Tag: Book Review

The Frozen River

January 2, 2026

Looking for a book full of historical fiction, women empowerment, mixed with a bit of murder mystery, well do I have a book for you! “The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

When a body of a well-known local is found at the bottom of a frozen river, it is up to the local midwife to find out the truth about the haunting night.

In this historical mystery, Ariel takes the reader on a journey with the town’s midwife, Martha Ballard, as she assists with bringing life into this world, raising her own six children, preserving the dignity of the unwed women in town, all the while holding the men in town accountable.

I already knew that giving birth to a child makes a woman a superhero! However, The Frozen River provides a whole new appreciation for childbirth, as well as the challenges that unwed women had to go through back in the day.

Also, the storyline of the justice system and the murder investigation was quite compelling and intriguing. The Frozen River was a quite the page turner and a great end of the year book!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fictional mixed with a bit of mystery!

Onyx Storm

March 17, 2025

War, Dragons, and Relationships are the three words that came to my mind after reading “Onyx Storm” the third book in the Empyrean series written by Rebecca Yarros. Where Violet, Xaden and the crew are back at it defending their land!

To be brutally honest certain parts particularly the war aspects kind of go over my head in fantasy books. I enjoy these books for the character and world building that takes place. In Onyx Storm, the main focus is on Violet’s baby dragon Andarna, nicknamed “The Golden One” due to her golden scales at birth.

I felt a special connection to Andarna, simply due to the fact that she always felt misunderstood and undervalued due to her size and other difficulties. I have often felt like that whether that be because of my size or being the baby of the family.

A famous William Shakespeare “though she be little she is fierce “ and this is a quote that I have lived by ever since I heard it in high school. This is the first thing that came to my mind when Rebecca first mentioned Andarna. And I believe that through the series but particularly this particularly Onyx Storm the Golden One has proven not only herself but everyone around her that she is capable of doing anything and everything she puts her mind too even saving the damn the world.

Just like Andarna’s mission in life is to help and protect the people around her. I hope to start up my own tech company that will help p and own a home one day and just like Andarna I might have some set backs and need some assistance but once I have a goal in mind nothing is going to stop me! Then I’ll get to enjoy it with the rest of my family! ❤️

The Kiss Quotient

June 17, 2024

Have you never had trouble admitting you needed assistance with something, have you ever tried online dating before? Well do I have a story for you. When Stella needs help in the bedroom, she turns to online dating apps for assistance and what could possibly go wrong with that.

Stella who has Asperger’s and has never really dated anyone and had slept with 3 men in her past. Really only for them and never to her satisfaction. So she figured that she turned to online dating/escorting sites for guidance. She made it quite clear she only wanted practice and never a relationship. That’s because she already had someone in mind. She just needed to build confidence. That’s was of course she met Michael. The escort from online.

Michael it turns out was the most down-to-earth patient man for the job. He accepted the fact that Stella had a checklist and that this was only going to be a one time thing. However, he shortly realized that things were going to go slow and that Stella was going to need more than one night to be comfortable.

Like I said in the past, it is the characters that make a story for me and it was no different with this one. Truthfully I wasn’t totally sold on the plot of the story at first. However, once I was introduced to Stella and Michael and got to learn more and more about them, I was sold!

One thing I truly appreciate about Helen Hoang is that she writes about characters with neurological disorders in such a bright light. So many times we read about these people in a bad light. And in Helen Hoang stories they get to shine and I absolutely love that! In this story both Michael and Stella had flaws and stars and they were treated all the same!!

Iron Flame

May 6, 2024

Are you a big fan of Iron Fame? Have you been wondering what Violet and Xaden have been up to since we last left them? Well do I have a book for you! “Iron Flame” written by Rebecca Yarros Iron Flame is a continuation of the Fourth Wring Saga.

 

In the 2nd installment of the series, Violet is now in her second year at the war college of Basgiath War College and is now is charge of watching the first years. When she comes across the younger sister of one of friends that passed away the previous year, she now has to earn her trust with the sister who blames Violet for her brothers death.

 

Never mind trying to get through school at Basgiath, she also has to go against her mother wishes and goes to the front line of the war to defend her homeland.

 

Even though I enjoyed Fourth Wing more for the world building and character building, I did enjoy Iron Flame as well. I appreciated the family dynamics between Violet and her siblings. My other favorite part was that she was finally able to stand up for herself against her mother.

I must say that I did get lost at some points throughout the story with everything that was going on. However, I believe at Rebecca Yarros has hit gold with these characters, plot lines and world building. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

King of Pride

April 10, 2024

Do you enjoy reading about forbidden romance? How about work drama with a little bit of blackmail? Well, I have a book for you! “King of Pride” written by Ana Huang. When a bartender at an exclusive club falls for a club member anything can happen.

