Review: A Shoe Addict's Christmas by Beth Harbison

A Shoe Addict's Christmas

by Beth Harbison

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 160

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Noelle is not a fan of the holidays and to make matters worse, she is at a crossroads in her life when it seems that love and adventure are no longer possible. When she stays late at her job in a department store on a snowy Christmas Eve she accidentally gets locked in after closing. She isn’t too concerned about the prospect of spending the night in the store…until a woman appears out of nowhere and tells Noelle that she’s her guardian angel. Soon Noelle finds herself camped out in the shoe department facing several “ghosts” of Christmases past, present, and future...Will visiting the holidays of yesterday and tomorrow help Noelle see the true spirit of Christmas? And will the love she has longed for all her life be the best surprise gift of all?


Kritters Thoughts:  I admit when I signed up to review this book, I was clueless that it was a part of a series, but after doing some research, I found that I could read it on its own before I read the previous two books in the series.  But I will say that after reading it, I am definitely excited to read the first two in the series!

Now to review.  After I read this book, I saw someone say that it was a take on A Christmas Carol by visiting the character's past to learn a lesson and I agree, but I would say it was the best lady edition of A Christmas Carol!  I loved how they stayed in her past and visited many moments where if she had made a different turn, her life could have gone in a different direction.  

I have to admit I also loved that this book was set in a neighborhood not to far from where I live.  I loved reading a book where I knew where she was and could picture it all in my head.  

At just 160 pages this book was perfect for a day that was full of holiday shopping and gift wrapping.  I loved ending my day with this fun holiday read.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (and to read the two books before it!)

Ebook 2016 Challenge: 34 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Next by Stephanie Gangi

The Next

by Stephanie Gangi

Publisher: 

Pages: 

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Is there a right way to die? If so, Joanna DeAngelis has it all wrong. She’s consumed by betrayal, spending her numbered days obsessing over Ned McGowan, her much younger ex, and watching him thrive in the spotlight with someone new, while she wastes away. She’s every woman scorned, fantasizing about revenge … except she’s out of time.

Joanna falls from her life, from the love of her daughters and devoted dog, into an otherworldly landscape, a bleak infinity she can’t escape until she rises up and returns and sets it right―makes Ned pay―so she can truly move on.

From the other side into right this minute, Jo embarks on a sexy, spiritual odyssey. As she travels beyond memory, beyond desire, she is transformed into a fierce female force of life, determined to know how to die, happily ever after. 

Kritters Thoughts:  An interesting read that if I had known what it was about, I may have skipped over it, but going in with no preconceived notions - I ended up liking it.  

So this may be a little spoilerie.  So stop here if you already know that you want to read this one.  Read on if you need a little convincing and are ok with a little spoilers!  

A few chapters into the book Joanna passes away and from there the book took a turn and I was worried I wouldn't go with it, but I ended up loving it.  Her spirit/ghost stays in New York and she decides to haunt and bless those who bugged and loved her in her life.  I loved how she got to come back and mess with people who have wronged her - that part of the book I loved!  

I also loved how the story was told.  The reader gets chapters from almost all of the characters and even from Joanna after she passes.  I loved having the story move along with many perspectives.  

I would say if you avoid books with ghosts and spirits, you may just want to try this one.  Having a ghost/spirit in the book for some reason worked for me in this book and I was entertained by her ability to do things to an ex and get away with it!  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Love, Alice by Barbara Davis

Love, Alice

by Barbara Davis

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 432

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The truth lies between the lines...

A year ago, Dovie Larkin’s life was shattered when her fiancé committed suicide just weeks before their wedding. Now, plagued by guilt, she has become a fixture at the cemetery where William is buried, visiting his grave daily, waiting for answers she knows will never come.

Then one day, she sees an old woman whose grief mirrors her own. Fascinated, she watches the woman leave a letter on a nearby grave. Dovie ignores her conscience and reads the letter—a mother’s plea for forgiveness to her dead daughter—and immediately needs to know the rest of the story.

