Review: The Undercover Secretary by Ellie Midwood

The Undercover Secretary

by Ellie Midwood

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 254

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  France, 1942. “I forced myself to hold his gaze. My heart thrashed inside my chest like a bird battering its wings. They knew who I was. They knew what I’d done.” This heartbreaking and unputdownable World War Two novel tells the incredible true story Dora Schaul, who risked her life by coming face-to-face with enemy—the monsters who killed her loved ones.

Dora has lost everything to the Nazis. Her dearest friends have disappeared into thin air. Her parents have been imprisoned in concentration camps and murdered for the crime of simply existing. She has no idea if her darling husband, the devoted and brave Alfred, is still alive.

Though her world is crashing and burning around her, Dora refuses to give in to Hitler’s tyranny. The Nazis may have broken her heart, but they will not break her spirit.

Secretly working for the underground network in France, Dora risks her life on the most dangerous mission in the history of the local resistance. She goes undercover as the secretary of the Head of Gestapo; a soldier with a brutal reputation. A cold-blooded killer.

She is tasked with leaking the names of the SS to the British press. Every day, she rubs shoulders with the enemy. She makes coffee for the people she despises. She types letters for the monsters who killed her family. At any second, she could be found out…

Can she survive, turning the tide of the war and saving thousands of lives? Or will those she loved the most in the world, and millions of other innocent people, have died in vain?

Kritters Thoughts:  While I feel as though I have read every book and every aspect of World War II, this book gave me a unique glimpse at another person's journey through this hard time in history.  When I read a historical fiction book, I typically rate my experience by my need to google and find out more and with this one I kept finding myself wanting to learn more than what was on the page.  

Dora a young woman who leaves her family in hopes of being able to create a life that they may join in the future takes a large leap of faith and the journey is epic.  I found myself holding my breath and while a chapter would end, I was "flipping the pages" (read on a kindle) quickly to get into the next chapter.  While at times it was difficult to read knowing there was truth underneath it all, Ellie Midwood wrote a story that needed to be shared and highlighted within this sub genre of World War II fiction.  

My third Ellie Midwood read and for sure will not be my last.  I love the way this author uses a story rooted in complete truth, but keeps me reading with plot and characters that I care about from early on in the book.  This author is quickly becoming a must read for me and I will wait not so patiently for her next one!  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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.

2023 Reading Goals

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2022 ended up being the craziest of years with a new job and a major life change.  I was excited to see the calendar switch to a new year and I know that there are a lot of fun things coming up ahead, so hoping that 2023 will be full of more books and more ramblings!   

So with that here are my goals for my reading life for 2023.  

1. I want to read a minimum of 123 books.  I am taking my goal significantly down from the past just knowing what is coming, but hoping to increase my reading from 2022.  

2. I am switching up my order of my goals this year, and next I want to increase my Netgalley percentage and sadly it went down this past year, so I have a large hill to climb.  I want to keep this goal and challenge myself to aim high to get my percentage up to at least 25%.  

3.  While I said in goal 2, I would like to increase my Netgalley percentage, I would also love to increase my reading of my physical library this year.  I miss curling up with literal pages in my hand and I hope to do more of this in 2023!

And the challenge that I love to do each year is:

Where Are You Reading?

In this challenge, I keep a Google Map and place a pinpoint at each spot where a book takes place.  The link to my google map will also be in the sidebar all year round, so anyone can check out where I have been reading!

If you would like to participate - check out Book Journey.  She hosted this challenge in the past, not sure if she is hosting again, but as this is my favorite thing to do, I am continuing! 

2022 Reading Wrap Up

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    So this was probably my worst reading year in a very long time,   so while this will be a sad comparison, I am hoping to compare a   wonderful 2023 to this 2022.  

  Let's compare 2022 to 2021.  

Total number of books I read in 2022: 91 - my lowest number in a long time
Total number of books I read in 2021: 219 (just shy of 220!)

Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2022: 29,355
Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2021: 73,312

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I have been keeping track of WHERE my books were taking place all year. Below is the outcome.  There are 18 states that I "visited," which is worse than last year, but probably partly due to the amount of books I completed.  I would like to travel more in 2023

States that made the list:

Maine                    Vermont            Pennsylvania

Massachusetts        New York          Washington, DC

North Carolina        Florida              South Carolina

Louisiana               Arkansas           Missouri

Texas                    Minnesota           Idaho

Nevada                 Washington        California

My country number went down from 13 to 9 this year, so I am sad that I didn't travel the world as much this year, but probably also again due to the amount that I read being down this year.

