I enjoyed this funny, sweet and at times, moving book.
Millie Chandler, a 30-year-old receptionist, had her heart broken in a public way by a cheating co-worker boyfriend. She‘s also dealt with and witnessed bad behavior/hurt feelings from other co-workers, family and friends. She decides to get her true feelings out about these moments through drafting emails that were never sent…until they were. This is the premise of the story. How does ⬇️

This thriller adds a paranormal element to the mix (as Roberts often does). Twelve-year-old Thea and her younger brother Rem always look forward to their summer two-week stay with their Grammie in the Appalachians of Kentucky while their parents take a couple vacation. However, a horrific event sees them permanently uprooted to live with Grammie. Thea, who has a “gift” that is not spoke of, discovers that this ability runs through her mother‘s ⬇️

I loved this sweet story and its lovable characters.
Georgie Rowe is an outspoken and opinionated young governess who believes that children should enjoy a childhood that is everything hers was not…namely filled with fun, laughter and adventure. Her first long-overdue posting (see outspoken and opinionated…) is to the household of former naval captain Harry Kincaid whose flighty sister leaves her three children with him for an extended stay ⬇️

I loved this book…wonderful sense of place (Greenland and France), complex and lovely characters, and an interesting and engaging storyline. Centers around Ilse, a translator who lives in Greenland but is overjoyed by a trip to France to meet a famous poet, Po, and translate his poems. She falls for France and the charming aging Po as well. But will she also fall for his charismatic son or is the pull of her home, friends and family stronger? ⬇️

June is fast approaching, and we have a wonderful lineup of Littens celebrating their birthdays during the month! 🎉🎉🎉

If you‘d like to have your own celebration added to the Litsy birthday calendar, simply send your birthdate and Litsy handle to litsybirthdays@gmail.com (your info only, please). The #birthdayfairies will do the rest!

Looking forward to all the June celebrations!

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This was an OK for me. Sweet Teen/YA about Natalie and Finn who meet and are paired as partners on a reality show filmed along the Appalachian Trail to win college scholarships. She‘s a definite extrovert (annoying at times) with some anxiety and family issues. He‘s a bit subdued with a tragic loss in his life. Along the trail they learn there‘s more to the other than originally thought, and they learn how to survive as partners. Cute with a ⬇️

The 5th addition to the Lord Julian mystery series and another to love. This finds Julian asked by his lady love to help a friend find his wife (alive or dead) who has been missing for 5 years. Lots of frustrations for him as he deals with a cold trail, unhelpful siblings and a husband who is decidedly not a saint. My only quibbles here were that the denouement seemed a bit far fetched, and Julian‘s lady love could be a bit irritating at times. ⬇️

This first in series police procedural had its moments…a cheer worthy female protagonist with a haunting personal loss, her seasoned mentor, a possible mysterious love interest. But my problem here was in the execution of the story itself. There‘s a male protagonist who in the midst of a murder investigation becomes a suspect. He doesn‘t even meet the MFC until a ways into the story, but in the meantime we are hearing alternating chapters ⬇️

This 5th series entry finds Kim struggling to find a connection between victims seemingly being stabbed at random. Meanwhile her arch nemesis, sociopath Dr. Alex Thorne, a manipulative psychiatrist she put in prison, is still pulling strings…some involving Kim and her estranged mother. There‘s always lots going on in these books, and this one is no exception. Loved seeing more of the dynamic between Kim/mom/Thorne. 5/5⭐️

I just love this series more and more as I go along. This is number 4, and Kim finds herself and her team investigating a serial killer who‘s leaving victims on a “body farm” viciously beaten and stabbed. This one has some surprises and a reappearance of a possible love interest for Kim. Love these characters, stories and humor in these books. Recommended. 4.5/5⭐️

