Review: A Lethal Lesson

I love finding new (or new to me) Canadian authors. At some point in the last year or so, blogger and author Kerry Clare had been talking raving about Iona Whishaw, the author of the Lane Winslow mysteries. I filed that knowledge away as I thought a Canadian mystery series might be just what my pandemic reading brain needed. Fast forward to the publisher's announcement that book eight, A Lethal Lesson, would be published in late April, and after a bit of back and forth on Instagram, I had a copy of the first novel, A Killer in King's Cove, and an egalley of the newest to enjoy. And enjoy I did!  

Here's the book's description:

Back home in the Kootenays after her Arizona honeymoon, Lane offers her assistance when neither the outgoing teacher, Rose, nor her replacement, Wendy, show up at the local schoolhouse one blizzardy Monday in December. But when she finds the teachers’ cottage ransacked with Rose unconscious and bleeding, and Wendy missing, Lane delivers Rose to the hospital in Nelson and turns the case over to her exasperated husband, Inspector Darling, and his capable colleagues, Sergeant Ames and Constable Terrell.
Never one to leave a post unmanned, Lane enlists as substitute teacher for the final two weeks before the Christmas holidays, during which time she discovers a threatening note in the teachers’ desk and a revolver in the supply cupboard. But these clues only convolute the case further. Who has been tormenting these women, and where has Wendy gone?
Meanwhile, Darling finds the body of a hit-and-run victim in a snowbank miles outside of Nelson, the residents of King’s Cove are preoccupied by the possibility of a new neighbour, and Sergeant Ames is as confused as ever by the inimitable Tina Van Eyck.

Each story could, technically, be read as a standalone but part of the series' charm is the small community of King's Cove and the various characters found within. I made sure to browse the descriptions of each book since the first to get an idea of what was happening with the characters so I knew Lane and Darling had figured out they had feelings for each other (feelings that are barely hinted at in the first book but the tension is there) and had gotten hitched. I cannot wait to go back and read the rest of the stories to catch up on all of the King's Cove residents and see what I've missed. It will give me something to look forward to as I wait for the ninth installment!

I love that this is a historical mystery. It's a subgenre that I didn't know I needed! It takes place not long after the end of World War II, which we all know is a time period I love. The majority of the characters in the novel didn't face any action, given many of them are older and they're all in middle of nowhere British Columbia, not Europe, but Lane did. I'm still not sure how much because it was only just discovered in the first book, but I know she was very involved in something. I also really like that the stories give me a glimpse into small town Canadian life at that time, which isn't something I've encountered too much in the past.

I really had no idea how the mystery would be solved. I was just as confused as the police officers and Lane and I couldn't tell what kind of connection the many incidents had to each other, if any. The story has flashbacks from various characters that provide more background to their history. It sounds like it could be confusing but it works because it allows the reader to get a better understanding of their motivations in the present. I also like that the novel starts with one of the incidents and the rest of the story is spent trying to figure out the why and the who. 

A Lethal Lesson was exactly the read I needed earlier this month and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Iona Whishaw has delivered another great installment to her Lane Winslow series that will keep readers guessing and entertained. The mystery is intriguing and the history is interesting. I can't wait for the next book.

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

Blog Tour: New Girl in Little Cove

New Girl in Little Cove is an absolute delight. I know that I say that about a lot of books but it's been awhile since I've been left with a wide smile on my face when I finished the story because I was just so damn happy for the characters. Damhnait Monaghan's debut novel kept me entertained and I enjoyed myself so much while I read it.

Here's the book's description:

After the local French teacher scandalizes the fishing village of Little Cove, Newfoundland, by running off with a priest, the school looks to the mainland to fill the job quickly. They want someone who can uphold their Catholic values and keep a motley group of largely unwilling students in line.
The position is filled by mainlander Rachel O’Brien—technically a Catholic (baptized!), technically a teacher (honors degree!)—who’s desperate to leave her current mess of a life behind. She isn’t surprised that her students don’t see the value of learning French. But she is surprised that she can barely understand their English… Is it a compliment or insult to be called a sleeveen? (Insult.) And the anonymous notes left on her car, telling her to go home, certainly don’t help to make her feel welcome.
Still, she is quickly drawn into the island’s traditional music and culture, and into the personal lives of her crusty but softhearted landlady, Lucille, her reluctant students and her fellow teacher Doug Bishop. But when her beliefs clash with church and community, she makes a decision that throws her career into jeopardy. In trying to help a student, has she gone too far?

