Review: The Fiancée Farce

I fell in love with Alexandria Bellefleur and her writing when I first read her novel Written in the Stars (review) back in 2020. I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel, The Fiancée Farce, and I think it might be my new favourite of hers (or at the very least tied with Hang the Moon! (review)). I loved everything about it!

Here’s the book’s description:

Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.
Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.
Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…

Fake dating (or fake engagement) tropes are, well, kind of ridiculous. How anyone ever expects them to work is beyond me but, damn, if I don’t love reading them. Stakes are high (would you agree to fake date someone if they weren’t?) and the tension is delicious. When will they realize they’re actually into each other? Will they have to come clean about it being a fake arrangement? Oh, the suspense!

Tansy and Gemma were absolute delights to read about. Each woman has their own chapters and I really enjoyed having a dual POV. Bellefleur’s done dual POV in all the other books of hers I’ve read and it really adds something special to the story because she does it so well. Both women are far more nuanced than you’d first expect and I love how the reader learns more and more about them as the story unfolds.

I had all the feelings while reading this one. There were swoony moments and there were steamy moments all balanced in an absolutely magical way. It wasn’t just the romance-y or lust-y feelings that came through the pages either. Neither woman has an ideal family life - found family is big in this book - and there were a few heartbreaking moments in this story as well. Knowing Tansy and Gemma had each other to lean on was so important - and so wonderful.

Plus, how great is it when one of the main characters runs a bookstore? I love bookish touches like that in novels and I know I’m not the only one. And the additional nod to romances with Gemma’s past as a romance novel cover model was too much fun. It made for a GREAT meet cute!

It’s always really hard to review a book I adored and The Fiancée Farce is no different. I loved Alexandria Bellefleur’s latest novel and I think all romance readers need to pick this one up. It’s funny, smart, sexy, and so well written. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book from Bellefleur!

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

Review: Pebble and Dove

Pebble & Dove, the latest novel from Amy Jones is, in a word, delightful. It’s an emotional family drama but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Pebble, referenced in the title, is a manatee, after all. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book and was a little sad when I finished and had to say goodbye to all the characters I had come to know over the course of the novel.

Here’s the book’s description:

This is the story of a family falling apart, only to be brought back together again by an unlikely champion--a 1,000-pound aquatic mammal named Pebble.
Lauren's life is a mess. She has a storage unit full of candles she can't sell, a growing mountain of debt, and a teenage daughter, Dove, who barely speaks to her. Then her husband sends her a text that changes everything. Eager to escape her problems, she drives herself and Dove south to her late mother's rundown trailer in Florida. While keeping her eccentric new neighbours at Swaying Palms at bay, Lauren begins to untangle the truth about her estranged mother. How did world-famous portrait photographer Imogen Starr end up at Swaying Palms? And what happened to her fortune and her photographs?
Meanwhile, Dove has secrets of her own. A mysterious photograph leads her to discover the abandoned Flamingo Key Aquarium and Tackle, where she meets Pebble, the world's oldest manatee in captivity. It is Pebble, a former star attraction, and her devoted caretaker, Ray, who will hold the key to helping Lauren and Dove come to terms with Imogen's unexpected legacy.
Darkly funny and sharply observed, Pebble & Dove is a moving novel about the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, and learning how to choose between what's worth saving and what needs to be let go.

The premise for this book is, quite frankly, ridiculous. There’s a once famous manatee that everyone (but Ray) has forgotten about. Imogen has died and no one is dealing with it well - if they even knew about it. There are secrets upon secrets that shouldn’t be secrets but no one in this family understands how to speak to each other and feelings have been hurt a hundred times over throughout the years. But it all works, which shows how talented Jones is. She can take a concept that is bananas and turn it into something that is funny, emotional, and heartwarming all at once.