#BookSpin

When Liv (a bartender) and Finn (a singer/songwriter) meet in a Cornish coastline bar, there‘s instant attraction. Following a tragedy, they are pulled apart by distance (he lives in LA, she won‘t leave her special needs brother), but Finn promises to come back each summer (there are 6 of them) if they are each unentangled. As Liv despairs of a full life together, they both reluctantly move forward with other people and are happy. However, the ⬇️

This is the 6th and final installment of a ghost mystery series that surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. In this wrap-up, Elinor is accused of murder and on the run, confronts her father‘s killers, rescue her ghost talker apprentice and thwart a surprising villain. Lots going on. The two things I‘ve loved about this series are the characters and the world-building. I‘ll miss Elinor‘s adventures but glad I discovered her. 4.5/5⭐️

This was my first #readyourkindle book and unfortunately I had to bail 5% in. Not an auspicious start. 😆 I think the author was trying to create a sympathetic main character, but she only succeeded in annoying me. She lost her parents and went to live with an aunt and uncle she barely knew. She immediately despises her aunt (and yes, she‘s not a peach), starts making eyes at a footman and bribes her maid for gossip. I‘m just not interested.

As a continuation of the characters showcased in The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as I did its predecessors. Set in 1955, Vivien Lowry faces challenges as she begins her career as a playwright with a commercially successful opening in London only to be panned by reviewers. At the recommendation of a friend, she moves to Rome and takes a position as a script doctor on a major film shooting at 🔻

Emerson, a supermodel at 28, is ready to find the real thing in the romance department after yet another breakup with the wrong guy. She thought she had that once, as a teenager with Theo, her best friend in high school and now a successful commercial photographer. However, a shocking and terrible event sent her fleeing their relationship with no explanation at all to Theo. When she hears about a photo shoot that Theo is doing in Italy and 🔻

Happy to have discovered this reading challenge (Where have I been?!). 😄

#readyourkindle

Thanks Cydney!! 🩵

It‘s here, safe and sound! 😊👍 @bookandbedandtea

Thanks!

#LMPBC

This debut is a hard one for me to rate. Centering around the seemingly perfect, wealthy Shanghai Lang family of 5 (parents Leo and Eko; daughters Yumi, Yoko and Kiko) and the high and low points in their lives (both personally and as a group). The story is told in a regressive timeline (2040-2014) and includes snippets from each family member‘s life. It‘s a story about marriage, about parenting, about siblings and about those people who come 🔻

Here‘s my #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin list for May.
May…already??! 😳😳😊

Thanks, Sarah! 🩵

I was going to give this a soft pick, but just too much frustration with it. I‘ll first be up front about something…I‘m not much of a love triangle fan (especially as it‘s depicted here). This centers around Shea and John, long-time loves. When John proposes with a beautiful vintage ring, Shea says yes…BUT…she needs to research previous owners of said ring to make sure no bad karma is attached to it. Hmmm, OK. With John‘s bewildered blessing, 🔻

Grace Burrowes is one of those writers that you recognize from her first paragraph in a book. She has a distinct style, unique humor and simply just a way with words. I‘ve been a fan for many years. This is the beginning of a new series called The Bad Heir Day Tales (gotta love that title!). It finds Finn Cathcart, a successful sculptor, being reluctantly led to the title of duke following the death of his cousin. As he tries to curb his 🔻

It‘s on its way @Jerdencon ! Hopeful arrival by Thursday, 4/25. #LMPBC

I won‘t say too much about this one right now as I don‘t want to spoil anything for my #LMPBC group members. In fact I don‘t think I‘ll say anything about it right now and give it a proper review later. I promise that I have read it! 😂😂😂

This is third in a sibling trilogy, and although they can be read alone, I recommend reading them in order.
Luke Edgewood has journeyed to the European island country of Skymar (fictional), where two of his sisters have met their matches, to work on a renovation project for an orphanage there. He meets Ellie St. Claire, the project manager, who unbeknownst to him, happens to be the youngest princess of the realm. As these two are almost 🔻

