First of her Name

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was a recommendation from my bestie Meagan. I might have chosen to read it on my own also. I follow this writer on her instagram page. She is "a blast in a glass." (Deena from Jizzy Shore)

I love historical fiction. However the Middle Ages have never been my jam so to speak. I love the lore of Arthur yet I didn't know the most about it all so this was a lesson for me. Not really spoilers to those who are in the know- Um Lancelot and Guinevere and the betrayal? No was not aware of that of all. I had heard of and was vaguely familiar with the names the Lady of Shalott and also the Lady in the Lake but hadn't the fondest of them being based on actual people. So yes this read was quite the enlightenment of it all to me. Also author's notes love that she based the entire novel on said Lady of Shalott that never got much of anything about her! I loved her so much. Tis why the ending DESTROYED ME.

I adore the fact that the author wrote this book in the course of her own life. That it grew up with her. However I lopped the star off for the frilly language I am so sorry but PLEASE JUST GET TO THE POINT. I know some people love that kind of stuff but me I am a just tell me already don't explain the leaf falling from the tree as it glides and dances and does 800 hundred other things okay it fell good next part. Once I got over myself and focused on the plot though I really enjoyed it.

Like I said the moment I ended it I was bawling my freakin' eyes out. It was that good I got that emotionally invested. I mean I guess the very first chapter told me what was going to happen, I just did not expect it to be quite. like. that. So it ended well yet I was wrecked. A good wrecked and a miserable wrecked. I suppose I needed that cry so Thanks Laura you got me good. And thanks Meagan for suggesting it I now know what to expect in the rest of her books.

For the question of would I recommend this to others? OH ABSOLUTELY. HERE TAKE THIS IT BROKE MY HEART, READ IT.

original review upon finishing;
besides spending the last 30 pages crying my bloody eyes out...

when I recover I will review this properly but UGH.



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The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Absolutely loved everything about this book!

I normally complain about chapters flipping back and forth in time but it was a nice reprieve of it being them in abdication times with the Bolshevik bastards taking them away and away and when things were glamor and good times.

It was also nice to have an Aunt Olga storyline, I never had much about Nicholas' siblings either. It was always Alix and Wilhelm things I learned about when really how often do you talk to your very distant cousins after you grow older and get married right? Same for her.

I've always been an Anastasia everything Romanov "fangirl" so it was nice to focus on Olga the eldest child and not on the youngest sister and the fiction of her survival even though 1991 gave us NO HOPE any of them made it.

I will applaud the Anti- Rasputin sentiments of the Russian people that were included because for real that DID happen and he was indeed murdered! I have studied that in depth myself. I think I even did a speech about it in my college years. The hold he had over them was legit. They feared when he was gone danger would come to the Tsarevich and well we see how history played out. As Steve Berry always does in the end her Author's note displaying truth in her writing and what was solely hers was one of the more enjoyable parts for me as well as I also wanted to know what parts were indeed real and not. I am still questioning exactly how long they were in the two places before the execution order and thankful she did not include that gore in the story. Plus the grace and all they took with them to their graves even though it was anything but elegant. (and the disposing of the bodies so so evil)

I spread out my reading over some time whilst doing other things at the same time as I wanted to take my time to enjoy this book and I really did it was quite lovely. I didn't let my wait a second historian get in the way of the story itself for once.

I cannot think of anything that I did not like about this book at all. Total 5 for me.



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Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno by Nancy Jo Sales

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Gotta let it all sink in what.a.read!!!

Very enlightening.

My situation is not the same. Although it did give me some good pointers I suppose. Very entertaining too. I wonder if poor Abel has ever picked it up to see how he is depicted?

It takes a lot to make yourself vulnerable and write a memoir. Even more so about something so personal like your love life. Even if it started as a small social experiment and then became even more than that.

I appreciated how much in depth Nancy went. All the research and statistics and interviews she did and included. A lot of food for thought really.

I had to keep picking it back up to continue where I left off like I could not leave it sitting there unread I had to know the next part and what was going on. I was glued.

Not sure if it is a book for everyone however. I mean I can see how the uptight bitches on here gave it low reviews. Must suck to be that miserable in your life to have to come online and give a bad rating to a book because someone is having more fun in theirs and wrote about it. Another reason behind me giving it MY perfect reading. I really could not think of anything to take a star off for I absolutely loved it.

I just hope I am not on the dating apps long enough to have that many experiences to talk about oof.



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The Keepers of Metsan Valo by Wendy Webb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A book chosen for me by my writer's subscription box.
Not something I would have found on my own but I am very happy it found me!

Finnish folklore galore. Mystery. Random happenings. I was ALL.IN.

I was very invested in the lives of Annelise and Theo the twins.
I am very pleased with how Yale came around or more Anni's view of him in the end.

She grew very much during on what seemed about a two week timeline of this book maybe?

