The Blue Zones American Kitchen by Dan Buettner

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100. 

Many of you might already be familiar with "Blue Zones." After all, this is only the latest title from Buettner about such. 

If you aren't familiar, blue zones are areas Buettner and National Geographic have determined are areas where people live longer. And they attribute this to diet. It's the same philosophy behind other diets as well. And I use diet here not in the crazy fasting or trendy lose weight quick methods but rather in the overall habit of a person's eating. 

Plant based, whole food diets have been proven to be better for your health. They promote heart health and overall wellness. 

Sure, you could go plant based and subsist on french fries and potato chips, but that's not what they mean. Nor is that what this cookbook is all about. 

In this latest, Buettner has focused strictly on the Americas, collecting recipes from home cooks, chefs, and even historians. The result is a collection of recipes and stories that are both appealing and fascinating!

Sections are broken into: Indigenous, Native, and Early American; African American; Latin American; Asian American; and Regional and Contemporary American. There are also guidelines and bios on the contributors. 

But what about the recipes?! I know, as a cookbook junkie it's really the recipes that count! And as someone who has recognized that I need to make healthier decisions (due to family history and other components), the recipes are an even bigger factor!

Paired with fabulous photography, the book is a collection of truly appealing and approachable recipes that can be made (with a few exceptions) with easy to find ingredients and techniques/methods most home cooks will be comfortable with. And while the book isn't necessarily focused on seasonality, it's clear that many of the contributors count this as a factor in creating the recipes. 

In the Indigenous section, for example, the very first recipe in the book is a fantastic recipe perfect for combatting the doldrums of winter: Baked Acorn Squash with Berries (dried blueberries and fresh cranberries)!

The African American section, which does call for Carolina Gold Rice (easy to find online) has multiple recipes particularly suitable for New Year's Day (minus the pork): Hoppin' John With Carolina Gold Rice and Sapelo Red Peas (an heirloom field pea that can be substituted with black eyed peas) and the Spicy Cabbage Salad or you can go an even cozier route with The Last Meal: Sweet Potato and Black-Eyed Pea Soup (paired with the cabbage salad, of course). 

As someone who has a particular affinity for seafood, the Latin American section offered a recipe I admit was the very first to draw me as a must make: Hearts of Palm Ceviche (hearts of palm are wonderful and are not used nearly as much as they should be!). There's also a Jicama "Scallop" Aguachile that's truly amazing!

The Asian American section is a bit of a catch-all, featuring Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino, Korean, etc (there's a lot included in this section, which would be my only complaint as I think each one could fill a chapter themselves!). And while I don't have much of a sweet tooth, the Brown Rice Pudding with Nuts and Cardamom called to me immediately! (I adore rice pudding!) Mayak Gimbap (which no longer intimidate me after making some from Eric Kim's Korean American) and Kimchi Pancakes are two of my favorite easy Korean dishes. And of course there's a Miso Ramen that I think you might find yourself craving on the regular!

Finally there's the Regional and Contemporary American section, which features, amongst others, Cajun recipes! There's no way I can pass up trying plant-based Cajun food. I joke, a lot, but for various reasons it's a cuisine that doesn't necessarily feature much by way of vegetarian or vegan food. And yet, there's a Mushroom Etoufee that's much easier to make in landlocked Colorado than the traditional crawfish! And since it's winter and I'm a fan of all things comfort food, the Modern Borscht is next on my list to make :)

All in all, I think this is a perfect cookbook for anyone looking to go plant based, anyone even remotely interested in adding more plant-based dishes to their meal rotation (me), and especially anyone under the false impression that plant-based meals can't be as exciting and tasty as the dishes they're used to!

Huge thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me on the tour! The Blue Zones American Kitchen is out now!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop.org

Big Bad by Lily Anderson

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Lily Anderson's Big Bad!

Into every generation a slayer is born...

When Buffy is transported from her own Sunnydale into an alternate dimension, she's willing to do whatever it takes to get home. And that includes stealing a dowsing rod that will find the biggest evils and a creation gem that can destroy them. 