#notbookrelated but our daughter (our oldest) got married on Saturday. Now, with all of the wedding expenses, her dad and I need a vacation from all the mental and physical exhaustion but can‘t afford one. 😳😳😂😂😂😩🥱🥱

There‘s a wonderful lineup of fabulous folks gearing up to party in the month of May!!! 🎉🎉🎉The #birthdayfairies can‘t wait to celebrate each and every one. 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️
If you‘d like to be included on the Litsy birthday calendar, please send your Litsy handle and birthdate to litsybirthdays@gmail.com. Only your info, please.

Get ready May babies…you‘re up next!

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DNF. This is NOT a review per se other than to say after 47% in, this book was not holding my attention and felt way too slow. I found myself putting it down way too often for another book (and I‘m a one-book-at-a-time person). Goodreads has it at a 4.2 so l guess I‘m in the #unpopularopinion boat.
I‘m sure that it picked up at 48% 😂😂, but I gave up.

Very soft pick.
Amy has settled in a job that she really doesn't enjoy because her musical dream was dashed two years before by a disastrous attack of nerves. She receives a missent email and is able to track down the intended recipient, who happens to be on an expedition in Antarctica. What begins as a simple email exchange develops into a friendship which in turn leads them both to move forward with their individual dreams. But there's also 🔻

This is third in the Lady Helena Investigates series. Lots of family drama in this installment with Helena trying to help her nephew out of a scandalous situation as well as a potential death sentence for murder. Helena also is surprised by a visit from her first love‘s brother while she is wondering about her tenuous future relationship with Armand Fortier who has his own obstacles to overcome. I had a couple of issues with this book. First, 🔻

Ok, I love this series. But the last couple of books have been rather ho-hum for me. This one felt very slow (pretty much throughout) and even the mystery did not hold my interest all that much. The whole book just felt a bit “off” to me. However, there was a teaser of a cliffhanger that is keeping me hoping for a return to better things. I do wonder if the death of one of this writing duo could be the cause of the “off feel” of the past couple🔻

I‘m loving this series! Set during WW2, this 4th outing finds Ellie called on to aid Major Ramsey with a series of robberies that may be connected to a bigger German threat. She‘s also decided to investigate shocking allegations that her father may have been a spy. There are also developments on the personal side between Ellie and Ramsey (good and bad) which led to some frustration for me with some choices Ellie made. Great characters, great 🔻

Hey, Paula! I think that you sent me a book from another of your #LMPBC groups? No sweat, just wanted to let you know. 😊

If you‘d like me to forward it, drop me an email (robinb@litsy.com) with the recipient‘s name/address. 👍

This was my #BookSpin for the month. I picked it up because I enjoyed her Sunshine Vicram series recently. This was a supernatural woman-discovers-she‘s-a-witch story with some villains and romance thrown in. I might come back to this series as I love Jones‘ snarky humor (in this one especially the sidekick best friend), but for now I‘ve got too many others calling my name. 😆

This third installment in a time travel series (from modern day to 1890s) finds our heroine (a modern-day homicide detective in the body of a Victorian Scotland housemaid), settling into her new position as assistant to an undertaker/medical examiner. After attending the unwrapping of an ancient mummy, in which something goes horribly wrong, they become involved in unraveling the hows/whys. There‘s also a surprise twist towards the end that 🔻

This 7th book finds the newlyweds (Mikaela and Brodie) trying to settle in and find ways to blend their lives. They each have their own cases…a missing surgeon for her, an assassin/anarchist for him, but discover their cases might be connected. There‘s a code to break, ancient surgical procedures resurrected and dastardly deeds to thwart. Exciting times. I enjoyed this one as we see the new dynamics between our mains and we begin to anticipate 🔻

