Review: A Real Somebody

To know me is to know I love historical fiction. I’m pretty basic in my usual historical fiction tastes, tending to read all the WWI and WWII fiction, so I like to branch out every once and awhile. And when I find a Canadian historical fiction author writing a book set in Canada? I’m even more interested. I was intrigued by Deryn Collier’s novel A Real Somebody because it was inspired by her aunt and took place in post-war Montreal. Unfortunately, the book did not thrill me and I eventually gave up reading it.

Here’s the book’s description:

Montreal, 1947. To support her once-prosperous family, June Grant joins a steno pool in a prestigious advertising firm. For June, it’s hard to imagine having the kind of life her parents want—the kind of life her sister Daisy has, with a well-off husband and two precocious kids.
But Daisy might not be a picture-perfect housewife after all. As June makes her own waves in the advertising world, she probes a hidden side of her sister’s life.
June’s discoveries upend everything she thought she knew about her sister while challenging her own inner conflict about pursuing her dreams versus living up to expectations. Being a dutiful housewife might mean something else entirely.
Based on the true story of the author’s aunt, A Real Somebody charts the journey of a talented young writer who dares to break the conventions of her time during one pivotal season of her life.

I was really intrigued by the look at advertising in Montreal in the late 40s (I work in comms, of course I’m going to geek out over a look at advertising!) but it was such a small part of the story that even that couldn’t convince me to finish reading the book.

I’m not sure if the reader was expected to know who June Grant was because I certainly didn’t. So, because I had no idea who she was, I wasn’t sure why I was supposed to care about June, the fictional character. And, let me tell you, it sucks to not care about a character’s life when you know they’re supposed to have been based on a real person - the author’s aunt, no less. I’m sure part of my frustration at June came from unintentionally putting my modern views on her life in the 40s. Times were different, I get it, but I was still annoyed at the treatment of women, among other things.

I knew I wasn’t going to finish reading it when I had no desire to get back to the story. I tried to skim and read the last couple of chapters but the story seemed to have veered off in such a bizarre way and, even allowing for the fact that I didn’t read the whole thing, it ended strangely and abruptly.

All that said, Collier’s writing wasn’t one of the reasons I stopped reading. I would be willing to give another of her novels a go if it seemed like a topic that would interest me.

A Real Somebody was, unfortunately, a real miss for me. I wanted to enjoy Deryn Collier’s novel because it sounded like something I could really have a good time reading but the story completely missed the mark for me.

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

Review: With This Witch

When a friend told me With This Witch was a steamy, magical romance, I was all in and immediately signed myself up to receive an ARC of Isla Winter’s debut novel. It definitely hit the steamy mark but the rest of it didn’t quite thrill me as I wanted it to.

Here’s the book’s description:

A marriage of convenience proves to be magically inconvenient, and no spell will get them out of it or calm their burning desires.
Being a legacy witch comes with expectations, and, unfortunately, when Gammy shares that she’s sick, Petra becomes the front-runner for the role of Premier Witch, a part she’s never really wanted. The inconvenient catch? Traditionally, the Premier Witch must be married, and a combative supernatural council member is only too happy to point out. Petra must now find a husband to prove she is serious about accepting the role. Oh, and she must do it in the next thirty days! If she fails, she loses everything.
Enter bar owner and current delicious demon representative on the council, Lachlan Grace. A close friend of Petra’s, Lachlan, has been drawn to her from the moment she walked into his bar. Battling his own demons from his past and tired of being just friends, Lachlan offers himself as an option for a marriage candidate. Will he be able to move out of the friend zone while also keeping his history in the past?
Now, thrust into supernatural politics with a looming deadline, Petra finds herself questioning what she wants in life, struggling with how to make her Gammy proud and keep in check the pesky feelings bubbling under the surface for a smoking hot demon at the same time. What’s a witch to do?

OK - you have to know that I, like most sane people, don’t love writing less-than-positive book reviews. Especially when they’re novels by debut authors and/or that were self-published. But I don't think it's fair of me to only shout about the great books and ignore the ones that I didn’t love.

I love me some witchy books because I’m always curious about how authors put their own spin on magical worlds, even if said world is like our human one and magical folk are living in it. For the most part, I was totally into the world Winter created. I loved that there were different types of creatures all living in town with the humans, who, for the most part, knew there were magical creatures hanging out around them. I wasn’t totally sure if there were more towns like Leeside or if it was the only one. I also didn’t grasp all of the magical rules - how come Petra could clean up her apartment but had to call Lachlan, a male, to change her car’s tire? - but I liked that there was a focus on spells, potions, and herbs for the witches.

