Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas
Vicki Delany
282 pages
Crooked Lane Books

From Goodreads: It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.

Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry's shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.

It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.

I was so, so thrilled to see a sixth book in this series by Vicki Delany, which I thought had ended on book five in 2020, but I guess enough fans got together to convince the author to go back to Rudolph, New York at least one more time. If I had known about that effort I would have joined because the Year-Round Christmas series is my absolute favorite cozy series. I sincerely hope Delany keeps writing for this series if she can.

Moving on, this newest installment takes place two weeks before Christmas and someone is murdered in Merry's Christmas shop! What's more, the murdered is a member of the town's dramatic society where there is a lot of infighting a drama regarding the upcoming Christmas Carol production. Of course, Merry's mother is the big start and it's not long before she's spooked by the killer, too! 

I'll pat myself on the back for figuring out who the murderer was ahead of time, but I didn't know why until the end. I thought the way Merry tried to keep herself out of this investigation was amiable, but in the end she had no choice, especially since her own mother was involved.

Four stars! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy; as usual, all opinions are my own. If you haven't started this series yet and love a good holiday setting, this is definitely a cozy series you'll want to check out. 

Delicate Condition

Delicate Condition
Danielle Valentine
432 pages
Sourcebooks Landmark

From Goodreads: Anna Alcott is desperate to be pregnant. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And even when she finally manages to get pregnant, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone's playing a twisted game with her.

When the increasingly cryptic threats drive her out of her Brooklyn brownstone and into hiding in the cold, gray ghost town that is the Hamptons in the depths of winter, Anna is almost at the end of her rope.

Then her doctor tells her she's had a miscarriage—except Anna's convinced she's still pregnant, despite everything the grave-faced men around her claim. Could it be that her mind is playing tricks on her? Or is something more sinister at play? As her symptoms become ever more horrifying and the sense of danger ever more present, Anna can't help but wonder what exactly she's carrying inside of her...and why no one will listen when she says something is horribly, painfully wrong. 

Whoa, whoa, what a journey. This fast-paced, grueling book left me on the edge of my seat throughout its entirety. The longer the narrative goes on, the more desperate Anna gets and the more her pregnancy sounds... monstrous. She has common pregnancy symptoms, but many negative ones piled together at extreme levels. By the end, she seemed absolutely gaunt, ghostlike, and weak. Very weak. 

But none of her doctors will believe her, neither will her husband! It's frustrating to read a book where no one believes the main character, but this was a whole new level. We see Anna struggle, but almost no one supports her, instead choosing to placate her and urge her to "take a bath." So many baths! There is nothing the reader can do, of course, to help Anna. Where could she go for safety? To find a doctor who would listen and treat her accordingly? I wanted to yell at her, "Just get on a plane to another state and find a new hospital!"

Generally, I don't concern myself with trigger-warnings or content warnings, but this is the one time I will say: trigger warning for pregnancy loss, pregnancy, and birthing. If you're unsure if this is a book for you, I suggest reading the author's afterward and then deciding. 

Overall, this was a fantastic, edge of the seat thriller with a couple twists and an ending that I didn't predict. Thanks so the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. As always, opinions are my own.

Always Isn't Forever

Always Isn't Forever
J.C. Cervantes
384 pages
Razorbill

From Goodreads: Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can't let go of Ruby either.... Due to some divine intervention, he's offered a second chance. Only it won't be as simple as bringing him back to life--instead, Hart's soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he'd imagined. For one, he's forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can't deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn't understand the sudden pull, it can't be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson--but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

Five stars! This book was immensely enjoyable. The author took great care at the beginning of the novel to show the readers how special Hart and Ruby's relationship was, which definitely helped me feel all the feels as I kept reading. Ruby's pain was palpable, as was Hart's frustration at essentially being stuck in Jameson's body. By the end of the book the tears were really flowing!

This is a paranormal romance but it's different from others in that the paranormality, although it certainly drives the plot, isn't the main focus of the book. And as predictable at the plot sounds by reading the description, it certainly took a different, more emotional journey than I was expecting... as did the ending, which was not something I predicted. On the other hand, Always Isn't Forever falls for the typical YA trap of oblivious and absent parents to a fault... why isn't Jameson's mom more concerned about her son WHO JUST WOKE UP FROM A COMA and takes everything he says at face value. 

But overall, Always Isn't Forever is a spectacular YA novel that I didn't want to put down. Five stars! Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for the advanced copy; as always, opinions are my own.

The Block Party

The Block Party
Jamie Day
384 pages
St. Martin's Press

From Goodreads: On the night of the annual Summer block party, the Meadowbrook community Facebook page lights up with posts reporting sirens descending on the desirable and exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood on Alton Road. Bit by bit, the comments trickle in, some taking pleasure in their neighbors’ misfortune and others showing concern. The truth eventually comes out. It's not an accident, or a drowning, or a fire, as some had predicted. For the first time in forty years, there's been a murder in Meadowbrook.