I liked the writing too.
I might check out other works by Wendy Webb.

I was very much hoping for Anni and Patrick to wind up together and it seems to be headed that way.

Metsan Valo itself though, what a place! I wish a true thing existed, who knows it very well may. I want something tangible to go to but for now I can have one in my mind.

The only reason I really lopped off the star was because it is not the best thing I have ever read basically I would not go around telling everyone they have to read it and I was also triggered by Arden's "coma" amongst other things. And the non existent father. Otherwise pretty solid read all around.



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A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love it when I think I know whodunit and I'm WRONG!

It was a breath of fresh air to have Armand the entire novel this time. I just love this guy!! Also he is not called in after the murder, he was actually there when it happened. The culprit had the audacity to commit murder with the Chief Inspector of Homicide on the premises.

There was a lot more Reine-Marie this time too. I adore the two of them together.

No Agent Nichol though I love the darkness she brings to the other agents.

It was nice to have some background into Peter Marrow's family as messed up as they all are. He needs a break now though. To go home to Three Pines and chill for a bit. Paint something up and relax.

All in all these books are getting better as they go along. I am enjoying this journey. Still pacing myself though. I feel like I read somewhere that she based Armand a lot on her own husband possibly or maybe I am making this up. Either way I really like these. There is humor in them too I find myself giggling at the weirdest places.



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The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have read this book twice this year. THAT AMAZING. It fit into my meme requirement "A book recommended by a friend" then I modified the meaning for the last one "favorite book" like honestly for an avid reader like myself I'm not sure if I have a very favorite book- there are so many I love for very different reasons. That being said- this is my Favorite book, I read this year, from this meme. BOOM. Done. Also I hadn't reviewed it properly at all at the time and was forgetting minor details so it needed a re-read anyways. Double done. Now- to properly review it without being a blubbering mess over it for the third time. *takes a deep breath*

Linus Baker lives alone with his cat. He works for DICOMY in a row of desks where no one knows him and only would get excited were he to earn demerits or get sacked. He constantly forgets his umbrella when it rains all the time. The bus is always late and he lives his life by following the RULES AND REGULATIONS. Honestly if I ever met him I'd be like YO POINTDEXTER LIVE A LITTLE GEEZ LOUISE. **Also one very important detail that will come back later he has a mousepad that is of a beach with the ocean that has a quote :"Don't You Wish You Were Here?" (need to remember this)

One day he gets called up to EXTREMELY UPPER MANAGEMENT (I laughed at that title) and put on a job? a mission? what they call a mandatory promotion because Linus has no choice in the matter he's going whether he wants to or not all his anal retentiveness in his reports has made him the perfect candidate for the job. For a month to go to an orphanage that is highly classified, mind you DICOMY itself stands for Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is told very little about what he will find there. Just to not be late for the train, and be careful. All he knows is that the Master's name is Mr. Parnassus mainly, and that EUM is very interested in what he will find there. Also he will be given files and to not open them until he gets off the train.

We find out whilst on the train that Linus has never seen the Ocean before!!

Yeah I need to hustle this up I am getting super wordy but I LOVED THIS BOOK SO DAMN MUCH I CANNOT HELP IT. And I want you to love it too. I read some people's reviews on here and just laughed. Imagine getting so plussed about a book that you go and drag links onto it... from real life situations. Like really? It's a WORK OF FICTION. From the spiders in this Author's BRAIN. I read to escape the real world and all it's confines. Not to get offended and charged up and dragging down his ratings because I have a bug up my arse.

So... when Linus got there he had only read the one file and didn't know what else to expect. I will leave the rest up to you to find out too!!

I cried SO HARDCORE when his month was up. He is asked to stay. And he chooses to LEAVE. Like are you for real right now. So upset. Tears streaming down my face. Throat so tight I could barely breathe.

Don't you wish you were here?

Again. You just have to read it to see what happens.
You will not be disappointed.
Such a fluffy cloud of queer joy and acceptance of differences and a lesson for tightwads. People are different get the fuck over it.

Helen is a good advocate for persons I mentioned above with the links. She will empty out your trust funds SMYTHE! And donate it all to charity.

So yeah I have had a full nights sleep. I knew what was going to happen second read and still lost my shit. I am totally okay with it too. It was worth it tenfold. Favorite book of the meme. And maybe that I read this year too. So amazing. Lost for words even though I have written a ton here.

Each of the six kids had their own spunk to them. It's hard to tell you which I enjoyed the most. However Arthur and his secret that came out- I think that was my most favorite!!
READ. IT.







Leaving the text from my two previous reviews that I had right after finishing:

it'll get a Christmas day review for read number two, spent. Even knowing what happens still cried like a blubbering fool.

Still feeling all ooey gooey inside I will come back and review this later xo



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Caraval by Stephanie Garber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As always lopped off the star for domestic violence. Like come on now. Enough with the slapping of women in the face.