Lauren caused a few problems for me. But in such a way that, when I really thought about it, I realized that, no, she’s not actually problematic. She’s deeply human. We just don’t often read about these kinds of characters. There’s nothing really wrong with her - she’s just trying to make the best out of the life she feels has been thrust upon her. She felt that her mother didn’t love her so she overcompensated in her own life - while still never having the important conversations she should have had with her mother or her daughter. It takes a lot to realize when you’re really not OK and I was really, really glad with how the book ended up for Lauren. Things are still broken but you can see the path out of it. Jones doesn’t wrap everything up in a neat little bow (what kind of life is that?) but she leaves the reader with hope.

Dove was my favourite character in this story. I hurt when she hurt and I was so mad that her parents were so wrapped up in their own stuff that they couldn’t see what was going on with her. She’s 14 - she’s dealing with a lot and she’s no longer a kid but she’s not an adult either. She still needs more guidance and obvious love (even if she rolls her eyes at it) and she just wasn’t getting it - even though her parents truly do love her to pieces. She has such a huge heart and she’s a smart kid and I was left with the overwhelming feeling that she was going to do some amazing things in her life. I loved that feeling.

The story is told from multiple perspectives with some time lapses. Lauren and Dove are the main narrators and their present day stories move the plot along. Ray is telling his wife a story of his work at the aquarium and with Pebble. And there are a few chapters from Imogen’s perspective that help connect some of the dots Lauren and Dove are finding during their stay (escape) in Florida. It may sound confusing but Jones manages it wonderfully and each section plays an important role in the overall story.

Pebble & Dove is a beautiful and wonderful story that’s funny in all the right spots (and even some wrong ones but that’s what makes it right). I’m reminded every time I read one of Amy Jones’ novels (this is the third of hers I’ve read and I think it’s my favourite) how talented she is. You should definitely pick up a copy of Pebble & Dove as soon as you can!

*A finished copy of this novel was provided by Penguin Canada as part of their Penguin Reads program in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Wedding of the Season

I absolutely LOVED Lauren Edmondson’s debut novel Ladies of the House when I read it back in 2021 (review here). So, I had high hopes for her sophomore novel, Wedding of the Season. It didn’t quite live up to her first novel but it was still a really engaging read full of family drama and well-rounded characters.

Here’s the book’s description:

It's the wedding of the season and all of Newport is abuzz in this funny, joyous, whip-smart novel about two modern-day society families and the summer wedding that has the whole town talking...
Despite its beauty, Newport is a place Cass Coventry would prefer to forget. But after an extended absence, she’s back in her hometown to celebrate her sister’s engagement—even if she’s marrying into the family that famously stole the Gilded Age Coventry mansion out from under them a decade ago.
The moment Cass pulls up to the estate, she’s in for one surprise after another. The bride-to-be is hiding a big secret. Her mother has royal-wedding aspirations. And, when the date is set for only three months away, a local gossip blog makes the two families its new favorite subject.
It's not long before Cass's weekend in town becomes a full summer of frenzied wedding planning and society drama—but also idyllic sails, starry nights, and a former love. As the grand affair arrives, along with new truths about her family, Cass must finally face her own thorny past in Newport and decide how to honor the Coventry legacy in all its chaotic glory.

Wedding of the Season felt like a very gossip-y book - in a good way. Maybe that was because there was an anonymous gossip blogger writing about all the drama that was unfolding. But it was really quite delightful to sit by and read as Cass’ family’s secrets were revealed to the entire town. Who are also sitting by, absolutely delighted at the (further) fall from grace, and quite content to talk about the Coventry's behind their backs. And sometimes right in front of them. Scandalous!

I really liked Cass. She was flawed in a way that it would have been so easy to get frustrated with her and not care about her story but Edmondson made me care. She was a good person who had made some silly choices (ugh so silly) but it was nothing she couldn’t come back from. She was talented and cared about her family, as much as they infuriated her. She had layers which made her a really enjoyable main character to read.

I don’t know if it was because of Edmondson’s previous novel, which was a modernization of Sense and Sensibility, but I was totally getting Pride and Prejudice vibes from this one. Cass was a lot like Elizabeth, and her sister played the role of Jane, who is marrying the rich neighbour (“Netherfield Park is let at last!”). There’s a lot of pride and a hefty dose of prejudice throughout the book. Cass is convinced that her family is an embarrassment and she caused some of that embarrassment many years ago, which had her staying away from town for far too long. She was too self-absorbed to realize the pain she was causing and I found myself desperately hoping that she would figure it out and work to repair all the relationships she had been damaging by refusing to come home.