Countries accounted for:

Guyana            Canada            Australia

Ireland             UK                  France

Italy                Poland              Germany

First Book of the Year

As I have done in years past, I am hoping to make my first book of the year something important and to set the stage for a year of reading!

This year I want to read books that give me peace or entertain me.  After a year where reading took a backseat, I want reading to be a place that I crave and make space for.  For me, the mystery thrillers captivate my attention quickly and hold it for a long time, so I want to start here this year.  Have only read one Ruth Ware, so would love to read another one, especially one with snow on the cover to make it feel seasonal!    

One by One 
  by Ruth Ware

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
 

A little life update

I have been missing on this blog this year and I have missed this blog this year.  In the middle of this year, my life took a turn and I ended up in a place I never imagined.  Going through a divorce and away from the home, garden and library that I had cultivated over years.  I am now putting the pieces back together in a different way and finally finding comfort in the things that I loved.  

I have family and friends who caught me and helped push me back up the hill and I can't thank each of them enough.  I am hoping that 2023 will be the year where I make some big decisions and find peace.  

The pup Charlotte has been by my side and our short and long walks have helped both of our physical and mental health!  

Review: The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

The Librarian Spy

by Madeline Martin 

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Two storylines going on at the same time and while the reader has to wait a bit for them to collide, when it does, it is so good!  

Ava was happy working at The Library of Congress when she was approached with an interesting job - to go abroad and work with the US military in intelligence.  Elaine is living in occupied France and with recent happenings going on around her she decides to join the effort and work for a printing press trying to get the news from the Resistance out into the world.  

I absolutely loved this book.  I enjoy reading about this war, and while I know about the atrocities that happened, sometimes it is hard to read the hard truths of it all.  SO I like these books where I can read and learn more about this war, but not quite enter into the depths of all that happened.  

When there are two storylines, sometimes I lean towards one or the other, but not the case in this book.  These women were in two different parts of the war doing two different things and I loved seeing both of them in the same book.  

My second Madeline Martin historical fiction book and she is quickly becoming an author that I will immediately open and read! 

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 60 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  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: Edge of Dusk by Colleen Coble

Edge of Dusk

by Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 352

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Even though secrets lie off the coast of Rock Harbor, the truth will set Annie Pederson free—if it doesn’t kill her first.

Nine-year-old Annie Pederson’s life changed the night her sister was kidnapped. The two had been outside playing on a dock, and Annie never forgave herself for her role in her sister’s disappearance. Twenty-four years later and now a law enforcement ranger, Annie is still searching for answers as she grieves a new loss: the death of her husband and parents in a boating accident.

But Annie and her eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, aren’t the only people in the town of Rock Harbor whose lives have been marred by tragedy. While managing the property around the Tremolo Resort and Marina she inherited, Annie discovers a dead body floating in the cold Superior surf and begins to work with the sheriff’s office to tie the death to a series of other mysterious reports in the area.

At the same time, her first love, Jon Dustan, returns after nine years away, reigniting the town’s memory of a cold case he’d been suspiciously linked to before he left to pursue his orthopedic residency. For the sake of her investigation and her heart, Annie tries to stay away. But avoiding Jon becomes impossible once Annie realizes she is being targeted by someone desperate to keep secrets from the past hidden.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series that was perfectly distracting during a busy time in my life!  

Already a Colleen Coble fan before starting this one, it lived up to the hype I have created for her myself!  Annie Pederson was nine years old when her sister was taken from her and she started the search to recover her.  Now as an adult when this story begins, Annie is an adult and a parent herself, a single parent as her spouse and parents were tragically taken from her all at the same time and she is still searching.  

There were many different mysteries going on in this one book and in my humble opinion maybe one too many!  I loved the underlying search that Annie was looking for her sister while the addition of the murdered young girls was intriguing, there were more and more added as the story went on and keeping track of all the twists and turns took some work.  

I am looking forward to book two arriving and continuing on with Annie Pederson.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Partner in Crime 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.

Review: Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

Holiday Romance

by Catherine Walsh

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 318

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  She’s meant to be catching flights, not catching feelings…

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.

Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.

The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.

What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…

Kritters Thoughts:  A sweet romance that takes place all during the holiday season, but over many years!  Molly and Andrew ended up one year on the same flight from Chicago to Ireland and it keeps happening year after year until one year where they must do anything in order to get Andrew home to his Christmas loving family.  And because this is a romance book, we know where this will end, but we have no clue how it will end up there!