I'll let you in on a secret...I almost didn't read this book. I had the chance when it was published in Canada in March but I was overwhelmed at the time (life is a lot right now, isn't it? and knew I wouldn't want to cram it into my reading schedule. Then I had the opportunity to take part in a blog tour for the US publication, which was May 11. I had since seen a few blurbs from respected authors and reviewers and I really was quite intrigued by a debut Canadian author with a book set so firmly in Newfoundland. So, I signed up and here we are! I'm so glad that I did. Not only because I was able to find yet another Canadian author that I enjoy but because I really needed this kind of story. 

I've never been to Newfoundland, or anywhere in Canada east of Ottawa, really. (Not much travel to the west either...traveling in Canada is expensive!) It's on my bucket list and I know enough to know that the way of life in a small town of 389 people, especially in 1985, would be much different than what I'm used to in Ontario. Little Cove doesn't exist but Monaghan based it on some of the small towns she knew when she lived in the province. I loved that the story was unapologetically Canadian and as unique as I expect Newfoundland to be. I could relate to Rachel on a number of occasions when one of the locals would say something to her and she'd have absolutely no idea what they meant. I would like to think that I wouldn't have had the idiotic idea that Rachel had which made me cringe so hard (I won't say what it was because I think the scenes are important ones). All that to say, I really felt like I was there in Little Cove with Rachel and I loved it.

I think the ending was a bit...rushed, perhaps? I loved that everything was tied up neatly (not something I need in every book but it was perfect for this read) and there were Happily Ever Afters all over the place. The scandal at the end and the revelation of who was leaving her notes (and dealing with a character who was annoyed that she didn't tell them about the notes...I didn't understand that one)? That was a bit clumsy but it still didn't take away my enjoyment of the overall story. There were also a few times where it felt like I was being told things to much rather than shown them but I chalked that up to debut novel writing and moved on. It won't keep me from reading whatever Monaghan writes next.

I wasn't sure I was going to love that the story took place in 1985. It was veering a bit much into autobiographical territory, as I knew Monaghan had lived in Newfoundland, but it all made so much more sense when I read the author's note. I learned that Monaghan had also been a new teacher around that time, so it's no wonder Rachel's emotions came through so well in her teaching scenes. She said that she chose the time period, in part, because she knew the time and what it was like to be a twentysomething in Newfoundland in the eighties. But it was also to allow for Rachel to really feel like a fish out of water with no easy way to stay in contact with friends and family. Not like today when we're relying so heavily on online conversations. That revelation made it click so much more for me and I agree that the story could not have been what it was had it not been set in 1985.

Damhnait Monaghan has written a novel that should be read by everyone, not just Canadians. New Girl in Little Cove is just what you need during these bonkers times - a story that is full of heart, characters you'll adore, and a setting that seems familiar and foreign all at once. I hope you read it and are left with the same smile I had when I finished the last page.

Buy New Girl in Little Cove:
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Connect with the Author:
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About the Author:
DAMHNAIT MONAGHAN was once a mainlander who taught in a small fishing village in Newfoundland. A former teacher and lawyer, Monaghan has almost sixty publication credits, including flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and short stories. Her short prose has won or placed in various writing competitions and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and Best Microfictions. New Girl in Little Cove placed in the top six from more than 350 entries in the 2019 International Caledonia Novel Award.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the US publisher, Graydon House Books, via NetGalley in exchange for a review for the purposes of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and m own.*

Review: The Forgotten Daughter

Do you ever hold off reading a book because you're not sure if you're going to love it as much as you think you will? I had that a little bit with Joanna Goodman's The Forgotten Daughter. I was really looking forward to it's release last fall because I really enjoyed the story she started in The Home for Unwanted Girls. While the sequel didn't quite live up to my expectations, I still enjoyed the read and the history lesson Goodman shared.

Here's the book's description:

Divided by their past, united by love.
1992: French-Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French-Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism. Their love affair is as passionate as it is turbulent, as they negotiate a constant struggle between love and morals.
At the same time, James’s older sister, Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis Orphans, becomes involved with a coalition demanding justice and reparations for their suffering in the 1950s when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals, a heinous political act of Premier Maurice Duplessis which affected 5,000 children.
Véronique is the only person Elodie can rely on as she fights for retribution, reliving her trauma, while Elodie becomes a sisterly presence for Véronique, who continues to struggle with her family’s legacy.