The setting of this book makes it a really enjoyable book to read in the summer. I really felt like I was in Newport, somewhere I’ve never been in my life. But I could really get a sense of the town and how it would have felt to grow up there, thanks to Edmondson’s writing.

Wedding of the Season may not have blown me away but I still very much enjoyed the time I spent reading Lauren Edmondson’s newest book. I’m really looking forward to reading whatever she comes out with next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins/HTP Books, via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: To Track a Traitor

I’ve talked (at length) about how I was very late to the Lane Winslow mysteries and how glad I was to finally pick up the first book in the series, A Killer in King’s Cove, back in 2021. Just, you know, 6 years after it had been published. I’ve caught up on Iona Whishaw’s amazing historical mysteries and was, like many readers, eagerly awaiting the publication of book 10 (!!), To Track a Traitor, which was finally published in April. Was it worth the wait? You bet!

Here’s the book’s description:

It’s an early morning in May when Lane is pulled from a deep sleep by a concerning phone call from Scotland—her grandfather has had a heart attack. Lane hastily makes plans to fly overseas, and a dejected Inspector Darling prepares himself for a stint of bachelorhood. But before he can begin to dwell on it the Nelson Police learn that Ben Arden, a local cad, has gone out for a late-night boat ride and not returned, which immediately sets the town rumour mill churning.
In Scotland Lane finds her grandfather on the mend but her estranged sister Diana caught up in stressful—and mysterious—circumstances of her own. As Lane follows the thread leading from South Africa to Aberdeen to the War Office in London it becomes apparent that her sister is on the run, and that keeping secrets seems to be a Winslow family trait.
Back at the Nelson Police station a strange assemblage of clues begins to amass around the Arden case, stretching from the local printshop all the way back to the Great War. But progress is interrupted when the mayor himself issues a demand that Darling travel to England to tie up a decades-old mystery with local connections. True to form, upon Darling’s arrival in London he is quickly swept up in Lane’s mission, which threatens to endanger the entire family.

Lane’s sister has been a bit of a mystery for the entire series. Lane and Diana clearly don’t have much of a relationship but there were only allusions to why that might be. I really enjoyed getting to know Lane’s family even more in this book, especially as it gave a little more insight into why Lane is the way she is. And, interestingly enough, how some traits clearly run in the family.

I don’t think I particularly liked the stress put on Lane and Darling’s relationship (er, spoiler alert) but I also understand why Whishaw would have included it in the story. They’re still newlyweds and learning how to live with, not only their spouse, but with another person for the first time in many, many years. Both Lane and Darling are older (for the time…I’m pretty sure Lane is only in her late 20s, possibly early 30s) and never really pictured married life for themselves. It’s a huge adjustment. So, while I was sad that one of my favourite fictional couples was facing some relationship problems, it made a lot of sense.

As always, the history and the mystery play equally important roles in the story. It’s part of why I love this series so much, honestly. There are always a few mysteries that require solving and I can never make sense of the clues before Lane and Darling (or Darling’s right-hand man, Ames) have figured out the whole case. I like that I’m kept guessing through the whole book. And I like that I’m learning more about Canadian history while waiting to find out whodunit. This time, Whishaw shared details about both world wars and what it would have been like for various people during that time. Interesting, as always!

As eagerly as I was awaiting To Track a Traitor, I’m now sad that I’ve finished Iona Whishaw’s latest book! I’m going to have to wait so long for the next story in Lane Winslow’s series and waiting is so hard! If you like historical fiction and mysteries, you really must read this series. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

*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: The Paris Deception

You know I love a good historical fiction set during the wars. What you may not know is how interested I am in any storyline that references the theft of art from (mostly Jewish) individuals by the Nazis. I’m horrified by it but also fascinated by those who did everything they could to hide pieces, make lists of what was stolen, and tried to track the artwork down after the war. So, it was no surprise I was interested in reading The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull. I was fascinated from the start and the historical tale she told was entertaining and engaging.