But for Anya and Jonathan, the lately dubbed Demondale is their home. Sure it's not the safest place for humans ever since the mayor blocked out the sun, but Jonathan gets by. And plans to make his pal Warren a demon mean that he and his other friend Andrew will have protection. All of that goes terribly wrong with the Slayer crashes their ascension party and raises—or actually kills—hell! 

Jonathan had hoped that Anya would be able to grant his wish to bring Warren back, but with the creation stone missing her power is gone. Which means they must team up to find this Slayer, stop her plans, and retrieve the stone. And in order to do so, they're going to have to get help from the people who know the most about slayers—the vampires responsible for killing a large number of them and a warlock known as Ripper. 

Ah, a delightful and welcome return to Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

I am a huge Buffy fan. Always have been. In fact, I remember the summer I watched the movie just about every day courtesy of a VHS recording from our neighbor who actually had HBO! Needless to say, by the time the show premiered, I was tuning in without fail!

It has been quite a while, but I was super excited to hear that Lily Anderson was penning a new Buffy adventure! And it is SUPER good! All of the favorites are here including (but certainly not limited to) Angel(us), Drusilla, Spike, Anya (my personal favorite and one of the main POVs of the book)...and some I don't want to give away!

Anderson is clearly an undeniable fan of the franchise and has done it (and us) a huge service in imagining such a fabulous return! I certainly hope she has more planned in the future, as I would happily dive into her version of the Buffy-verse again in a heartbeat!

For more about Lily Anderson and her work, you can visit her website here. 

All the Broken Girls by Linda Hurtado Bond

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Linda Hurtido Bond's All the Broken Girls, out now from Entangled!

Mari Alvarez intended to lie low after returning from suspension. After all, as a crime reporter who's last story ended in a lawsuit, she's lucky to still have a job.

But on the way to covering a baby sloth birth (lucky to have a job, lucky to have a job) she and her photographer catch wind of a dead body. Mari is told to stay put while her cameraman gets footage for the station, and she fully intends to, but there's something about the scene that she can't ignore. Something that reminds her of her own mother's murder. Soon Mari finds herself pulled once again into an investigation. Even, potentially, that of another serial killer. And this time, the killer seems to have her in his sights. 

I quite enjoyed this one! It reminded me of JT Ellison and Hank Phillippi Ryan, the latter of whom, like Bond, is also an author and reporter. 

Bond is a journalist by day and it's clear that she's pulled on that experience as well as her own family in creating the framework for Mari and the book. Mari's abuela is inspired by Bond's own mother in law!

All the Broken Girls is set in Tampa and features Cuban culture and religion heavily. It places Mari right in the middle of more than one conundrum, forcing her to reckon with beliefs she's never been sure she aligns with in spite of her abuela. And of course it's all wrapped up in a serial killer plot!

All the Broken Girls is super fun and full of suspense! Mari is an excellent lead and I certainly hope we'll see more of her in the future!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on Linda Hurtado Bond and her work you can check out her website here. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Blackout by Erin Flanagan

Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Erin Flanagan's latest, Blackout. 

Maris is no stranger to blackouts. But she's been sober for seven months when the latest one happens. 

At first, she thinks it's just a fluke. 

Then it happens again. And finally causes what could have been a tragic accident! 

And Maris hasn't been drinking. What's more, it seems other women have been experiencing the same thing. As Maris tries to figure out what's going on, her fear and paranoia have hit their limit waiting for the next blackout and its repercussions. What or who is causing the blackouts? And why?

This is an interesting premise. And because of Maris's background as a heavy drinker, she understandably doesn't want to raise any flags when the first couple of blackouts happen. In fact, she tries as hard as she can to figure out a logical explanation—stress, lack of sleep, migraines...

That's until she crashes her car in the midst of one of them. Now she can't ignore them. 

And if she'd returned to drinking, that would make more sense. Except that she hasn't. 

Meanwhile, life isn't exactly stressless. She's up for tenure and, after a string of articles focusing on a local college man who served a paltry sentence for sexual assault, she's now in the midst of continued coverage on the aftermath. Which means she's in the public eye. 

And since she's been sober for just seven months, those around her aren't sure what to think either. Her daughter is becoming distant. Her husband ordered a tox report after the accident, just in case. 

Maris is a time bomb waiting to explode with all the stress! And reading it makes for a tense experience, to say the least!

