was really, really hard to read at times. Anyone with triggers with gaslighting and emotionally abusive relationships must take note. I hated how this smart, capable woman had been reduced to being so insecure because of her ex. His behaviour was appalling and it didn’t help that Alexis’s family and so-called friends still thought he was the best thing ever. He was careful to hide his behaviour, of course, but it was such a clear indication that most people in Alexis’s life didn’t care enough about her to realize that something was terribly wrong. I was so glad that she had Bri in her corner, at least.

Even knowing the issues she had had with her ex and the emotional trauma all that came with…I still had a hard time accepting Alexis’s reasons for not wanting to commit to Daniel. Not only that, she wasn’t fully up front with him. It was like she couldn’t see a chance with him and didn’t give him all of the information to make a decision for himself. I loved Alexis but I loved Daniel more and I wish she had shown him a little bit more respect when it came to their relationship.

The small town magic was too much fun. Jimenez made this a fairy tale with hints of magic popping up in town that made this story whimsical and helped balance out the heavier storylines.

Even though Alexis was hell bent on not allowing things to turn into a full blown relationship, the romance between she and Daniel was delightful. Their meet cute was awfully cute – with a dose of awkward too, which is always amusing in a rom com – and the sparks between them were immediately obvious. You couldn’t help but root for the two of them!

Part of Your World was an absolute delight. I laughed and swooned and cried and it was just the read I needed. This may have been the first book of Abby Jimenez’s that I read but I don’t think it’s going to be the last.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: Last Duke Standing

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before on the ol’ interwebs that it took a ridiculously long while before I realized I should be reading historical romances. I love romances and I love historical fiction. So why not read the two together in one convenient package? It took a pandemic and Bridgerton before I started thinking seriously about the genre and I’ve read a number over the last couple of years. Last Duke Standing was one of the latest and I had never read any of Julia London’s books before so thought I’d start with a new series that sounded like a lot of fun. Ultimately that’s what it was, fun and entertaining enough for a quick weekend read.

Here’s the book’s description:

When Crown Princess Justine of Wesloria is sent to England to learn the ropes of royalty, she falls under the tutelage of none other than Queen Victoria herself. Justine’s also in the market for a proper husband—one fit to marry the future queen of Wesloria.
Because he knows simply everyone, William, Lord Douglas (the notoriously rakish heir to the Duke of Hamilton seat in Scotland, and decidedly not husband material), is on hand as an escort of sorts. William has been recruited to keep an eye on the royal matchmaker for the Weslorian prime minister, tasked to ensure the princess is matched with a man of quality…and one who will be sympathetic to the prime minister’s views. As William and Justine are forced to scrutinize an endless parade of England’s best bachelors, they become friends. But when the crowd of potential grooms is steadily culled, what if William is the last bachelor standing?

My biggest issue with this book was that I could not for the life of me figure out what, exactly, Justine and William hated each other. Their backstory was explained multiple times but only the barest of details were really revealed. Maybe it was just my brain but I couldn’t understand how a game of musical chairs gone wrong meant they despised each other but also were both attracted to each other? There was supposed to be some history between the two of them and it just didn’t make any sense to me.

Even though I’m not a fan of the reformed rake story, I absolutely loved William. I liked how London wrote him as I could tell he had had some fun in his youth (he’s in his early thirties in the story) but I also knew that he was an upstanding guy who cared a lot about his family and making sure the estate was looked after. I really liked him as a hero and liked that the story was told partially from his perspective.

Justine on the other hand…she was harder to get a read on. I really liked her but I didn’t feel like I got to know her as well as William. I also admit I may have struggled with the fact that she was supposed to be so clueless of her beauty, brains, and charm because her mother was constantly putting her down and comparing her to her more vivacious sister (who was supposed to be Justine’s closest confidante but she was so young and idiotic that I struggled with her too). I knew Justine was a wonderful, strong, capable woman and would make a fantastic queen, and William knew that too but Justine did not. It could be that it’s to be expected when you’re raised knowing you’re going to be the ruler of your country after your father dies. That’s a lot to deal with and I felt Justine’s struggle. But I think I just needed more.

Even though I didn’t understand the history behind Justine and William’s feelings for each other, I did very much enjoy reading as they got to know each other as adults. Their feelings grew and changed and it was fun to read along as they realized they had managed to fall in love with each other. It made the Happily Ever After very satisfying.