I think a big problem for me was I just didn’t understand anyone’s motivations. I never entirely understood why Petra never embraced her magic, knowing she was going to have to take over from her grandmother eventually. I didn’t quite get why Lachlan didn’t want to go back to the underworld or why he’d have to/felt like he should? That was part magical world confusion and part character confusion. The motivations of some important secondary characters were real head scratchers, which was tricky when they impacted the story SO much (yes, it’s vague but if I mention character names, it’ll be spoiled for you and that would be sad!).

I also just could not grasp the timeline in this book. There were times it seemed like, based on the characters’ feelings on how things were going, that time was ticking merrily along but, in fact, it had been, like 24 hours. And other times when we zoomed along to two weeks later? Somehow? It made my head spin.

I suppose I should also mention the romance in this romance novel, eh? I liked Petra and Lachlan together, even when they were refusing to admit they actually had real feelings for each other. I love fake dating tropes and find fake marriages a bit harder to swallow but the fact that they were friends for a few years prior to having to get hitched? That helped and there was clearly chemistry there. And did you catch me mentioning that this was a steamy book? Whew, baby. I found the sex scenes to be really well done.

Overall, With This Witch was a good read. I’m hopeful Isla Winter can grow stronger as a writer with her second Leeside Witches book as I think she has an interesting and fun idea for her series.

*An egalley was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Dream Chasers

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve learned in the last few years that I’m not into thrillers but I am into crime/detective mysteries. And, boy, does knowing your own reading tastes improve your reading life or what! After going down the Louise Penny rabbit hole with a friend, I’ve been on a hunt for another Canadian mystery writer to read while waiting for the next Gamache novel (which will be this fall! Yay!). When I saw that Dundurn Press was repackaging Barbara Fradkin’s Inspector Green series, I thought, why not give this a whirl? I enjoyed the writing in Dream Chasers, book six in the series, but struggled with the content of the mystery. I’m still intrigued enough to carry on with the series though.

Here’s the book’s description:

A seventeen-year-old sets out to meet her secret lover by Ottawa’s Hog’s Back Falls. Three days later, her body washes up in the shallows. The public fears a sexual predator is on the loose, but Inspector Green suspects a more personal connection.
His search for answers draws him into the world of elite young athletes, drugs, and teenage sexuality. Then a social worker who knows too much disappears, and blood is found in the house of a star with NHL prospects. Unless Green can unravel the truth, how many others will pay the ultimate price for a young man's dreams?

What drew me into this story was the fact that it was a Canadian writer, setting her crime fiction in Canada. I loved that aspect of it. My best friend used to live in Ottawa so I recognized a lot of the place names and actually think I’ve been near where the murder occurred. It’s just always nice to read books set in Canada and I appreciated it a lot.

Since I knew this was the sixth book in the series, I anticipated feeling a bit behind when it came to the characters - which was fine and didn’t bother me all that much. But, for some reason, my brain assumed some things might be updated with the republished version. This novel was originally published in 2007 and, news flash, that was a long time ago which becomes super apparent in genre fiction. I found it a bit jarring when I was reminded that this book took place so many years ago (asking if cell phones had video and photo capability, for example) and I couldn’t get my head around why a book was republished and not updated. (I am aware my head is the problem and my assumption that it should have been updated is probably wrong.)

What made me both sad and mad was that the whole “his future will be ruined” thing with hockey players (and all athletes). Yeah, it’s still very much a thing in 2024. And that makes me rage. We know that this kind of garbage takes place in the world of sports (I love sports but you can love a thing and still recognize how toxic it is.) but we’re still not doing enough about it. I don’t know what we can do but there’s gotta be something. And maybe that was part of my frustration with the story.

Setting aside the toxicity of the hockey world and how it hasn’t changed much, if at all, since 2007, there were a few other suuuper cringey moments in this book that I just could not let go of - whether that’s fair to the story or not. Green goes to visit the alternative high school his daughter attends to try to find her and encounters the guidance counselor. For some reason, Fradkin felt the need to focus on the fact that the woman was braless and it was very much implied that she was a hippie and therefore below Green’s police officer status. It was subtle, but it was there. Speaking of breasts, (yep, there’s more), back at the high school the murdered girl attended, the female guidance counselor there notices the D cups on one of the students, in part because that counselor is also well-endowed. Why. Why is the reader being told how large a teenager’s cup size is?