Blackout is a timely and intriguing read. 

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on Erin and her work you can visit her website here. 

Blackout is officially out today. Be sure to order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

Ghost Games by Brooke Mackenzie

Happy Monday! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Brooke Mackenzie's Ghost Games!

Games like Bloody Mary are just urban legends, right? 

But what if they're not. What if a certain sequence of floors in an elevator can take you to another dimension? What if all you need to summon a demon is a walk-in closet? What if there's a much darker Telephone Game than the one you remember as a kid?

These and more are the subjects of Brooke Mackenzie's short story collection, Ghost Games. 

In each tale, someone elects to play, in spite of all the warnings not to. And, of course, bad things happen!

I can honestly say that other than Bloody Mary and the Ouija Board, all of the games that inspire these stories were new to me. And imagine my surprise when I found that they were not created specifically for the collection!

I thoroughly enjoyed Mackenzie's stories. They're super creepy! Which of course makes for fun reading for any horror fan! Upping the creep factor is the fact that Mackenzie includes instructions for each of the games, along with the ominous note that you shouldn't ever play them!

There's a definite cinematic quality to Mackenzie's writing. The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking I'd like to see each of the stories adapted as films—in part so that I could experience them again for the first time!

If you're in the mood for a great collection of chilling tales, Ghost Games is definitely one you don't want to miss!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official tour page here!

The Door-Man by Peter M. Wheelwright

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Peter M. Wheelwright's The Door-Man. 

You'll have to forgive me today, I'm going to default to the description on the TLC tour page for the about the book:

In 1917, during the construction of a large reservoir in the Catskill hamlet of Gilboa, New York, a young paleontologist named Winifred Goldring identified fossils from an ancient forest flooded millions of years ago when the earth’s botanical explosion of oxygen opened a path for the evolution of humankind. However, the reservoir water was needed for NYC, and the fossils were buried once again during the flooding of the doomed town.

A mix of fact and fiction, The Door-Man follows three generations of interwoven families who share a deep wound from Gilboa’s last days. The story is told by Winifred’s grandson, a disaffected NYC doorman working near the Central Park Reservoir during its decommissioning in 1993.

The brief and provisional nature of one’s life on earth – and the nested histories of the places, people and events that give it meaning – engender a reckoning within the tangled roots and fragile bonds of family.

Before this book, I'd never heard of Gilboa. But I have come across stories about flooded towns and I found the premise of this one intriguing. 

So in 1926, the original Gilboa was flooded to form a reservoir and the town effectively moved north. As in the book, the remains of some of the "oldest known trees on earth" were found there. And in spite of that discovery, plans for the reservoir moved forward. And it's this very real event that inspires the story in The Door-Man. 

The story shifts throughout time, alternating from 1993 to 1917 and years in between, as Wheelwright follows three generations and how those families' stories intersects with Gilboa's. 

This is a thoughtful book and also a bit of a quiet read. And since it's based in part in truth, it is also a fascinating read that explores a great sense of place and nature and how we and it affect one another. 

I'll admit that I generally gravitate to more fast paced, plot-driven narratives, but sometimes slowing down is a nice change of pace :) 

The Door-Man is a perfect book for fans of Richard Powers. It's also a great pick for book clubs!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on the author and his work you can visit his website here. You can also follow him on Instagram and Twitter. 

Purchase Links: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Beyond Grapes by Yacov Morad

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Yacov Morad's Beyond Grapes: Simple Recipes for Delicious Homemade Liqueurs. 

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big drinker. But I do love fruity drinks that taste deceptively unlike alcohol. And I blame that and the part in Anne of Green Gables where they drink the cherry cordial for my love of fancy liqueurs!

In Beyond Grapes, Yacov Morad shares a bevy of homemade liqueur recipes perfect for any palate. And, as the subtitle promises, they're easy! Like really easy!

Morad is the founder of Morad Winery in Israel where he makes wine (and liqueurs) out of everything except grapes. Passion fruit, dates, coconut...but no grapes. And he's sharing his secrets here! 

There are herbal liqueurs, fruity liqueurs, chocolate liqueurs...pretty much anything you can think of. There's even a section of homemade infused vodkas and moonshine! (And there's a grape liqueur recipe too.)