All in all, Last Duke Standing was fine. I had fun reading it but I don’t think I’ll be picking up the next book in the series. I’ll have to try another of Julia London’s novels in the future, though, and see if perhaps I just need another couple to make me fall in love with her writing.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: The Diamond Eye

Ah, Kate Quinn. I’ve been absolutely loving her new historical fiction novels (because, PS, did you know she wrote historical romances before The Alice Network was published?) and eagerly await each new release. The Diamond Eye is her latest and it was just as amazing as the rest of her novels.

Here’s the book’s description:

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.
Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

I know some people like to know how an author’s latest book compares to their others so, in my opinion, I liked it less than The Rose Code but that doesn’t make this one any less good. It’s phenomenal. Well written, well researched, well told. It’s just that sometimes different stories grab you. I felt the same about The Huntress – it was great but I didn’t love it as much as The Alice Network.

I don’t remember ever hearing about Mila – who was a real person – but it’s entirely possible her name had flitted across my eyeballs in high school history class when learning about World War II. Now that I know about her, though, I’m fascinated by her and her story. Quinn takes care to explain where she pulled her research and how she crafted the novel. There were some things she took more creative license with than others and she tells the reader of that process so the reader understands what is fact and what is fiction. I love a good authors’ note!

Mila was a fascinating character. She was a young mother who relied on her parents and not her husband to help her raise her son. She worked hard to get into university and loved history. But she didn’t (seem to) hesitate when war broke out and signed up to fight for her country. (Related: it was incredibly awkward timing to be reading about a war and Russia being the invaded country…) She understood she had skills that could help and put her thesis aside and picked up a rifle instead. Quinn didn’t shy away from the mental aspects of war and how Mila suffered from the aftereffects of working as a sniper and the many injuries she sustained while doing so.

The story flips back and forth between two time periods. One focuses on Mila and how she got started on the path of being a sniper and her time fighting in World War II. The other is during the tour in America. Eventually the two meet and the tension is increased even more as the reader realizes what might happen to the characters they’ve been so invested in.

I really loved The Diamond Eye and historical fiction fans will be more than pleased with Kate Quinn’s latest novel. It was, as always, really well written and full of intense action and fascinating characters. You definitely want to read this one!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Falling for You

I have really enjoyed Barb Curtis’s Sapphire Springs series. The small town romance series was so delightful and I’m a little sad Falling for You is the final book in the series. It was a lovely finale and I really liked hanging out with all the characters Curtis created. I’ll miss them!

Here’s the book’s description:

Just when recently evicted yoga instructor Faith Rotolo thinks her luck has run out, she inherits a historic mansion in quaint Sapphire Springs. Though Faith never imagined putting roots down anywhere, small-town life is growing on her, as is her fixer-upper house. If only her handsome new contractor, Rob Milan, would stop spoiling her daydreams with the realities of a major rehab…and his generally grouchy vibes.
A single dad of two, Rob doesn’t have much time for fantasy wish-list ideas his clients can’t afford. Then again, Faith’s creative energy might be exactly what he needs right now. But while Rob and Faith work to give her home the second chance it deserves, their spirited clashes wind up sparking a powerful attraction. As work nears completion, and Faith’s house becomes the shining jewel of the neighborhood, will she and Rob realize that they deserve a fresh start too?

I had a feeling, especially when reading the second book in the series, that this third novel would feature Rob, Leyna’s brother (her story is in the first book) and I gotta say…I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I knew about his background – he had punched the man his wife was having an affair with and was dealing with troublesome custody issues when he had been the main parent of his two girls during his marriage. I knew he wasn’t a violent man and I could understand why he did what he did but I still had a tough time getting on board. It was like it was unnecessary drama and his story could have been different and still gotten a similar vibe. It was a lot to overcome and I don’t think I quite accomplished it.

That said…I was HERE for the love story. I was rooting for Faith and Rob because they were so right for each other. I also really liked that they got off on the wrong foot – multiple times – before they settled into a friendship (that turned into more). It was a bit like an opposites attract with a dash of enemies to lovers (but not true enemies so I was good with it). Their relationship, with all the ups and downs, really was lovely to read and I was so pleased with their HEA.

The history mystery (rhyme intended) in this story was so intriguing. Faith doesn’t know much about her family’s past and she’s surprised by what she uncovers. I just recently read a historical fiction novel that took place during Prohibition so it was fun to read a romance that referenced it as well. It was a really lovely side story and I enjoyed it so much. I don’t want to say too much about it though because it’ll be more enjoyable for you to unravel the mystery right alongside Faith and Rob.

I had a lovely time reading Falling for You and thought it was a great final book in Barb Curtis’s Sapphire Springs series. I’m sad to say goodbye to this wonderful town and characters but I’m really looking forward to what Curtis writes next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*