Beginning to think Legend is actually female. There's two more books until I find out. Also is it their Mom?

Haven't read a more complicated character than Julian in quite awhile was hoping in the end he'd come out alright and he sort of did so that's good.

Again book one of a threequel I have way further to go but so many other unfinished thoughts. I mean are they continuing the game or is it taking off on life after the game? is their father really gone or will we see more of that deplorable?

I liked Scarlett. I get that many people would not. I was that person though I never really was around many guys at that point in life while others like Tella were sneaking off into dark rooms with them. So I would have fallen in love with the first one to show me the least bit of affection.

Still torn on the Night Circus comparisons though okay so it happened at night- but, alright and there were magical things going on... but I left that book so captivated and could picture things so easily this one I have a list of questions a mile long that need answers and the other two books better give them to me or it's all a lost cause.



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The Lost Order by Steve Berry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This satisfied my meme requirement of "book you haven't read yet from an author you love." Also it satisfied one of my weaknesses in US History, the Civil War. One of the things I love the most about Steve Berry's books is that he weaves fact throughout them. Then in his writer's note at the end he explains what was real and what wasn't. So while I may have finished this book over an hour ago. I spent the next hour and a half fact checking his facts, or more educating myself further from what he had already taught me or answering questions I was bringing up to myself along the way.

Now to my thoughts on the book itself.

First,
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER GOT SHOT.
One of my updates was pretty much anything happens to SPOILER I'm ready to throw hands. With the author. Yeah little old me taking on the entire Steve Berry machine.
Thankfully for both him and myself, SPOILER made it. That could not have ended well for either of us.
*** also I was not pleased to have to wait over 300 pages to find out said status of character.

I will comment that I am completely on board for the further development of Danny Daniels. He was in the background for so many books, I mean this is number eleven for Cotton? And I am reading them all in order as they come out spacing out other books in-between to not overload and catch up. I've done some of Berry's stand alones too (Amber Room is still way up there for what has hooked me, plus I'm a sucker with anything Romanov in the title) but yes where was I, Danny! I was like man he's no longer president he'll fade away and in this novel OH NO HE DID NOT. I am very happy about this development. I mean besides Cotton, he was like the main focus of this one. It was nice to see action and "balls" from DD.

Can a girl catch a break? How long was Cassiopeia bound with her hands behind her back ? Towards the last quarter of the book. I did love the calling of the Smithsonian the Castle then her describing to Lea Morse the real life castle she is building in France, with the tools that people of the Middle Ages would have had no modern day building appliances all by hand. Funding it herself as well. I've adored Ms. Vitt from her first appearances as well. Sort of knew somehow her and Cotton would gravitate towards each other at some point still wondering where it will lead though with him in Copenhagen and her France... He seems to keep winding up back in the United States for work, after retirement be that as it may.

I guess I lopped off the star for the Breckenridges. First for the Father faking dementia come on that is not something to joke about ever. Then the elder abuse of the son Grant trying to get details from his because he believes it. No I was not all about their storyline at all. Plus Grant's character whatsoever really. The murder, attempted murder, and overall violence his character commits does not fly with me. At least in the end, they got theirs. Diane Sherwood too. Man she was a piece of work. You got Karma full force wicked woman.

Of all the Cotton books I've read so far, this is not the most memorable, normally I would eat up a secret society type thing but not one of the confederacy sorry- but of course I will keep on reading as I love the writing and the plots. Even if I do not like everything. I like to follow how it goes. Especially with Cotton continually being brought back into it all over again.



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The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


These just keep getting better as they are going along.
I might be getting proven wrong about Hadley house... I mean I was right in this one something terrifying happened. Yet in the very end, the villagers tried to make it better?
I am really hoping the Arnot Case stuff is put to death soon. I cannot do well with more than one storyline going on.



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Divine Lola: A Savage Beauty by Cristina Morató

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm free I'm free.

I want to give the author a chance that some of it was lost in the translation? But WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ?

Had it not come in my writer's subscription box and been part of my book club this book would have never fallen into my hands.

Nothing close to the historical fiction Henry's Wives get.

I can say that I was very impressed by Lola's redemption angle in the last um 20 pages. And leave it to me to never give up on a book even if I want to pull my hair and teeth out rather than continue reading it but once I start I always finish so I suppose that was my tiny reward?

I did also find some human pity for her lost lovers. That had to be harsh. Being the object of so many mens affection then the ones she actually loves and losing them. All except the king. Apparently he is going to live forever.

I guess I will check out other reviews to see what people think of it but I just- Historical Fiction is my jam typically. Yet this one I had a really really hard time with it. Was Ludwig really THAT enchanted by her?

The visitor she got on her death bed though? Bitch NO.
I'd almost give a half a star extra for that part.



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