Not unlike homebrewing, there's something so satisfying about making a liqueur. Not only do you get the play to your own tastes and preferences, but they also make really unique gifts! And if you make one of the fruit or veggie ones, you get the added bonus of being able to eat the alcohol infused goodies.

Normally by the time I review a cookbook I've tried some of the recipes. There is, however, a time factor involved in making liqueurs, so I'll have to report back on how mine turn out! But I'm pretty sure once our local food swap gets up and going again, I'll be sharing some of these with my fellow foodies!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

Purchase Links: IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Her Secret War by Pam Lecky

Happy Friday! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Pam Lecky's latest, Her Secret War.

In May of 1941, Dublin is hit by German bombs, killing Sarah Gillespie's family and destroying her home.  

They were supposed to be safe. Dublin was neutral, after all. But it wasn't enough to protect Sarah's family. And with her boyfriend joining the RAF, there's nothing left for her in Ireland except sadness. So when a letter arrives from England with an offer of a home and a job—contributing to the war effort, no less—Sarah is ready to take it. 

But soon after arriving, Sarah is picked out for her father's politics. With that held over her, she's convinced to befriend and report back on a certain individual who is believed to be a German spy. It's the beginning of something Sarah could never have imagined and it places her in potentially grave danger!

With the wealth of WWII novels out there these days, I'm always surprised when an author can put together a story I haven't yet seen! And that's exactly what Pam Lecky has done with Her Secret War. 

Sarah is an outsider in England because of her Irish heritage. In fact, the politics in Dublin at the time are exactly what is held against her (because they supported Irish independence, her father also supported Irish men joining Axis powers in the war, essentially so that they could fight England—don't worry, this is outlined in the first chapter and not a spoiler). 

But you can imagine that having lost everything, being reminded of that on a regular basis would be worse than starting over in a new country. And at least she has family there, even if she doesn't know them. 

Plus, revenge is at the top of her to-do list!

Lecky's prose is easy to read and the book is definitely well-researched without being heavy handed (always appreciated, as it helps the plot more forward rather than being bogged down by a history info dump!). Plus, Sarah is truly easy to like! She's smart and spunky, both qualities I love in a heroine. 

But I have to say, all things considered, the end was probably my favorite part! To reveal why WOULD be a spoiler, so I will avoid that. But I do hope this isn't the last we see of Sarah!

For more on Pam Lecky and her work you can visit her website here. You can also follow her on Instagram.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Daughters of War by Dinah Jefferies

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Dinah Jefferies's latest, Daughters of War. 

It's 1944 and for the past seven years, sisters Hélène, Elise, and Florence have been living on their own in the family house in France. And while things have been relatively fine, there is a war on and each sister is doing their part. 

Hélène sees first hand the damage caused by war in her job with the local doctor. And though the law only recently allowed for her to train in this capacity, she's already made great strides. 

Elise owns a cafe in town but her own passion is the resistance. And the cafe serves as a letter box and more as the war becomes more drawn out. 

Florence is the sister they call their "little witch." And with rations and little resources, she plays to that completely. Florence is their gardener and cook (even cooking for the cafe). And she's managed to hide produce and more from the occupying Germans, keeping her sisters well fed and comfortable enough. 

But it's when two very different men land on their doorstep in need of help that things really take a turn. 

Florence finds a young German deserter and offers him shelter in their home on the same day a Special Operations man from England is brought to them to recover from a parachute accident. Both men are grave dangers for the sisters—if the Germans were to search and find either one, they'd all be done for. 

Three sisters trying to survive in occupied France. And they're hiding a secret they aren't even aware of. Beyond the two men they're sheltering, that is. 

I loved the sisters and their relationships. Hélène in particular, the pragmatic one, was my favorite. She's the one who does all of the worrying, something I can relate to. 

Elise is driven and determined, paying no mind to the danger she herself might be in as long as she's doing something to help their cause and fight against the Germans. 

And Florence has her heads completely in the clouds. Of course she did spend much of her teenage years with just her sisters for support. And she is quite capable in spite of it all. 

