Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Mini Book Reviews
Summoned to Thirteenth Grave (Charley Davidson, #13) I held off reading this for some time as it is the final Charley Book and I didn’t want to be done with Charley. I absolutely love the audio narrator so this was another fully enjoyable listen. The book had so many reveals and bombshells that had me spinning. And the ending, well it kind of was not too satisfying as things wrapped up a little too quickly. I was expecting BEEP’s battle, and this book was still all about Charley’s fight. So I guess the book was a lead-in to hopefully a series about BEEP. It sure ended on an interesting question. So what’s next Ms. Jones? When?
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (A Lily Singer Cozy Fantasy Adventure Book 1) I got a bunch of these I think during an author giveaway and I’m working through them now. The books are short stories which is right up my alley. This one had 2 stories, separate adventures between our main character the wizard, and her quirky friend, a witch. See in this world the wizards are the magically inclined, and the witches are those who don’t have magic within themselves but can do some spells and know about the magical world. Their adventures have been quite fun so far. Quick easy reads. I’m already in the next book.
FRIENDS WITHOUT BENEFITS: Continuing on my Penny Reid obsession, we have Nico & Elizabeth’s story. Not necessarily earth shattering, but enjoyable. I appreciated how both characters show growth throughout the book. As tropes go, the first\only love one isn’t really my favorite. There is also a strong reminder of the always wear clean underwear lesson. Part of my lack of enthusiasm might be narrator, Devra Wood. The narration for Elizabeth and the rest of the knitting group was fine. But the choice to give Nico a heavier Italian accent irked. Even given that Nico has Italian heritage, why would someone who grew up in Iowa his entire life have a strong paesano accent? Though I do commend the narrator’s great job with the Italian pronunciations. I have no idea what was said, but it sounded great!
ALWAYS BE MY DUCHESS: This was one of the Audible Daily Deals recently and caught my attention. I was thinking it might be fun! It’s definitely a Pretty Woman vibe, with a passionate French ballerina and a closed-off British Duke. There are some very steamy\fiery arguments between the two of them. The romance is believable. And I appreciate the recent trend toward consent in all romance novels. This one also has some fun secondary character who I suspect will be the focus of future novels. Not particularly earth-shattering. But not bad, either.
STONE BLIND: Honestly, I was hoping\expecting this to be much more ‘modern’ or similar to LORE, which I loved. It is not. It’s more of a mythological retelling from the point of view of female mythological characters, Medusa, Athena, Andromeda, and more. Interesting take on Medusa for sure, giving her more backstory than I’ve read previously. But really the only character I actually enjoyed was Gorgoneion and her angry rants about Perseus. Those were hilariously spot on. Skip this if you are not a fan of sexual assault, or Greek gods who are jerks, especially Athena. She is the worst. Author Natalie Haynes narrates the audio. She’s no Neil Gaiman (an excellent narrator, btw). But Ms. Haynes does a great job, especially with pronunciations that I wouldn’t even want to guess at. Overall fine, but wouldn’t say I liked or loved it.
MRS. WICKHAM: Lydia was always one of my least favorite Bennet sister. For obvious reasons. But this short story turns her backstory on it’s ear. We learn that Lydia is actually capable of being a functioning adult. And she molds Wickham into a suitable husband. Quick and enjoyable listen.
BEAUTY AND THE MUSTACHE: I identify with Ashley more so than any other of Penny Reid’s characters. Ok. Not the beauty queen or Viking Poet Boyfriend aspect. But the sassy, book-loving aspect. Ashley and her brothers are awesome! It was a bit weird to read this one out of order, after having read all the Winston books. Ashley even calls Cletus ‘sweet’. THAT’S HILARIOUS! The romance in this book is slow burn for sure. And overshadowed by Ashley’s grief. I did really enjoy Drew and his quiet support of the Winston family. An overall winner for me!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [3 Apr] Lost and Found by Natalie Shampanier, David Pavon ★★★★½
- [5 Apr] The Catcher Dream by Kelly Anne Manuel ★★★★
- [13 Apr] Tale of a Body Thief (Rovena Silvex #1) by Kristy Centeno ★★★½
- [17 Apr] Confessions of a Knight Errant: Drifters, Thieves, and Ali Baba's Treasure by Gretchen McCullough ★★★½
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I like the sound of Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus.
Have a great May reading month.
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Looks like you had a great reading month – some fun titles in your reviews. Have a terrific week and a lovely May (spring is finally showing up here in WA)
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/monthly-wrap-up-april-2023
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys recently posted…Monthly Wrap Up: April 2023