If you watch any sort of Hallmark movies during the holiday season, then this book will be the perfect companion to read with holiday music playing in the background.  I loved watching Molly and Andrew have short interactions year to year, but knowing that it takes place over many years keeps the book from feeling like instalove!  And of course the epic will they won't they make it home was a fun thread throughout the entire book as one year is featured in and out amongst the other years (I know this may be confusing, but go with me) - it was just such a fun ride to see them "miss" each other.  

While my reading time has been limited due to some life circumstances, I was glad I picked this one up and maybe kicked off my holiday season a little early with this one! 

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 59 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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: Great Sexpectations by Kristen Bailey

Great Sexpectations

by Kristen Bailey

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 298

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  What’s wrong with a little bit of faking it?

After Josie got dumped by her ex through a note on the fridge, she hasn’t let herself get close to anyone. But when she meets Cameron at a Halloween party, who turns up in the same Ghostbusters costume as her, it’s virtually impossible to stay away.

Cameron, a curly haired video-games designer with dazzling blue eyes, the sexiest dimples and the same encyclopedic knowledge of movies as Josie, seems too good to be true.

And maybe he is… Because there’s one teeny tiny problem as Josie falls madly in love. Cameron has no idea that Josie lives at home with her ex-porn star parents and their dog Dave, or about the minor detail that she works for their sex toy empire. After her ex broke up with her because of the family business, Josie decides to tell a little white lie.

But it’s just a matter of time until the truth comes out. When it does, will Cameron end things, leaving Josie with only Dave the dog for company? And what if she’s not the only one who’s keeping secrets?

Kritters Thoughts:  Josie is the child of parents who own a sex toy company and her brother is a mid tier celebrity and at a Halloween party she meets a great guy, but can she be honest with him about her entire life?

My third Kristen Bailey book and not my favorite, but it didn't turn me off enough not to read more of her backlist and read her upcoming books.  Josie was a great character to follow through this story and when reading a romance, I am always glad to connect with a character and be able to root them on from beginning to the predictable end!  

While I read a lot of books set across the pond and tend to enjoy them, for some reason there were some moments in this one that maybe didn't completely translate for me - super shruggy shoulders!  

With a few eye rolling moments and some tender ones too, this was a good one, but I hope to read more from Kristen Bailey - maybe with a few less sexy toys and things!  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 58 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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.

July - a tough month

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A busy busy month with lots going on and not a lot of time for reading!

1. Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

2. Reputation by Sarah Vaughn

3. Can I Pet Your Dog? by Jeremy Nguyen

4. A Shoe Story by Jane Rosen

5. The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue by Ella Carey

6. Bone Deep by Charles Bosworth Jr and Joel Schwartz (audio)

7. This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal

Total pages read, clicked and flipped: 2,123

Where Have I Been Reading?:

London

New York City (2)

Troy, Missouri

California

Review: This Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal

This Place of Wonder

by Barbara O'Neal 

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 316

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In the wake of a personal tragedy, four women face the past, their futures, and each other in a novel of broken ties and healing by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

When famed chef Augustus Beauvais dies, he leaves behind a celebrated reputation―and four women grappling with loss, anger, pain, and the question of how the world will turn without him…

Meadow, the ex-wife with whom Augustus built an empire―and a family―still holds a place for him in her heart, even as she continues to struggle with his infidelities, which ended their twenty-year marriage. More unforgiving is Maya, his estranged daughter, who’s recently out of rehab but finally ready to reclaim her life. Norah, his latest girlfriend, sidelined her own career for unexpected love and a life of luxury, both of which are now gone with Augustus. And then there’s Rory, Meadow’s daughter, the voice of calm and reason in a chorus of discontent.

As Meadow, Maya, Norah, and Rory are flung together by tragedy, grief, and secrets yet to be revealed, they must accept―or turn away from―the legacy of great intentions and bad decisions Augustus left them. And when the circumstances around his death are called into question, their conflicted feelings become even more complicated. But moving forward is the only choice they have, and to do so, they’ll need to rely on family, friendship, and inner strength.

Kritters Thoughts:  A famed chef dies and the four closest women in his life are dealing with all the things he left behind with his unexpected death.  Two daughters and two exes must come together to pick up the pieces and all move on.

Told through multiple perspectives, which I loved, the reader gets to see the story move along through different points of view and how each cope with this tragedy.  It was so interesting to read about this man from the women in his lives and how each experienced him a different way.  From his current love to his epic love and the daughters in his life, seeing them grapple with his departure made for an enjoyable read this summer.  

While I can't spoil a thing, I sure loved that I thought this book would end in one place, there was a great twist and turn that took this book in a different direction and I was so surprised when all the puzzle pieces fit together!  