This is quite a chunky read and there were definitely times when I felt like there was a bit too much going on in the book. In the beginning, for example, Florence meets a German in the garden. And then the next chapter begins with her sisters discovering she's hidden a deserter in their home. And it took me a few beats to realize they were not in fact the same German man. 

In spite of a few stumbles along those lines but not quite the same, I did find that I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It's hefty but moves steadily along. 

This is apparently the first in a planned trilogy and I'm interested to see exactly where the story will go now that this one is done. 

This is a must-read for fans of WWII-based historical fiction and family dramas!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official tour page here. 

For more on Dinah Jefferies and her work you can check out her website here. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Baby, Unplugged by Sophie Brickman

Happy Friday! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Sophie Brickman's Baby, Unplugged: One Mother's Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age. 

At this time in our culture it certainly does seem like there's a new recommended app or item that will help parents keep their kids healthy, teach them various necessary skills, and even get them on track for college when they're only 6 months old! And with so many of these bombarding us daily, it's hard to know what might actually be helpful and what's just too damn much!

And, after admitting to have struggled with the idea of how much tech is needed for raising children (or, better yet, how much tech is too much tech when it comes to raising children), this is exactly what reporter and mother of two Sophie Brickman tries to determine in her book. 

One note, the book was completed prior to Covid lockdown. Brickman does include, in her intro, a bit about whether she felt the research she'd done was even relevant given the current situation—ultimately deciding it was more useful and important than ever.

So a little background on me before I get into my review: I work two jobs and have a toddler. My husband is self-employed and works crazy hours. We started daycare on March 1, 2020. 

Yup.

And I have come to the conclusion that parenting does make people like me more than just a little neurotic (and let's face it, I probably was leaning that way before adding a kid to the equation given all of my anxiety issues). So with all of that in mind, I'll admit parenting books drive me up the wall. One of our potty training books left me in tears and so angry that I put it in the recycling bin (after my kid went to sleep because I didn't want him to see mommy essentially throwing away a book!). 

And it's with all of that in my head that I dove into Brickman's book. And instantly felt my anxiety peaking!

But that's kind of the point. All of these recommended products and such do drive us all a bit crazy. Especially if we're inclined to worry. Brickman talks about products meant to track your baby's sleep, sending oodles of data to your phone so you can examine numbers that mean what?! And the trend of showing up at the doctor's office already telling your pediatrician what you've diagnosed your child with thanks to the internet (and that's not limited to parents, btw). And that's just the first chapter, which thankfully ends with the determination that all of that info aside, if you're simply loving and caring for your child, maybe mindfulness is more important. 

Brickman tackles mommy groups, smart toys, AAP guidelines, kids' TV, and more. Her style is conversational and easy to read even when she does dive into statistics (which never become overwhelming). But I did walk away feel a little like I was being shamed for letting my almost three year old watch PAW Patrol!

To be fair, I already felt guilty about it. But I'm finally getting to a point where I don't care! We've set our own limits. We're trying to become comfortable with the decisions we make as parents regarding our child's interactions with tech. And a lot of Brickman's info reinforces decisions we've already made. 

So I might not recommend this one for parents like me who literally feel as though they're constantly being judged and ranked as worst parent ever (I have a therapist for this, don't worry). 

But for folks who maybe aren't as anxiety ridden as me, this is probably a useful tool to help in coming up with your own level of comfort regarding your life and kids and digital culture. 

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official tour schedule here. 

For more on Sophie Brickman and her work you can visit her website here. You can also follow her on Twitter. 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

The Perfect Couple by Jackie Kabler

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Jackie Kabler's The Perfect Couple. 

Gemma and and Danny have been married just under a year. They recently moved from London. Danny has started a new job. They're perfectly happy! 

Or so Gemma thought. 

After returning from an overnight trip, it appears that Danny has gone missing. He'd promised that he would be there when she got home. He also promised he'd cook dinner. It's not unheard of that his job in IT would require him to work late hours. But he doesn't come home Friday. Or Saturday. And so Gemma goes to the police. 