As she delves deeper, a collection of letters from the cemetery’s lost and found begins to unravel a decades-old mystery involving one of Charleston’s wealthiest families. But even as Dovie seeks to answer questions about another woman’s past—questions filled with deception, betrayal, and heartbreaking loss—she starts to discover the keys to love, forgiveness, and finally embracing the future…

Kritters Thoughts:  What an epic story!  Dovie Larkin has spent the last year mourning the loss of her fiance as he committed suicide just before their wedding.  She has visited his grave site trying to find the answers and she interestingly finds the answers in a completely different place.  While at the graveside she sees a woman put a letter on a grave and her inquisitive side comes out and she will do anything to find answers.

There are almost two storylines going on at the same time.  One is Dora as she tries to find the answers to what happened to her daughter after her daughter left her 40 years ago and then Dovie's storyline.  I loved how these stories slowly wove together.  I won't spoil anything, but the author perfectly stitched them together at just the right pace.  There were a few moments where I predicted what was coming next, but it in no way affected my reading.  

To be petty for a minute, sometimes I get frustrated when main characters have similar names and this was the case in this book, I just wish their names could have been just a little more different - hard to read sometimes.

I am absolutely a fan of Barbara Davis and love how she writes people in such a moving way.  This was my third Barbara Davis book and I am excited because I have just one more of her backlist to read and saw that she has already announced the title of a book to come in October 2017- When Never Comes.  

Have you read Barbara Davis?  Do you like her as much as I do?



Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

Miracle on 5th Avenue

by Sarah Morgan

Publisher: HQN Books

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner. 

Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

Kritters Thoughts:  Another in this magical series set in NYC.  This one is set in my favorite time of year to be in NYC - the holidays!  Eva has been present in the previous books in this series, but in Miracle on 5th Avenue she takes a starring role.  She is the foodie of the bunch and ends up stuck at a reclusive author's home in the middle of a snowstorm and in true romance book fashion they may find love!  

I absolutely love this series.  It is moving up to be my favorite romance series.  I love the characters.  I love the business they have created (kind of wish I could work for them!) and I love how unique they are from each other, but you can still see how genuine the friendship is.  I am an overall fan of this series and can't wait for each book to come out.  I hope there are many to come.

Now specifically this book.  I loved Lucas Blade - he was such a great male lead.  He added such great ups and downs to the book to make it a great story, but nothing too over the top.  He may be my favorite male lead in this series!

I was excited to see on her website that there are already three more books lined up in this series.  I will be counting down the days until they arrive.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A good week of reading, but a busy weekend!
A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

A Shoe Addict's Christmas by Beth Harbison
Why We Write Ourselves by Assorted Authors
Days Like These by Sue Margolis
The Next by Stephanie Gangi

Currently Reading:

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Heart by Sunil Yapa

Next on the TBR pile:

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

Review: Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes

Christmas in Paris

by Anita Hughes

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Pages: 277

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Isabel Lawson is standing on the balcony of her suite at the Hotel Crillon as she gazes at the twinkling lights of the Champs Elysee and wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. She was supposed to be visiting the Christmas tree in the Place de la Concorde, and eating escargots and macaroons with her new husband on their honeymoon. But a week before the wedding, she called it off. Isabel is an ambitious Philadelphia finance woman, and Neil suddenly decided to take over his grandparents’ farm. Isabel wasn’t ready to trade her briefcase for a pair of rubber boots and a saddle.

When Neil suggested she use their honeymoon tickets for herself, she thought it would give her a chance to clear her head. That is until she locks herself out on the balcony in the middle of winter. Thankfully her neighbor Alec, a French children’s illustrator, comes to her rescue. He too is nursing a broken heart at the Crillon for the holidays. With a new friend by her side, Isabel is determined to use her time in the city of lights wisely. After a chance encounter with a fortune teller and a close call with a taxi, she starts to question everything she thought was important.

Kritters Thoughts:  Isabel Lawson has just called off a wedding and decided to still go on her honeymoon.  In the suite in her hotel in Paris next door, Neil is also fresh off a break up before a wedding, so he shows her Paris and they hit all the big spots.  

I would say this is a romance book disguised as a women's fiction and of course with a holiday twist.  There are definitely some sexy times, but nothing that made me blush too much!  Of course with every romance you can probably guess what the ending will be, but the journey is worth the read.  