I absolutely loved that this story reminded me of Quebec's recent history. I was too young in the '90s to fully understand what was happening with the referendum in 1995. I know I would have learned about it when I got a bit older but the why of it wouldn't have been explored like it was in this book. The novel also gave some closure to the Duplessis Orphans, who we learned about in the first book. There was a lot of important events for the characters that were overlapping which was interesting from a historical perspective.

That overlapping didn't quite work from a story standpoint for me. It felt like two separate stories were trying to be mushed together in one plot because it seemed convenient. James and Véronique were bringing those two stories together but them being together romantically never made sense for me and it all seemed forced. I enjoyed each character and their story separately but once they came together in various ways, that's when I started to lose the threads a bit.

I've read a few historical fiction novels lately that have a journalist for a main character. My partner is a reporter for the local newspaper and to see that (very important) profession explored in a historical context is always interesting to me. I especially liked that James was a French Canadian who was working for an English Canadian newspaper and the extra level of tension that it added to the story was well done.

Even though I had a review copy from the publisher, I ended up listening to most of this one on audiobook from my library. I think that was a really great idea as the narrator, Esther Thibault, uses a Quebecois accent when speaking dialogue and I felt it added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I think I would still recommend Joanna Goodman's novel The Forgotten Daughter but note that readers should pick up The Home for Unwanted Girls first and/or have a very heavy interest in Canadian politics. The stories Goodman told were good ones but the execution of those stories were a miss for me.

*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.*

Blog Tour: The Summer Seekers

During a year (plus) when travel is not a thing we Canadians can safely do, reading about a couple of characters taking a roadtrip across America was a delight. Sarah Morgan's The Summer Seekers is full of characters who will stick with you - all of whom are struggling with finding their place in life. The fun is reading as they find that place in the most unlikely of ways.

Here's the book's description:

Kathleen is eighty years old. After she has a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move into a residential home. But she’s not having any of it. What she craves—what she needs—is adventure.
Liza is drowning in the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza long for a solo summer of her own.
Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.
When Martha sees Kathleen’s advertisement for a driver and companion to share an epic road trip across America with, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. She's not the world's best driver, but anything has to be better than living with her parents. And traveling with a stranger? No problem. Anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?
As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it's never too late to start over…

Each woman in the story was struggling with their current life situation for various reasons. Kathleen is getting older and a recent break in to her house has her a bit rattled. Liza is worried about her mom (no matter that she fended off the intruder with a skillet. Frying pans, who knew?) and her family, her mom excluded, is taking her for granted. Martha is stuck living at home and is feeling unmoored and not sure what she should be doing with her life. The three come together, Martha being a total stranger but totally right for what Kathleen needed, and they help each other get to where they need to be. Literally, in the case of Martha driving Kathleen along Route 66!

I absolutely loved that Kathleen had been a presenter for a travel show in her youth. And not even her youth as you'd typically expect - she was still jetting off for the show when Liza was young and Kathleen was well into her 40s. She seemed to be so great and so magnetic and it would have been really cool to watch her show. It was also so unique and I definitely have not read about a former travel show presenter before!

I think this book was a wee bit too long. There were some repetitious scenes and phrases and I found myself just wishing they'd get on with it. I know I was reading an egalley but those types of things aren't normally changed in the final edition. It might be different if there was a ton of action but this was a very character driven (ha...no pun intended) story so reading the same type of scenes over and over again got kinda boring.

I always have such a fun time reading Morgan's novels but I've found that since she's moved from romance to contemporary fiction, a lot of her stories feel...the same. So many focus on mothers and daughters along with multiple viewpoints and I think I'm kind of over that. I don't want to be reading the same thing over and over again. There can only be so many family problems in this format and I feel like Morgan's written them all a couple of times over. It doesn't mean this story is bad. It's not. It's fun and the relationships are so lovely and you can't help but fall in love with everyone. But I expect more from Morgan and if her next Christmas read doesn't thrill me? I might need to take a break. 

The Summer Seekers was a lovely read featuring three engaging characters on emotional journeys, even while two of them are on physical journeys across America. Relationships of all manners are explored in Sarah Morgan's latest novel and you can't help but root for everyone throughout the story.