Isabella Valencia and Kai Young are not supposed to be together by the club rules. However, their chemistry and passions are undeniable. Kai Young is in a tough time because he is in the middle of a campaign to win the CEO vote of his family business run by his mother. Isabella is trying to prove to her own family that she isn’t wasting her life away living in New York, working as a bartender, and trying to write her book.

I felt that a certain times throughout the story I could relate to Isabella. Especially when she is trying to prove the importance of her passion for writing her book to her family. When all they thought was that it was just a silly little hobby. She believed she had a story to tell and a willingness and a passion to get it down on paper. This is also a passion of mine and I believe that one day I will get to complete this goal.

I enjoy Ana Huang stories because of their forbidden love stories and drama-packed storylines. They might not be the most meaningful or impactful, but they are definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder

October 31, 2023

Crime, Investigation, and Small Town are the three words that came to my mind after reading “A Good Girls Guide to Murder” written by Holly Jackson. When Pippa Fitz-Amboli sets out to have her Senior Capstone project be about solving the murder of 15-year-old Adie Bell. It brings the whole town on a rollercoaster ride.

Pippa planned on doing this project and investigation on her own. However, when the suspected killer’s brother finds out what she is doing, they team up to prove his brother’s innocence.

“A Good Girls Guide to Murder” is just that a guide through Pippa’s entire investigation. Filled with transcripts of interviews, and manuscripts of her paper full of her thoughts, opinions, and facts gathered in the case. You could feel the pressure that Pippa felt trying not only to do well on her paper and keep relationships with the people that she is closest with, who are attached to the case. All the while trying to help prove a dead man’s innocence. At times it could be a lot more than Pippa had thought it would be. Both physically and emotionally.

I was captivated from start to finish with this one. As a fan of true crime, this book had everything I was looking for and more. From the personal connection to the crime, to how Pippa laid everything out there to get the job done and prove everyone wrong!

All Good People Here

October 20, 2022

Infuriating, determination and captivating are three words that come to mind after reading “All Good People Here” written by Ashley Flowers. Ashley Flowers has an incredible way of telling true crime stories with her popular podcasts Crime Junkie and with this fictional novel.

I have been hooked on Crime Junkie for a while now and look forward to a new episode every Monday morning and I know that I am not the only one.

Which makes me ask the question:

what makes humans so captivated with true crime? According to an article published 2021 on “The University of Law” blog it states:

“True crime gives an insight into our culture and norms as well as our anxieties and values.”(https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-crime).

  I get invested in the human aspect in of these cases. What brings people to commit these crimes and how can so many of these cases go unsolved. In all these cases what part does the media play in all of this?

From the mid 90’s with the first high profile case of OJ Simpson vs. The People of California, or my first ever case that I remember “Casey Anthony vs. the State of Florida.” I remember being glued to the tv from the beginning to the end of the case. Being incredibly disappointed with the outcome. Now I’ll admit it, I had my judgement of Casey before the trial even began and I still believe that she is guilty beyond belief. However, I know now that not all cases are all clear cut and open and shut cases. There is always more to the story than what is being shown on the news. I still think about how this little 3 year old girl would be a young teenager today and there is still no justice for little Caylee and we just have to be ok with that.

The media has had the important responsible to bring the world facts but these cases. However, I believe the media has become irresponsible with these times of cases. Only highlighting one side of the story. A lot of times with cases media painting the suspect has some sort of celebrity and “throwing them in the slammer” before a fair trial is even given. Sometimes even forgetting who the real victim is by the time everything is said and done.

However, Ashley Flowers and all people at Audio Chuck Production, has a real gift of telling these stories with an unbiased mind. Laying out all the facts of the stories on both sides of the aisle. Treating both the victim and the suspects has real human beings. Without ever forgetting who the real victim is. She interviews people connected to the cases that the police have never even thought about talking to. And she tries and sometimes succeeds in getting true justice for these families that have been through hell and back!

And she does just that in “All Good People Here” where the main character Margot moves back home to help with her haling uncle. And starts investigating a case of a missing little girl a town over. Her mission is to connect it to another missing girl case from when she was a child. A girl she considered her best friend. As she sets off trying to connect this puzzle, she reconnects with people from her past and soon realizes that this little town holds more secrets than she original thought. Even secrets in her family.

This story is a powerful and insight story of a story of a missing little girl isn’t always an open and shut case.

Sources:

[Website] Schmidt-Petersen, J. (2021). Why are we so obsessed with true crime. https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-crime/#:~:text=True%20crime%20gives%20an%20insight,is%20a%20common%20psychological%20trait%E2%80%9D.