I would add this book to your Christmas reading list.  It was so fun to read a book set in Paris and during the Christmas season and the author really made me feel like I was experiencing the Christmas spirit.  This was my favorite part - how Christmasy the book was!

I have had ups and downs with Anita Hughes and I would say this one was a good one.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

November - let's be thankful

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November was a great month in reading!  I had some great weekends filled with dog cuddles and books.  I loved reading some quick and easy holiday reads towards the end of the month once Thanksgiving was over and done.

December is hopefully more of the same, but there are definitely some holiday plans in the works. 

1.  Beauty and Attention by Liz Rosenberg
2.  In the Blue Hour by Elizabeth Hall
3. Six Days in Leningrad by Paullina Simons
4. Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
5. Disruption by Jessica Shirvington
6. The Waiting Room by Leah Kaminsky
7. The Intersect by Brad Graber
8. Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
9. Wallflower Blooming by Amy Rivers
10. Find Her by Lisa Gardner
11. Hard to Die by Andra Watkins
12. Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes
13. Love, Alice by Barbara Davis
14. Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan
15. Why We Write Ourselves by Assorted Authors

Total pages read, clicked, and flipped:  5,024

Where Have I Been Reading?:
Ireland
New Mexico
Russia
Boston
Arlington, VA
Israel
Phoenix, AZ
Colorado
England
Boston, MA
Paris, France
Charleston, SC
New York City, NY

Review: Hard to Die by Andra Watkins

Hard to Die

by Andra Watkins

Publisher: Word Hermit Press

Pages: 264

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  You’ve heard the raves about the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Hamilton. But what happened to ‘Dear Theodosia,’ the fiery daughter Aaron Burr serenades? Hard to Die is an engrossing speculative fiction novel that provides a new take on the uncharted fate of Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Alexander Hamilton’s murderer.

Theodosia disappeared at sea in 1813. In Hard to Die, she reappears almost 150 years later with one assignment: Help a living soul navigate a life-changing crossroad or be erased from history’s timeline, forgotten forever.

Former spy Richard Cox is a West Point cadet. But his former commander presents him with an impossible ultimatum: Return to spying… or die.

Theodosia and Richard are immersed in a world where no one is as they appear. As they fight their attraction, they must learn to trust each other – or become pawns for a bigger foe determined to see them fail.

Kritters Thoughts:  This was book two in a series, but is self contained, so you aren't missing much starting at book two.  

Theodosia Burr Alston died in a mysterious way and so she hasn't transitioned into the next "world" or something.  She is stuck in Nowhere and has to do a good deed to be able to move forward.  

This book was completely out of my comfort zone with spirits and ghosts, but it worked a little for me because I am quite the historical fiction fan.  Of course this book is also on point right now because of the whole Hamilton craze, so if you want more about Burr and his time after Hamilton this book hinted at his life through Theodosia's eyes.  

I am on the fence about reading the first book and continuing on in this series.  I enjoyed the historical parts, but I didn't love the complete concept of the book, I couldn't get past why she had to help someone to move on.  I wanted more of the historical bits.

Has anyone read the first book in this series?  Should I try it?


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Smith Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Find Her by Lisa Gardner

Find Her

by Lisa Gardner

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 402

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Flora Dane is a victim. 

Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.

Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless. 

. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

Kritters Thoughts:  Told in three different parts - a. Flora's experience years prior being held captive, b. Boston detective DD is investigating a dead man and now a missing girl c.  current Flora and her adventures.

The eighth book in a series and only the second the series that I have read.  This is one of those series where the case is self contained, but the detective characters have stories that build from one book to the next.  I don't love reading out of order and not having read the first in this series, but it isn't necessary.  

I loved the case in this book.  I loved how there was a case that took place before the book and the after effects of the victim really impacted this book.  I liked the interjection of chapters from the previous case and learning about how Flora became who she was and how that influenced what was happening in the current storyline. 

I don't want to ruin this book as there are some fantastic twists and turns, but I will say that I loved it.  I read a lot of mystery/thrillers and this one definitely surprised me a few times.  