Now, even with all the above issues, I am still interested in reading more of Fradkin’s novels, including continuing with this series. I had a few of the same problems with Penny’s Gamache series when I read some of the earlier ones so I’m well aware this is just a product of its time and I’m willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt.

Even though the crime itself and how it was connected to hockey made me deeply uncomfortable, I was still invested in finding the murderer. Fradkin kept me guessing right up until the end and I appreciated that.

While Dream Chasers left a lot to be desired for me personally, I’m still interested enough in Barbara Fradkin’s Inspector Green series to keep checking out the next books. I liked how she wrote the mystery, if not the social commentary inherent in the story, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in the series.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Dundurn Press, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Canadian Boyfriend

I’m a big fan of Jenny Holiday - both her as a person and her writing. I even got the chance to interview her and Farah Heron at a literary festival last year! So, naturally, I was going to be excited about whatever book she wrote next. Add in the fact that it was called Canadian Boyfriend and I was definitely going to read it. Read it I did - and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Here’s the book’s description:

The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.” It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend” part a little, but it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he's feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.

I was a wee bit worried about the single parent storyline. Traditionally, I’m not a fan. But I didn’t mind this one at all and I think it has to do with the fact that Olivia is older. She’s her own person and her personality and issues were just as important as Rory and Mike’s were. I felt for the kid and was hoping for a tween version of a non-romantic Happily Ever After for her because she sure as hell deserved it.

I gotta say, though, I didn’t buy the Third Act Breakup. This might get a bit spoilery so skip this if you hate any hint of anything. Right. So throughout the whole novel, Rory is struggling with whether or not to tell Mike that they had actually met in passing years before and, wouldn’t you know it, he inspired her to create a fake boyfriend. When she does eventually tell him, he’s pissed. Which I found stupid. I also found it slightly silly that Rory was so worried about telling him but I guess it makes sense since he reacted just as she expected him to. It just didn’t work for me - even with Mike’s hangups about lying (which I also struggled with but I could kind of get it) and Rory’s tendency to be a doormat (her and her BFF’s terms, not mine) - and it was a bit of a bummer to deal with right at the end of the book.

Also - why on earth did Rory refer to him as Mike Martin throughout the entire novel? It was so bizarre. The chapters alternated perspectives and whenever Rory was talking about/describing interactions with Mike, it was almost always “Mike Martin” instead of just Mike. I don’t get it and I’m weirdly fixated on it. *shrugs*

I loved how therapy and looking after one’s mental health was so important in this book and was approached in such a positive light. Mike was doing everything he could to make sure he and his daughter were mentally healthy after Sarah’s death, and that included therapy for the both of them. And it was at his urging that Rory finally went back to therapy herself. They talked about it openly together, and with their friends, and it was all just so…normal. While it wasn’t great that they had such serious issues to work through - grief for Mike and anxiety/panic attacks/eating disorder for Rory - it was great to read about how they were getting the help they needed in a romance novel.

You don’t have to like sports to like this novel. Yes, Mike is a professional hockey player and there are lots of references to the sport but Rory is a total newbie and things are explained well to her (and, by proxy, to any reader who doesn’t know hockey). And for those of us who do know a little bit about the sport, we’re not bored with info we already know. It was well done. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of a hockey player dating a (former) ballerina and how Holiday approached the toxicity of the world of ballet.

As you can tell, there’s a lot to unpack with this romance novel. But even with all of the serious (and incredibly important) topics, Canadian Boyfriend is, at its core, a romance. I loved the little Canadianisms sprinkled throughout and fell in love with all the characters. I’m so glad we’re going to get Gretchen’s book next! I think Jenny Holiday has a winner on her hands with this romance and I think other readers will agree.

*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: The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard

Natasha Lester has become a Must Read author for me ever since I read her novel The Paris Secret at the end of 2020. I love how she approaches historical fiction and how she weaves (pun intended) fashion into her stories. The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard is her latest and it’s another winner.