Number 13 in series this one finds Mercy and gang going up against an ancient and powerful artifact known as the Soul Taker who is taking prisoners and leaving victims in its wake. There‘s also still an issue with Adam‘s personal demons, Wulfe and the entire local vampire seethe has gone missing and a mysterious pack member‘s identity is discovered. As usual lots going on. My only disappointment is that we haven‘t seen more of Stefan in either 🔻

I was two behind in this series and am ALWAYS excited to dive back into Mercy‘s adventures. This 12th book in the series involves a “smoke dragon”, who with a single bite, can control a person and have them do anything it likes. There‘s also a bond issue between Mercy and Adam (her mate) and a rogue group is trying to take over their pack. There‘s always multiple problems going on in the Mercyverse, so it always keeps me entertained and on the 🔻

Third in the Fiona Mahoney mystery series, I was a little disappointed in this one as it compares to the previous two. It‘s 100+ pages shorter, and the story felt its brevity. While the characters were as great as they‘ve ever been, the plot line was a bit odd to me with parts that were confusing like I had missed something. This felt more like a novella filler. But I plan to continue on and hope for a return to more excitement. 3.75/5⭐️

I‘m a big Clayborn fan from her beginning. But while I did enjoy this book, it was not a favorite for me. And to be honest I‘m not sure why. This revolves around two sisters who were abandoned by their flighty mom (who took up with a grifter). The older sister Jess raised Tegan, her half sister. Now Tegan wants to find their mother and enlists the aid of a podcaster who interviewed the man 10 years before. Thus begins a cross-country adventure 🔻

Here‘s my #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin list for next month. 😊

Thanks, Sarah! 💙

Just a reminder all, April is fast approaching, and the #birthdayfairies are excited to celebrate these wonderful Littens next month! 🥳🥳🥳

If you‘d like to be included on the Litsy birthday calendar for your own celebration and #birthdaylove, just send your Litsy handle and birthdate to litsybirthdays@gmail.com .

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

My #LMPBC book is coming your way @Jerdencon with delivery estimate of next Monday (4/1). Please forgive the awful wrapping/taping! 😩😆

This second outing in this Tabitha Knight/Julia Child mystery series set in post WW2 Paris was even better than the debut. It centers around valuable bottles of wine showing up as gifts but containing something other than just grapes. As Tabitha investigates against Inspector Merveille‘s wishes, she finds herself in danger from a surprising source. Great historical research including trips into the Catacombs and fun cooking lessons from Child. 🔻

My first Ross book but definitely won‘t be my last. Beautiful and unique fantasy world-building, characters to root for and love and a story that is absorbing and gorgeously written…unfortunately for me, it‘s a standalone. 😂😂😔 Happy to have discovered this author. 4.5/5⭐️
#coverlove

I read this as a result of enjoying the first in series from my LMPBC group, and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. It‘s very dark and shocking with a crime within a crime and 2 different perpetrators…always a neat concept.
Continue to like and be intrigued by Kate‘s character as I learn more about her heritage and the isolated Alaskan community around her. Definitely will continue with the series. 4.5/5⭐️

This is a short story/novella following the 4th in the Raven and Fisher mysteries. Raven and Fisher race to solve the mysterious death of one of their mentor‘s patients before his detractors can find a way to destroy his career with it.
This was a fine (very short) story to fill in until the next full-length novel (which is already out). I‘m so behind. 😩 4/5⭐️

I enjoyed this mystery series starter. Set in Victorian London, Gemma Tate, who lives with her journalist brother (her only living relative) is a nurse working for the son of an invalid woman that she takes care of. When her brother is killed in a horrific accident she begins to wonder if it was a more sinister act when she reads a cryptic message from his notebook. Meanwhile Police Inspector Sebastian Bell is busy trying to save his job by 🔻

So. Much. Fun. 💙

Think Indiana Jones, Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6362949627

So funny and cute. 4.5/5⭐️

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6256991189

Loved, loved, loved! Great characters, story and research. 5/5⭐️

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6363459127