Buy a copy of The Summer Seekers
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Connect with the Author
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads * BookBub

About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy, contemporary romance and women’s fiction, and her trademark humor and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe. Described as “a magician with words” by RT Book Reviews, she has sold more than eleven million copies of her books. She was nominated three years in succession for the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America and won the award three times: once in 2012 for Doukakis’s Apprentice, in 2013 for A Night of No Return and in 2017 for Miracle on 5th Avenue. She also won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award in 2012 and has made numerous appearances in their Top Pick slot. As a child, Sarah dreamed of being a writer, and although she took a few interesting detours along the way, she is now living that dream. Sarah lives near London, England, with her husband and children, and when she isn’t reading or writing, she loves being outdoors, preferably on vacation so she can forget the house needs tidying.

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

Review: Just Last Night

I've read Mhairi McFarlane's last three novels (yes, I'm still behind on her backlist) and I think her latest is my favourite yet. Just Last Night, which released last week, was so incredibly enjoyable and a refreshing change of pace from your average rom com. I highly recommend it.

Here's the book's description:

Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.
But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.
In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction...
They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night? 

There was so much about this story that completely surprised me. Some of it was the really hard stuff and the fact that these really hard storylines were found between such brightly coloured covers. There's a death of a friend - one that was basically like family. There's a backstory of child abuse for one character and there's also someone's parent who has dementia. Another surprise? I was also totally set on how I wanted the romance part of the story to go because I love the trope that McFarlane was setting up but then I changed my mind. Nothing about this story screamed typical rom com and I LOVED that. Who knew a story about grief could be so god damn funny?

And it really was funny. McFarlane always writes incredibly witty and intelligent female main characters and I love her for it. They're women who I want to be friends with and I really felt that with Eve. That might have been, in part, because the characters were all 34 and I'll be 34 at the end of the month. Eve wasn't feeling super settled in life and I could kind of identify with that (happily, I do have a great relationship but the career side of things is...well...less so.) I could really feel like I was hanging out right alongside the group of friends and really wish I could have hung out at trivia night with them. 

I was pretty happy with the pace of the novel. It had a pretty distinct "before" and "after", which I liked. I also think I accidentally did myself a solid and I read in chunks - stopping after the funeral and then carrying on the next day. The funeral changes a lot of things for the friends, even more than the obvious - that they've buried one of their best friends far, far too early. If I had to be nitpicky, I wanted to see a little bit more of the Happily Ever After but I also liked being able to imagine what it was like and fill in some of the gaps for myself.

The novel is set in Nottingham, where McFarlane lives, and it's full of Britishisms. Most I understood but there was the odd phrase that had me scratching my head. Which I kind of loved, to be honest. I don't always want authors to pander to a white, North American audience. I want to read something that's not my every day normal. Especially right now. (Side note: I think the audio of this one would be great!) I also liked that Eve and another character take a quick jaunt to Edinburgh. It's not exactly what I'd call a fun trip and they're hardly there but it was nice to revisit in a book the last place I went before the world shut down. 

I'm loving the trend of really real rom coms and was completely enthralled by Mhairi McFarlane's latest. Just Last Night will probably be a favourite of the year and I definitely think everyone should read it.

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

Review: The Last Thing He Told Me

I've been reading Laura Dave for a long time - I first read her novel The First Husband way back in 2012. Even though I've been enjoying her books for almost a decade, I almost didn't request The Last Thing He Told Me. Let me tell you: I am SO glad that I did. I could not put it down and had it finished in two days. And wished I could have started it over again and read it in one sitting!

Here's the book's description:

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

The reason I almost didn't request the latest offering from Dave is because I've been really wary of thrillers lately. I keep picking them up because I love the author but it's not my genre of choice. I've learned I like mysteries more and I was really happy when I realized Dave's was skewing more to the mystery side of things. Hannah isn't a detective or any sort of professional that should be solving mysteries but she's on the case of why her husband is missing (this is not to be confused with cozy mysteries when the local cupcake baker ends up solving murder after murder in a small town that mysteriously does not lose permanent residents). I really had no idea how it would all turn out and I was both dreading and highly anticipating the end of the story. I needed to know what happened but I wasn't ready to say goodbye. That's the mark of a good and enjoyable book in my, well, book. 

The description hints at it a little bit but the relationship between Hannah and Bailey, Owen's teenage daughter, was a highlight of the story. The emotions between the two and reading as they were trying to work out what happened to Owen while still navigating their new relationship was full of heart and I loved it. It was real and raw. There was so much pain, and a bit of distrust, but there was also love underneath it all. The way it ends will have you feeling sad and also so hopeful. 