Here’s the book’s description:

Sophie Dix fled Stuttgart with her brother as the Nazi regime gained power in Germany. Now, with her brother gone and her adopted home city of Paris conquered by the Reich, Sophie reluctantly accepts a position restoring damaged art at the Jeu de Paume museum under the supervision of the ERR—a German art commission using the museum as a repository for art they’ve looted from Jewish families. 
Fabienne Brandt was a rising star in the Parisian bohemian arts movement until the Nazis put a stop to so-called “degenerate” modern art. Still mourning the loss of her firebrand husband, she’s resolved to muddle her way through the occupation in whatever way she can—until her estranged sister-in-law, Sophie, arrives at her door with a stolen painting in hand.
Soon the two women embark upon a plan to save Paris’s “degenerates,” working beneath the noses of Germany’s top art connoisseurs to replace the paintings in the Jeu de Paume with skillful forgeries—but how long can Sophie and Fabienne sustain their masterful illusion?

Sometimes dual narrative storylines bother me. Usually because one character doesn’t have as much to do with the story and it can seem obvious that the author is padding the novel because there isn’t enough historical detail to fully flesh out one character’s story. That wasn’t the case with this book. Sophie and Fabienne had very different roles to play even while they were working towards the same goal. They also had very different backgrounds which allowed the reader to gain a better understanding of what life would have been like during this time. Sophie’s past, especially, was eye-opening. I know it’s just fiction but I felt Turnbull was able to illustrate how it would have felt for anyone living in Germany as Hitler gained more and more power prior to the outbreak of World War II.

I must say that I don’t think I cared about the main characters as much as I think I was supposed to. I liked them and was rooting for them, of course. But I don’t know if I was particularly invested. I cared far more about the art and the work they were doing to save it. Was this a personal bias? Perhaps. This is a part of history that fascinates (and saddens) me. Maybe I was just too focused on that rather than making sure I was caring more about the characters.

As with many war novels, I found myself wondering what I would do if I found myself in Sophie or Fabienne’s positions. Would I have smuggled art out of a museum at the risk of my own life? Would those small acts of resistance been enough or would I, unlike the women in the book, have formally joined the Resistance? Would I have hid Jewish families in my home? Or would I have turned a blind eye and just tried to survive the Nazi occupation in my city? We all hope we’d be brave and on the right side of history (you know, the side where people weren’t being murdered for their beliefs), but we can’t really know. Not until we’re faced with that choice. It’s a sobering thing to think about and I’m glad authors like Turnbull write books that show the shades of grey that was just trying to survive the war. It’s not as black and white as our history books make it seem.

The Paris Deception was my first Bryn Turnbull novel but it certainly won’t be my last. She’s a talented author with a knack for finding interesting parts of history to write about. Lovers of art and historical fiction should think about checking this one out.

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

Review: The Stolen Hours

Most of you will know that I’ve been reading Karen Swan books for a long, long time now. I was really impressed by the first book in her new historical fiction series, The Last Summer, which was published last year (review here). It was left on such a cliffhanger that I was desperate for the second book. The Stolen Hours focuses on another of the inhabitants of St. Kilda and gives some more details on what, exactly, happened on that last night on the island.

Here’s the book’s description:

A reluctant bride. A forbidden romance. An island full of secrets . . .
It’s the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in need of a husband. As the eldest girl among nine children, her father has made it clear he can’t support her past the coming winter. On the small, Scottish island of St Kilda, her options are limited. But the MacKinnons’ neighbour, Donald, has a business acquaintance on distant Harris also in need of a spouse. A plan is hatched for Donald to chaperone Mhairi and make the introduction on his final crossing of the year, before the autumn seas close them off to the outside world.
Mhairi returns as an engaged woman who has lost her heart – but not to her fiancé. In love with the wrong man yet knowing he can never be hers, she awaits the spring with growing dread, for the onset of calm waters will see her sent from home to become a stranger’s wife.
When word comes that St Kilda is to be evacuated, the lovers are granted a few months’ reprieve, enjoying a summer of stolen hours together. Only, those last days on St Kilda will also bring trauma and heartache for Mhairi and her friends, Effie and Flora. And when a dead body is later found on the abandoned isle, all three have reason enough to find themselves under the shadow of suspicion . . .