I hope to go back and read the previous books because I really like Detective DD Warren and I love how she investigates!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2016 Challenge: 33 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Dutton.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a great week and weekend of reading.  With the Thanksgiving holiday I was able to just curl up and read in between the eating and the shopping and the beginning of the holiday to do list!  I was quite proud of this week's reading!!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Find Her by Lisa Gardner
Hard to Die by Andra Watkins
Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes
Love, Alice by Barbara Davis
Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

Currently Reading:

A Shoe Addict's Christmas by Beth Harbison

Next on the TBR pile:

Days Like These by Sue Margolis

Happy Thanksgiving!

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From my family to yours, I hope today is full of food, fun and family (however you define family!)  I am hoping for some turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and an hour or two with a good book!

Review: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Victoria

by Daisy Goodwin

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  “They think I am still a little girl who is not capable of being a Queen.”

Lord Melbourne turned to look at Victoria. “They are mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”

In 1837, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria – sheltered, small in stature, and female – became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Many thought it was preposterous: Alexandrina — Drina to her family — had always been tightly controlled by her mother and her household, and was surely too unprepossessing to hold the throne. Yet from the moment William IV died, the young Queen startled everyone: abandoning her hated first name in favor of Victoria; insisting, for the first time in her life, on sleeping in a room apart from her mother; resolute about meeting with her ministers alone.

One of those ministers, Lord Melbourne, became Victoria’s private secretary. Perhaps he might have become more than that, except everyone argued she was destined to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But Victoria had met Albert as a child and found him stiff and critical: surely the last man she would want for a husband….


Kritters Thoughts:  If you are a historical fiction fan, stop what you are doing and get this book!  

Ok.  Started this review with an exclamation, but I am serious.  I absolutely adored this book.  A fiction tale based on a real person (which are always good!) on a former Queen of England who took the throne at an early age and had to put her foot down to give herself the authority to make the decisions a queen should.  

At first I didn't know that this was based in truth, but quick google search proved my instincts incorrect and I am glad I didn't read her whole wikipedia page or it would have ruined the big plot point - who would she marry!  Avoid wikipedia!

This book ends as she could be marrying and I liked that it took a deep dive into a small timeframe of her life.  My hope is that we can get another book or two on the rest of her reigning years.  

I love historical fiction, but this one was above a lot of what I have read.  I was completely sucked into the story from page one and had the hardest time just setting it down.

Sidenote - if you have watched The Crown on Netflix you would love this book and vice versa


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St. Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Wallflower Blooming by Amy Rivers

Wallflower Blooming

by Amy Rivers

Publisher: Wooden Pants Publishing

Pages: 186

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Val Shakely is a list-maker. Daily routine. Check. Calm, quiet (but successful) business. Check. No drama. No excitement. Some might call it boring, but it’s precisely the way Val likes it. She loves her hometown of Cambria, nestled in the mountains of Colorado, and runs a fruitful PR firm. And that’s more than enough for Val. So what if she doesn’t have a social life? Then, her cousin Gwen decides to take on the local political bully, the Mayor, in head-to-head combat for the Mayoral seat and Val takes her company reluctantly, and against her better judgment, into the fray. The minute Val takes on Gwen’s campaign, the safe world that she has carefully constructed begins to unravel. She feels the pressure of the campaign and the personal attacks by Gwen’s opponent. And as if that wasn’t complicated enough, Val finds herself falling in love. Val’s desire to stay on the sidelines is put to the test and she’s forced to reexamine the life she’s built as she trudges toward a new and more exciting future.


Kritters Thoughts:  An election, a PR firm, a set of cousins and a small town in Colorado.  Val and Gwen are cousins and Gwen has had a successful run on city council and has decided that a run for mayor is in her future.  She decides that she needs her cousin and best friend by her side to help her with this big thing.  In the midst of the campaign Val may bump into a guy who may change the course of her life.

I loved the combination in this book of personal and professional storylines.  I liked how it wasn't just a love story and Val had professional ups and downs.  I also loved reading the relationship between Gwen and Val - knowing they were cousins but had that sister relationship hit home with me.  I have a cousin who lives very close and we are so similar it may be crazy, so it is nice to bounce something off someone who may completely agree with me!

This is one of those books that at under 200 pages is a perfect book for a full day at home - especially perfect for a windy fall day when the temperature is dropping and a blanket is close!

I enjoyed this and would love to read more from this author. 


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.