Here’s the book’s description:

Three generations. One chance to prove themselves. Can the women of the Bricard fashion dynasty finally rewrite their history?
French countryside, Present: Blythe Bricard is the daughter of famous fashion muses but that doesn't mean she wants to be one. She turned her back on that world, and her dreams, years ago. Fate, however, has a different plan, and Blythe will discover there is more to her iconic mother and grandmother than she ever knew.
New York, 1970: Designer Astrid Bricard arrives in bohemian Chelsea determined to change the fashion world forever. And she does―cast as muse to her lover, Hawk Jones. And when they're both invited to compete in the fashion event of the century―the Battle of Versailles―Astrid sacrifices everything to showcase her talent. But then, just as her career is about to take off, she mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind only a white silk dress.
Paris, 1917: Parentless sixteen-year-old Mizza Bricard has made a to be remembered on her own terms. Her promise sustains her through turbulent decades and volatile couture houses until, finally, her name is remembered and a legend is born―one that proves impossible for Astrid and Blythe to distance themselves from.

There are some definite Daisy Jones and the Six vibes about this story but Lester’s novel is entirely her own. The focus is on fashion instead of music but the time period is similar, as is the gossip, sex, drugs, and rock and roll atmosphere. I wouldn’t say music or fashion are huge passions of mine but Lester, like Jenkins Reid, was able to hook me with a world I may never have read about. Which would have been a damn shame.

Like Lester’s other novels, and many other historical fiction stories, this was a multi-timeline novel. I’m honestly getting a little over that…would we call it a trope? Storytelling choice? I don’t know why it’s been such A Thing in historical fiction but here we are. But Lester uses the three timelines well, for the most part. The bulk of the novel is dedicated to Astrid and Hawk during the seventies as their personal and professional lives collided in a spectacular explosion. Then there was Blythe in what the book’s description calls “present” but is actually the 2010s (I want to say 2012?). Finally, Lester introduces Mizza in 1917 and follows her through both World Wars, focusing on what she was involved in during WWII. 

Mizza’s storyline is where things got a bit muddled which is interesting since, of all the characters, she’s the only person who actually existed. Lester notes at the end that much of Mizza’s background is unknown and, like a lot of French women who lived through World War II, she never spoke of what happened during that time. I don’t really mind when authors take liberties with real people, and I don’t think that was my issue with Lester’s treatment of Mizza. As intrigued as I was with Mizza and how the Bricard dynasty began, I felt like it was a totally separate story and didn’t quite mesh with Astrid and Blythe’s story. 

I never, ever feel like Lester does an info dump in her novels, which is surprising since there is always so much new-to-me information in her stories! I love love love how passionate she is about fashion and how she inserts interesting (and relevant) details into her novels about the world of fashion. She does her research on other historical tidbits too which make the novels feel authentic and such a joy to read.

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard isn’t going to usurp The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre as my favourite Natasha Lester novel but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great read. I still loved it! Other historical fiction lovers will find a story that is interesting, emotional, informative, and entertaining all at once. I definitely recommend it!

*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: Never Blow a Kiss

I think many of us can say Bridgerton is the reason we started reading historical romances, whether we first discovered the series twenty years ago or five or maybe even just last week. I know I didn’t read much before I “met” the family but, since then, I’ve tried out a number of series to see if I could find another that intrigued me as much, or more. I’ve found a few gems so I was happy to try Never Blow a Kiss, the first book in Lindsay Lovise’s new series Secret Society of Governess Spies.

Here’s the book’s description:

The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave it behind in her respectable new role as a governess. But when she is recruited by a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton, it may just be a way to redeem the dark secrets of her past.
Straddling the worlds of the ton and the working class, as an ex-solider turned railroad magnate, Zach hunts killers for the Metropolitan Police by day and dutifully attends balls at night. In neither world has he met a woman with the brazenness to mock him. So when a saucy governess blows him a kiss he is determined to catch her, never expecting that when he does he will find an intelligent, quirky woman hiding more than her true name. As Zach peels back the layers of Emily’s lies, he falls for the street-wise woman who handles a dagger like a pro and kisses like a mistress. But when his affair with Emily intertwines with his hunt for a killer, he discovers Emily is hiding an explosive secret—one that could destroy them both.

I flew through this novel but not necessarily because I was loving it. It was fine - it kept my interest (mostly - I definitely skimmed a little) and I was invested in the characters but it was, well, just fine. The mystery was weak, I have no idea how accurate it was historically, but it was the romance that kept me coming back to the story. We’ll get back to that!

First, the mystery. I like when historical romances have an element of crime and intrigue because it usually means the female characters are no simpering heroines. I also just like a good mystery. This…was not a good mystery. I don’t know if I just stopped paying attention to the nuances (if there were any) but I feel like there were a few holes in the mystery and the reveal of the serial killer. Justice was served but my modern sensibilities may have expected a different wrap up to the mystery.