Unfortunately, Danny looks a little familiar to the cops. Because they have two dead bodies, both of whom look an awful lot like Danny. Fearing they have a serial killer on their hands, they know that they need to find Danny before it's too late. But there's something strange about Danny's case. Like the fact that there's almost no sign of him in Gemma's home. And the fact that Gemma herself is the only person who seems to have heard from Danny at all in recent weeks...

The Perfect Couple is a whirlwind of a read!

I think we've been somewhat conditioned now not to entirely trust a narrator, especially when the book is told in first person. And that is one of the things that makes this book so interesting!

We meet Gemma as she's returning home from an overnight trip to a spa. She's a journalist and she'd been tapped to review the new resort. It was just an overnight trip and she says she got an email from her husband just the night before. 

Email. Because he has no phone. Because his new job hasn't provided one for him just yet. So no one really has any reliable way to get in touch with him!

Meanwhile, there's a secondary storyline from the perspective of the police. 

They aren't initially interested in a missing husband. He's a grown man and there are all kinds of reasons he may have left. But when they see his picture, they immediately take note. Because they've already got two dead bodies on their hands!

So is Gemma a killer? The police certainly have concerns!

I loved that Kabler plays with the reader's minds in that way. Can we trust Gemma or not? I'm not going to tell!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on the author and her work you can visit her website here. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for C. L. Taylor's Her Last Holiday. 

Fran's sister has been missing for two years. Everyone is certain that Jenna is dead. And self-help guru Tom Wade is sure to be responsible. After all, he was charged in the deaths of two other people at the same retreat Jenna was attending when she disappeared. But Tom has never confessed. 

And now Tom is free. And hosting another wellness retreat with the help of his wife, Kate. And Fran's mom wants Fran to go undercover in hopes that she can finally learn what really happened. 

From the start, Fran is sure that they're on to her. Especially when she struggles to keep to her scripted cover story. But it's not until she starts to fear for her own life that she realizes just how dangerous this trip might turn out to be!

Two women, two retreats two years apart! So yeah, it's clear from the start that there's something fishy about Tom Wade and his SoulShrink business, considering we know the man has been in prison for just over a year, but it's not immediately apparent exactly what the danger might be. 

The book is split into two timelines: then, with Jenna's trip to Gozo, and now, which alternates between Fran's and Kate's perspectives. 

In Jenna's timeline, the first hint that things are off occurs to the reader but not Jenna herself. When she arrives, nail polish she didn't pack has spilled all over her clothes. And that right there sets the tone for what readers can expect in her story. It's a gray cloud of foreshadowing that looms over what's supposed to be a great opportunity for Jenna. 

In the present timeline, though, we immediately learn there's trouble in paradise. Kate has helped her husband build his business and she's determined to get it back up and running now that he's free. But Tom has come out of prison changed. It's apparent to the reader, though, that there have been issues between Tom and Kate for some time and his apprehension about getting back in the game sets her off pretty quickly. 

Fran herself isn't meek, but she isn't one to stand out. And while she'd already traveled to Gozo to look into Jenna's disappearance, she's not jumping at the opportunity to play detective at her mother's behest. And yet, she does it anyway. Because she feels guilty about her last interaction with her sister. 

All of these threads are woven together as the story begins, drawing the reader into a plot that is as carefully built as a spider's web. And as impossible to pull yourself out of, too!

Her Last Holiday is an incredibly immersive read. A perfect page turning thriller that explores family drama and the shady side of the self help industry...and that's just part of the story!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official tour page here. 

For more on the author and her work you can visit her website here. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel!

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The English Wife by Adrienne Chin

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC Book Tour for Adrienne Chin's The English Wife. 

At the start of WWII, Ellie Burgess, an art student with a promising new job, is happily engaged to a man she's know much of her life. 

By the end of the war, Ellie has traveled across the ocean to live in a new country, with a new baby, and a husband she barely knows. 

In 2001, Sophie Parry is on her way from London to New York when her plane is rerouted to Newfoundland. Her world is turned upside down when she learns that the World Trade Center is under attack. But, this is also the first time Sophie has the opportunity to meet her Aunt Ellie, a woman her mother cut ties with completely and never explained her her daughter. 

Then, in 2011, Ellie is to return to Newfoundland under directions to convince the locals to sell their land for the creation of a new hotel. This time, Ellie must make some of the toughest decisions of her life. 