I have only read 3 of Barbara O'Neal books and I am hoping to fix this soon!      

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 57 out of 100

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.

Review: The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue by Ella Carey

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue

by Ella Carey

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 327

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  New York, 1938: Martha pulled the door of her Fifth Avenue apartment closed, her heart thumping, re-reading the telegram she’d been dreading. Her beloved sister Charlotte needed her help. She was alone in Paris, and the threat of Nazi invasion grew ever stronger. The time had come for Martha to make the bravest decision of her life. She needed to bring Charlotte home.

As Martha looks out of her bedroom window at the blossom-covered trees in Central Park, she is a world away from Europe and the threat of war. But when a telegram arrives from her sister Charlotte telling of the death of their Jewish friend Anita, Martha’s quiet life changes in an instant. With the threat of the Nazi invasion growing, Martha knows she must travel to Paris to convince Charlotte to return home.

When Martha arrives, she finds a city preparing for war. Soldiers patrol Paris’ cobbled streets and families talk of packing up and fleeing with whatever they can carry. Clutching her sister tightly, Martha knows that Charlotte has already decided to stay. Charlotte’s heart is in France, and as an American in Paris she believes she will be safe.

When the Nazis march through Paris’ streets and raise their flags over the city’s most beautiful buildings, Charlotte is determined not to give in. She works for the Resistance with a Frenchman named Louis, carrying messages, and hiding Anita’s family’s precious art collection from the Nazis. Meanwhile, Martha vows to help a female Jewish professor to safety in America, only to be faced with impossible odds.

But as the war rages, Martha and Charlotte’s determination will be tested like never before. And when Charlotte uncovers a shocking secret about her family which threatens her own life, can she find the strength to protect those she loves the most?

Kritters Thoughts:  The fourth book in a series where you can read them as you wish and don't need to start at the beginning.  A set of sisters who have been living different lives and one finds herself in a comprising situation as the Nazis make their way across Europe.  Charlotte is living in Paris with her mother's best friend and loving her life when Hitler and his regime start making trouble for the Jewish population.  Her sister Martha is living in NYC and must travel to help Charlotte make decisions for her future.

While the sisters storyline is going on in the book, we also go back in time to the sister's mother and her two friends as they were recovering from World War I.  I loved both storylines and they wove in and out of each other so well.  The older storyline revealed such fun clues in the perfect way.  The pacing for both stories was spot on, there was no way I was putting down this book and not finishing it in one setting!  

I have loved all the books in this series, but this one may be my favorite.  I sure hope that Ella Carey writes more, even if it isn't in this series.  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 55 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from  Bookouture.  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: A Shoe Story by Jane Rosen

A Shoe Story

by Jane Rosen 

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Esme Nash is eager to leave her small town and begin her carefully planned post-grad life: a move to New York City, an apartment with her loving college boyfriend, and a fancy job at an art gallery. But when tragedy strikes, instead of heading to Manhattan, she returns home to care for her ailing father, leaving every bit of her dream behind.

Seven trying years later, Esme is offered a dog-sitting job in Greenwich Village by a mysterious stranger, giving her access to all of her long-buried hopes and dreams--as well as to an epic collection of designer shoes. Esme jumps at a second chance to step into the future she's sure was meant to be hers.

As she retraces her steps, one pair of borrowed shoes at a time, making new friends and reconnecting with her old love, Esme tries on versions of herself she didn't know existed. But the hazy August days and warm summer nights pass too quickly, and Esme must decide how much of the life she imagined still fits, and what--and who--is on the road ahead of her.

Kritters Thoughts:  Are you looking for that fun summer read - this is it!  Esme Nash heads to NYC to dog sit, but it is the city that alluded her years ago when family took priority.  She has three weeks to live in the city and decide what is next for her life while holding on to a special pair of shoes that her mother gave her at her college graduation.  

First, let me say that I LOVED how each chapter started with a pair of shoes and looking up the shoes and thinking about where the story may go with Esme in these shoes made my read so much more fun.  Esme has access to some fantastic shoes and she loves picking the right ones for the right occasion.  With a little bit of a love triangle, Esme has a new guy that came into her life while she is also reconnecting with a guy from the past - I loved this.  I also loved the other people that came into her life through her adventures in New York City, just a fun book.  

As this is a fiction book, there were a few times I had to stop myself from an eye roll as the character made some decisions or things happened that seemed beyond reality!  BUT that is why we read fiction!!  

With two books in her backlist, both sound so good and after loving this one, I want to pick them up quickly! 

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 54 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  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.