An amusing aside - Hannah is visited by a US Marshal right after her husband disappears. He seems to be a solid (and good looking) guy so, naturally, I pictured him as the character Raylan Givens, as played by Timothy Olyphant, in Justified. It's funny how the minds work sometimes! (Also, this is an older show that's totally worth a watch.)

Another aside - I'm really happy with the cover of this novel. It's aesthetically pleasing but doesn't scream "THIS IS A SUSPENSE STORY WRITTEN BY A WOMAN" which is so often the case. It's simple but a bit dark and you have to wonder, what's the story behind this cover?

I think the ending might polarize people but I was happy with it. Well, parts of it. I wished for one thing but if I couldn't have that thing, I was pleased with how it wrapped up. How's that for vague? Just read the book and you'll get it and I'll be here for you when you're done!

Laura Dave's latest novel was a riveting read I could not put down. The Last Thing He Told Me was well-written and featured characters you can't help but become invested in. I didn't want it to end and am already looking forward to what Dave writes next.

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

Review: The Secret Path

Karen Swan is an auto-read author for me. So much so that I didn’t even read the description of her latest, The Secret Path, before requesting it! I know I will always enjoy the travels she takes me on through her writing and the story will be heartfelt and enjoyable. I really liked seeing Costa Rica in this novel but the actual story didn’t thrill me quite as much as I’d hoped.

Here’s the book’s description:

Every step leads me back to you.
At just twenty years old, Tara Tremain has everything: a trainee doctor, engaged to the man of her dreams—a passionate American biology student called Alex Carter. But just when life seems perfect, Alex betrays her in the worst way possible.
Ten years later, she's moved on, with a successful career, good friends and a man who loves her. But when she's pulled back into her wealthy family's orbit for an unmissable party in the heart of Costa Rica, she finds herself flung into crisis: a child is desperately ill and the only remedy is several days' trek into the heart of the jungle.
There's only one person who can help—but it's the man who shattered her heart a decade before. And how can she trust him, of all people?

It might have been because I wasn’t really sure what kind of story I was going to be getting into and because I was reading an e-galley (and couldn't check how many pages it lasted), but I found myself wishing the 2011 storyline would hurry itself up. Which is quite silly because it was really enjoyable! I knew it was leading up to Something Big, though, and I found I just wanted to know what that was already. I also couldn’t help but wonder if some of the things mentioned in that timeline (an Airbnb in the countryside or American true crime documentaries streaming on Netflix) really would have been things in London in 2011. I know both Airbnb and Netflix were around back then but it just smacked of Now-ness that it brought me out of the storyline a bit.

I’ve appreciated Swan’s stories even more in the last year (this is the third of hers I’ve read in 13 months) than usual because she always sets her novels in far flung places. Or, if they’re not that far flung, they’re at least flung enough that I’ve never been to them myself (that’s not too hard, I haven’t traveled a ton). Her books have been set in places like London (where she lives), the Scottish Highlands, Paris, the Netherlands, Greece, Banff, Norway, and, in this latest story, Costa Rica. Tara talks often about the Instagram worthy scenes she sees (a bit often, to be honest. It’s gorgeous but influencers are too surface level, I get it). She’s seeing a lot more of the country than she ever had before plus she hadn’t even been back to her family’s cabins in over a decade. The reader gets to “see” all the sights right alongside with her and I could almost feel the oppressive heat and humidity as she trekked through the jungle and hear the waves on the beach as she and her friends relaxed (before all hell broke loose, of course). It was a really nice escape, especially after a week that saw my province impose even more lockdown restrictions to try to curb the spread of COVID-19.

I liked Tara and I was impressed at how she tries not to let her father’s immense wealth get in the way of having a normal life. She has to work extremely hard for it to be that way, of course, but she was always determined to become a doctor and do a lot of good with the opportunities her family’s money provides her with. It was incredibly honourable and it made me really like her. Alex, on the other hand, didn’t seem right for her and I’m not sure I would have acted in the same way as Tara had I been in her shoes. I’m not totally thrilled with how the relationship ended up but if it makes them happy, then I suppose I should be happy for them too. It’s kinda strange how committed we get to these fictional characters and how we feel we know what’s best for them sometimes!

Ultimately, The Secret Path let me down. It is not a bad book and I think Karen Swan’s latest suffered simply from my high expectations. There was too much going on and I didn’t love how the Happily Ever After worked itself out. I know not all of hers will knock it out of the park and it won’t stop me from reading her next book, which will come out near the Christmas season. I wonder where she’ll take us next?! 

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