The English Wife brings to life a little piece of history I was still completely unaware of, even in spite of the glut of WWII novels in print at this moment: soldiers from Newfoundland who were sent to England during the war and the war brides (just one in this instance) they brought home. 

But the book is, of course, much more than that. While it also touches on 9/11, the book is more about family and family secrets. Namely the secret that caused the decades-long rift between Sophie's mother and her Aunt Ellie. 

The story unfolds in alternating timelines. Most of it focused on Ellie from the early days of WWII and Sophie's time in Tippy's Tickle (the tiny Newfoundland town Ellie and her family call home). 

The characters are deftly drawn, but I must admit that Ellie's WWII timeline is the one that pulled me in most. Her relationship with her family and her fiancé and the evolution of her character throughout the war were my favorite parts of the novel. As was seeing her relationship with Thomas grow and blossom and finally learning why Dottie turned so bitter in the wake of her sister's leaving. 

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on Adrienne Chin and her work you can visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Betrayal at Ravenswick by Kelly Oliver

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Kelly Oliver's Betrayal at Ravenswick. 

Fiona Figg has just discovered that her husband is having an affair. Bereft and alone, she still manages to gain recognition at work enough so that she is able to take on an assignment of her very own!

It is rumored that a famed huntsman and now reporter may be a German spy. The man in question is staying at Ravenswick Abbey. Fiona is to travel there and, pretending to be a male doctor who specializes in poisons and women's ailments (because that's the role that was already in place when the former person with the assignment had to back out), spy for the War Office. 

That's the easy part. Unfortunately there is a death at Ravenswick while Fiona is in residence and she, as Dr. Vogel, but based on her studies, determines that the death is by poisoning. And she soon becomes a suspect herself! After all, wouldn't an expert in poisons be the most adept at poisoning someone?

This first Fiona Figg mystery is a fun romp through WWI England!

Fiona is a capable woman living in a time when women just didn't have that many opportunities. Which is why she's nervous about bringing attention to herself at work. And yet, having been left by her husband, she also finds herself with a bit of a why-the-hell-not attitude that's admirable. 

And gets results!

Soon she's working undercover, trying to tease out a potential German spy on British soil. And also maybe solving a murder mystery in her spare time. 

If period cozies are your cup of tea, Betrayal at Ravenswick is a perfect fit!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on Kelly Oliver and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Paulette Jiles's latest, Simon the Fiddler.

Simon has long avoided being drafted into service thanks to the fact that he looks young and he plays a mean fiddle. It came close more than once, but it's not until he's harassed by a drunken braggart in a bar in Victoria that the conscription men catch up to him. 

He's drafted into the regimental band and manages to survive the next few weeks of the war. Luckily, the Confederates surrender. And that's when Simon, along with other musicians from both sides, are asked to play a dinner for officers and their wives. A dinner that introduces him to Doris, an Irish girl working for a Union family. 

The two are separated, Doris must work off her debt to the Union family and Simon goes on his own way. But he never forgets Doris. And getting back to her becomes his ultimate goal.

Simon is a schemer and a liar, which is how he survives not just the war but everything. But meeting Doris changes him some and his determination is not only to get back to her but to be the kind of man she deserves. To support her and be with her.

The story is Simon's road to seeing that happen. It's not a quick read, but it is an atmospheric one filled with music and hardship.

Simon's journey isn't easy, but that's to be expected considering the book is set in the aftermath of the Civil War. And it's a nice complement to Jiles's News of the World, which is set in the same time period. But they are very different stories indeed!

Fans of Jiles's poetic style and prose will love this latest!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. And for more on Paulette Jiles and her work you can visit her website here.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBar

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Danielle Trussoni's latest, The Ancestor.

Bert Monte is struggling. After experiencing another heartbreaking miscarriage, she's desperate to move on. And as part of that moving on, she's asked her husband to leave. Trying to get herself used to a new normal has been an ongoing battle. And then she receives something odd in the mail: correspondence from Italy that claims she's the sole descendant of an aristocratic family with an estate in Italy. 

Bert is stunned. She knows little about her background and has no one she can ask. The letter is accompanied, shortly thereafter, by a visit from a lawyer who says Bert must fly to Italy to meet the other lawyers and view the estate. 

