👶👶👶👶: Life, and Death, and Giants, by Ron Rindo

Wow, what a novel. The powerful messages woven throughout this story truly resonated with me: faith and doubt, the intersection between religion and the secular world, and the weight of secrets. Sure, there were some tough moments that were hard to digest, but the beauty of the writing completely outweighed the difficult parts of the story. I have to say, I was completely blown away by the direction this novel took! I genuinely never saw the shocking twist coming - and I'm usually pretty hard to surprise. I found myself utterly captivated by this enchanting magical realism story.

Ron Rindo crafted his characters with such care. Gabriel was an endearing young man, and Hannah was just delightful. Thomas really pulled at my heartstrings with his heartbreaking backstory. Even Coach, despite his foibles, managed to evoke a sense of sympathy from me. I will admit, I wasn't as forgiving as Hannah when it came to Josiah's sins - I'm still not sure how I feel about it... when you read it, let's chat!

Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions as this story unfolds! You’ll find yourself raising an eyebrow, sighing in frustration, cringing in disgust, and smiling with delight. It left me in a very contemplative mood, reflecting on the beauty of life. As I see it, these reactions are all the hallmarks of a truly outstanding novel.

Many thanks to partners, St Martin's press and NetGalley for this gifted review copy.

Read 9/15/25

👶👶👶👶: The Tapestry of Time, by Kate Heartfield

This engaging historical fiction novel set during WWII revolves around four sisters: Kit, Ivy, Rose, and Helen. Their father, a passionate historian, had always been convinced that the Bayeux Tapestry holds prophetic secrets. Unfortunately, the Nazis are equally as captivated by the tapestry...

With elements of magical realism, the story draws readers into the sisters' journeys as they navigate their unique roles in the fight against the Germans. Along the way, we witness their hesitation to embrace their clairvoyant abilities.

While I do enjoy multiple points of view, I’ll admit that keeping track of all four sisters sometimes made my head spin! But honestly, that probably comes from juggling so much else in my life right now that has nothing to do with the book😩.

I was fascinated to learn more about The Bayeux Tapestry - something I'd never even heard of before, and I was certainly impressed with @kateheartfield 's thorough research!

Many thanks to #partners @tlcbooktours and @harpercollins for this #gifted review copy!

Read 7/22/25

👶👶: A Short Walk Through a Wide World, by Douglas Westerbeke

I feel like this novel was an attempt to impart some ethereal wisdom that I was supposed to appreciate, but all I can say is, "What the hayl did I just read???!!!" Clearly, I was not intelligent enough to understand what the author was hoping to promulgate. Honestly, it took me FOREVER to finish this book... like 2 months😱!!! I just couldn't get into it, but I never gave up! The bloody scenes were just too much for me to stomach, and such a strange way to move the plot along. The frustration of Aubrey never being able to escape her unbidden reality only ended up frustrating me.

This book was likened to Addie LaRue, which is the reason I chose to read it, but I must respectfully disagree. Whereas I absolutely adored Addie LaRue, I muddled through this one. I feel terrible being so forthright about my feelings with regard to the book because I know this was the author's debut and he poured his heart into it, but I must be honest, it just wasn't for me. 

However, don't discount it just because of my opinion - if your thing is magical realism with moments of horror, and a tinge of mystery, this might be your cup of tea! But beware of a nonlinear and confusing (for me) storyline that will leave you with many unanswered questions.

Truth be told, I just don't think I was the target audience, so Ima go rinse my palate with something light and lovely.

Many thanks to partners, Avid Reader Press & NetGalley for this gifted review copy! So sorry I didn't love it y'all🙈.

Read 5/22/24

👶👶👶👶: The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead

Many thanks to Goodreads, Anchor Books, & Penguin Random House for this gifted book . I was so excited to win this Goodreads Giveaway!

WOW. Colson Whitehead is genius. His literal depiction of the Underground Railroad was so believable, I suddenly thought I had misunderstood my history lessons in school. While the term Underground Railroad has always been used metaphorically to denote a complex system of transporting slaves to safety, Mr. Whitehead imagines actual tunnels with tracks built by slaves with help along the way from abolitionists. That depiction was in and of itself a sort of allegory of our marred history - what seems unimaginable actually happened. It read like historical fiction and I was immediately transported. Of course, the brutality was 100% accurate. The savagery is always shameful and no matter how many books I read on this topic, I can't fathom how people could treat fellow human beings in such an inhumane way. And through it all, Cora remained resolute in her journey, and I felt her pain, reluctance, and hope as if I were right there beside her.

Whitehead writes with such emotional intensity, it's no wonder he received the Pulitzer Prize & National Book Award for Fiction for this gem of a novel.

Read 11/6/22        

👶👶👶: A Woman in Time, by Bobi Conn

Many thanks to TLC Book Tours & Amazon Publishing for gifting me this lovely novel and including me on this book tour!

Mixing magical realism and women's fiction, Bobi Conn's debut novel is as ethereal as it is grimly palpable. Knowing little about the Appalachian way of life prior to reading this novel, the author did a tremendous job of drawing me in to the reality of it all.

Conn imagines women that are strong, but restricted by the time and place they inhabit. In the case of the main female protagonist, that strength is nearly vanquished, which allows the reader to experience her complete sense of dejection. The story is evocative and engrossing, and the setting is incredibly vivid. I found myself rooting for Rosalee, and later Bethany, hoping for reprieve for these poor, sweet girls.

I struggled with the age that these young girls were forced into marriage, but know it was a way of life for many during this time period and beyond. As with any novel that deals in the harsh realities of historical fiction, it was hard to read some of the scenes. The physical and sexual abuse toward women of each generation was a lot to stomach, but sadly necessary to portray the truth.

Kudos to Bobi Conn for a well-written, immersive novel.

Read 9/12/22         

👶👶👶👶: The Unknown Beloved, by Amy Harmon

There is always such joy reading an Amy Harmon novel, regardless of the subject matter. Her stories inevitably stay with me long after the last page has been turned and it is such a privilege to behold the beauty of her work. Amy's writing always offers hope where there is none, especially when the promise of hope seems impossible...

"𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈... 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚."

This time around Ms. Harmon takes her readers on a historical fiction journey through the darkest depths of humanity to ultimately uncover a most sinister evil. Eventually, she wraps us in a warm hug as she demonstrates that love does indeed conquer all.

Most aspects of this novel were based on true events, including gruesome murders that took place in Cleveland in the 1930s. In addition, most characters were real people, such as the famed Eliot Ness and lesser known special agent, Michael Malone, along with a slew of minor characters.

As always, Harmon adds a timeless love story that is all at once, incredibly complicated, yet strangely simple. This time around, an element of magical realism is thrown into this historical fiction story for good measure, because, let's be honest, she is capable of knocking EVERY SINGLE GENRE out of the park! And as usual, her insightful quotes are scattered throughout the novel:

"𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈."

I know I've said it often, but let me reiterate, GO READ HER WORK! You won't be disappointed!

Many thanks to Amy Harmon for gifting me with this magnificent advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️TW: Intensely graphic murder scenes, loss of a parent

Read 4/19/22