I really did love the characters though. Even when I thought they were being boneheaded (we’ve all felt that about romance leads, have we not?). I respected that Emily wanted to keep some things close to her chest though I felt her Big Secret took too long to be revealed. I can see that Lovise was going for shock value but it was a bit lost on me as I was way over it by the time it came around for the Third Act Breakup. That frustration aside, I respected Emily and how she had been able to get herself out of a hellish situation. I loved her for many of the same reasons Zach did - she was smart and feisty. Zach had a rough childhood as well and now his vast fortune meant the ton couldn’t ignore him (but they’d ignore his background, of course). I liked that you could tell he wasn’t letting his obscene amount of money go to his head and he tried to keep busy by helping out with the newly formed police force.

Now, the romance! Because I cared about the couple as people, it was so easy to become invested in their relationship. Considering Zach had to do a lot of encouraging and persuading to convince Emily that sex could, in fact, be pleasurable for both parties, this book was steamier than I expected. It was sexy without being over the top with a few scenes that would have ladies of the ton fluttering their fans and fainting dead away. Zach was not going to push Emily at all and he wasn’t going to do a thing without her explicit consent and Emily could tell she’d be safe to explore the “tingly” feelings with him. And that mutual respect made things a hell of a lot sexier.

Never Blow a Kiss was Lindsay Lovise’s first novel and it was a fine first book. I’m not entirely sure I’m intrigued enough in the series and her writing to continue but I think historical romance fans might still consider picking this one up. It’s a quick read with characters you’ll love so it might be perfect to curl up with on a chilly winter weekend.

*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: Red String Theory

I wasn’t in love with Lauren Kung Jessen’s debut novel, Lunar Love (review here). But I still enjoyed her approach to romances, her writing, and the sound of her second novel, Red String Theory. I’m glad I gave this one a chance - especially in audiobook form - as it was a really enjoyable romance that I’m still thinking about, a few days after finishing it.

Here’s the book’s description:

Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?
When it comes to love and art, Rooney Gao believes in signs. Most of all, she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. And that belief has inspired her career as an artist, as well as the large art installations she makes with ( obviously ) red string. That is until artist’s block strikes and Rooney begins to question everything. But then fate leads her to the perfect guy . . .
Jack Liu is perfect. He’s absurdly smart, successful, handsome, and after one enchanting New York night—under icy February skies and fueled by fried dumplings—all signs point to destiny. Only Jack doesn’t believe. And after their magical date, it looks like they might be lost to each other forever . . . until they’re given one more chance to reconnect. But can Rooney convince a reluctant skeptic to take a leap of fate?

Like the heroine in Lunar Love, Rooney is a bit too set in her views on romance (and fate). I appreciated that she believed in love so much and I love the idea of stringmates (when two people are connected by an invisible string and are considered soulmates) but it seemed so limiting and I felt it was really harming her romantic life. But, as an artist, she was curious so even with her set beliefs about love, she did try to approach life a little differently.

I loved that Rooney was an artist and Jack worked at NASA. These are not careers you may expect to see collide in a romance but it was so much fun. Their views on the world could not have been more different but it was a beautiful example of how a couple can succeed (and thrive) because they approach things differently but love and respect the other and their opinions. And the way they supported each other? Gah, it was so wonderful.

While the romantic relationship between Rooney and Jack was, you know, kind of the point of the romance, I think the story was made stronger by the familial relationships included. Rooney and her mom had a tight and unique bond since it had been just the two of them against the world for Rooney’s whole life. And while Jack didn’t have a close relationship with his parents, his grandfather had been a constant in his life and I adored every scene Gong Gong was in.

Finally, a note on the audiobook! I find romances can sometimes be less enjoyable on audiobooks for some reason but the narrators for this one? Oh, they sold me on the story immediately. Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace were the narrators for Red String Theory and they did a great job. I liked that it was dual narration and, bonus, they read all the dialogue too. I have listened to many books where the narrator does a terrible opposite gender voice and the story and my enjoyment is harmed because of it. It was a really enjoyable narration and I would definitely listen to either narrator again.

Red String Theory was a delightful, sweet romance from Lauren Kung Jessen. I’m so happy to have read it and look forward to reading her next book.

*An egalley was provided by HBG Canada and an ALC was provided by Forever, both via NetGalley, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*