I wasn’t sure how Swan would start off this one. Would it be an immediate sequel, picking up exactly where book one left off? Would the cliffhanger from book one be resolved by the end of book two? It turns out the answer is no to both. I KNOW. I need answers. But I also really appreciate what Swan is doing. This is an ongoing saga and to know the full story, you have to have multiple stories. Instead of continuing where Effie’s story left off, Swan goes back in time and then moves forward to the evacuation once again but this time from Mhairi’s perspective. There were some overlapping stories where pieces from book one started to make a little more sense but there was a lot of new information as well so I wasn’t bored by any repetitive details.

I was, however, a little less…engaged? Maybe? In Mhairi’s story. I loved her, don’t get me wrong. But there were a ton of aspects about that time period that just drove me (and my modern sensibilities) bonkers. I tried to temper that because it’s not fair to put my beliefs and expectations onto characters whose lives are very, very different from my own. When I was able to tamp down my 2023 expectations, I was glad to get a glimpse of what life was/could have been like for women on St. Kilda at that time. I don’t think I would have dealt with it well for all kinds of reasons!

I want to be careful not to share too much about this story because I do think the series needs to be read in order plus there are revelations in this one that I want to keep quiet. Though I will say I did NOT see any of that coming and I wonder how much I may have missed in book one or if Swan cleverly hid some of these details. Whatever it was, it worked for me! I didn’t love some of it but I appreciated how it was all revealed.

I read The Stolen Hours in just a few days - quite the feat for a 400 page novel! I’ve really been enjoying Karen Swan’s journey into historical fiction and I’m desperate to know what actually happened when the residents of St. Kilda were about to be evacuated. I’ll take book three any day now, please!

*An egalley and an ARC were provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Poisoner’s Ring

I was very late to the Kelley Armstrong game, having only read my first book by her in 2020 - a whopping 19 years after her first published book. Since then, I’ve devoured her Rockton series and have been thoroughly enjoying her latest series which began with A Rip Through Time, published last year. (Review here.) The Poisoner’s Ring is the next book in that series and just published this week. I was so glad to be back with Mallory, Gray, Isla, and McCreadie and, dare I say it, I think I liked this one more than the first!

Here’s the book’s description:

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.
Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

This is a mystery novel first, historical novel second. I think Armstrong recognized some of her missteps in book one and took pains to do more research to make the setting more believable and accurate. As a huge historical fiction reader, I appreciated that. But as a mystery reader, I cared a wee bit more about the whodunit. And by cared I mean I was totally addicted and had no idea how the case would be resolved. Armstrong had me guessing right to the end and I loved it.

I think I liked this one more than the first because Mallory was already in the past and wasn’t actively trying to get back to the present. Oh, she wants to return home, of course. But she does enjoy her new life, even with all the weirdness. I was able to get to know the characters and the setting more in this book, rather than focusing on said weirdness that was how Mallory ended up in the past.

The novel was really fast-paced, as you’d expect from a mystery. I love how smart all the main characters are and yet never felt like an idiot for not picking up on the clues they were seeing. I am but a mere library staffer, not a homicide detective. Shouting about how great the library is is more up my alley than sniffing out clues to find out who murdered someone. But the point is, the clues are there and I was perfectly happy not understanding how they all worked together until the big reveal at the end. The resolution of the case was satisfying - though I wish the court of public opinion was kinder.

Kelley Armstrong’s latest book, The Poisoner’s Ring, was an entertaining read that kept me engaged from start to finish. It’s not perfect but it’s incredibly enjoyable and that makes it a win in my books. I’m really loving this series and cannot wait until the next book!

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