Knowing this is the kind of thing that never happens to everyday people, Bert is leery. But a trip to Italy could be just what she needs. When she arrives, however, she discovers that the grand estate has fallen into disrepair and the rumored family wealth is all but gone. But it's the family history that's especially odd. And as she learns more about her heritage, the more she realizes just how odd it is. 

If you're craving something darkly gothic and mysterious, The Ancestor is perfect!

I know a lot of us have been struggling to read of late. I seem to have gotten a little bit of that back, though still not in a work capacity (it's a much different kind of reading). The trick for me has been true escapism reads and narratives that really suck me in. Which tend to lean on the darker side, even amidst this chaos.

Trussoni, who wrote Angelology and Angelopolis, knows how to weave an incredibly engrossing tale!  And this one begins like a fairy tale (just like the book's promotional material promised!). A promise of a new start and a grand inheritance. A past and history that's previously unknown. Of course, gothic tales are really just a darker side of fairy tales in a lot of ways. And it's clear to the reader pretty early on that this is not going to be a sparkly happily every after kind of fairy tale, but rather a monster in the attic gothic story!

Bert's letter is in Italian, a language she doesn't speak or read. So she has to seek help in reading the correspondence. And that help comes in the form of her soon-to-be-ex's great aunt, a woman who never really liked Bert all that much anyway. And she kind of makes it clear why when she conveys the meaning of the letter to Bert.

She and Bert's grandfather, as well as others, immigrated from Italy around WWII from a tiny village near Turin. A cold and desolate place, if she's to be believed, that was also home to a monster that stole children. And when Bert arrives in Italy she discovers a book that tells more about this strange tale and her native land.

But of course Bert doesn't put much stock in mythology and folklore, she's a modern woman and these kinds of things always have a logical explanation!

Are you getting chills yet? Because I certainly was! And all of this happens in the first 50 or so pages!

Like I said, I need escapism right now. Plus, I've always been a fan of gothic reads. Can't get enough of them, honestly! So The Ancestor was a perfect fit for my reading needs.

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Danielle Trussoni and her work you can like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBar

 

Little Wonders by Kate Rorick

It's a bleak and dreary Tuesday here, folks, which isn't helping given the current situation. So it's fortunate, then, that I'm on the blog tour for Kate Rorick's latest, Little Wonders, which turned out to be a warm and light hearted read!

Quinn Barrett's perfectly organized life begins to crumble when a moment of rage goes viral on the internet. And new mom in town, Daisy, is the unfortunate cause of it all. 

Quinn had no idea anyone had witnessed her meltdown at the Halloween parade, much less filmed it. But then video of her destroying her carefully crafted costume for her son is leaked and gains national attention. 

Daisy is new to Needleton and still trying to fit in. She hadn't meant to film Quinn's incident. She also never intended for it to be posted on the internet! And now she's doing all she can to make sure no one knows she's responsible. But the more Daisy tries to fit in, the more she and Quinn are thrown together, and the closer Daisy's secret is to being exposed. 

I'm a new mom and, much as I've made efforts to separate all the various pieces of my life so that the blog doesn't become about being a mom or about being someone working in publishing, it gets harder and harder to compartmentalize. Especially when Kate Rorick's books come up for review!

Her last release, The Baby Plan, landed in my lap when I was pregnant. And it was a tough read for me because of that. But now I'm a mom with a toddler and her latest book is all about moms with toddlers!

And oh, how I can relate to Quinn and Daisy! Quinn's need for control and Daisy's feelings as the new mom (we haven't done much socializing as parents, so I also very much feel like an outsider amongst other parents).

Little Wonders was cringe-y at times, reminding all of us parents that none of us is perfect but as long as we try our best, we're doing a good job!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Kate Rorick and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBar

PSA: I'll be adding a link to BookBar for titles featured on the blog. They, along with many indie bookstores, are offering shipping deals during this stressful time and I'd urge you to take advantage of those deals. With most stores closing to the public, online orders are going to be huge for the weeks to come. BookBar is offering free shipping (and if you're local, curbside pickup is an option too) for purchases.