The residents of Alton Road—The Fox family, the core of the neighborhood but each with secrets of their own; the Adair Family, the seemingly perfect all-American family; the Thompson Family, on the brink of an explosive divorce; The Kumars, the mysterious "new neighbors"; Brooke Bailey, the "Black Widow"; and Gus Fisher, the quirky salesman— are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal unbeknownst to the outside world and even each other.

Who was murdered at the block party? Who committed the murder? And why? As the night unfolds, the residents will discover that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems. Propulsive and layered, THE BLOCK PARTY will keep you guessing until the very last page.

What a delightful novel about a group of neighbors who get along splendidly and... just kidding. The Block Party takes readers on a journey through what seems to the outside like an idyllic, wealthy suburban cul-de-sac, but in actuality is a group of families that have so many secrets and desires for revenge, it's only a matter of time before the tension explodes into violence.

The book opens with the crime and then rewinds as we follow the neighbors through the whole year leading up. Collectively the families aren't very interesting, they seem white-washed and stereotypical, and I'm so bored reading about rich white people in general. Several times throughout the book a character says something like, "It doesn't matter, we have the money." In one instance $25,000 goes missing but the family doesn't suffer any financial repercussions. That makes it a little difficult to care about whether or not the husband is cheating, in my opinion.

BUT. I kept reading because the storyline involving the high schoolers was interesting and while they were pretty stereotypical themselves, they held my attention the best. As time goes on the storylines of every family, teens and adults, mingle together into a maze of mystery and the author craftily reveals main characters to be more complex than initial impressions. The sheer number of characters threatens to make the book confusing, but in the end all was well.

The Block Party is more mystery than thriller and though I wasn't at the edge of my sear until the very end, I was invested. If you like a good domestic mystery this would be a great summer read for you! The book releases July 18. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book; as always, opinions are my own.

Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad by Miriam Thaggert

Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad
Miriam Thaggert
208 pages
University of Illinois Press

From Goodreads: Miriam Thaggert illuminates the stories of African American women as passengers and as workers on the nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century railroad. As Jim Crow laws became more prevalent and forced Black Americans to "ride Jim Crow" on the rails, the train compartment became a contested space of leisure and work. Riding Jane Crow examines four instances of Black female railroad the travel narratives of Black female intellectuals such as Anna Julia Cooper and Mary Church Terrell; Black middle-class women who sued to ride in first class "ladies’ cars"; Black women railroad food vendors; and Black maids on Pullman trains. Thaggert argues that the railroad represented a technological advancement that was entwined with African American attempts to secure social progress. Black women's experiences on or near the railroad illustrate how American technological progress has often meant their ejection or displacement; thus, it is the Black woman who most fully measures the success of American freedom and privilege, or "progress," through her travel experiences.

My local library came through for me again, specifically ordering a university press book that piqued my interest. How much did I know about Black women and the railroad? Admittedly, not much beyond the Great Migration, and for some reason the cover really captured my attention as well as the feminized version of Jim Crow in the title. 

There was much to uncover that I had never considered before. For example, the porters on the Pullman trains are ubiquitous but how have I gone this long not knowing about the Black maids! Their stories and accompanying photographs were fascinating, as was the introduction to activist Pauli Murray later on in the book, who introduced the phrase "Jane Crow" used in the title.

As with any good history book, something specific caught my attention and left me wanting more. Thaggert mentions work by Psyche A. Williams-Forson when writing about the food vendors who sold quick meals to travelers through train windows. These women were a major part of the local economy, purchasing vast amounts of chicken, flour, and other ingredients to cook and sell. Thaggert cites Williams-Forson when discussing how women were able to purchase homes with their profits, and so now I have the books Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs and Eating While Black on my shelves waiting for their turn to be read.

I think any reader with an interest in Black history will find this book useful, especially those who like to study the intersectionality between race and gender. The book is meticulously researched and noted and I highly recommend it.

Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac

Bellegarde
Jamie Lilac
320 pages
HarperTeen

From Goodreads: Bellegarde reimagines the 90s romcom classic She's All That in 18th-century Paris, France. The lush pastel world building of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette meets the modern twist of Bridgerton in this YA historical romcom debut.

Beau Bellegarde, a second-born son, makes a deal: if he can turn Evie Clément, the unapproachable baker's daughter, into the winner of the Court Ball, making her the most desired bachelorette in Paris, he inherits the family fortune, but his target has plans of her own.

Let me start by saying that if you're looking for a book filled with historical realism, this isn't the book for you. Lilac's characters have a familiar countenance and modern turns of phrase, but are still set in a lavish historical setting a la Paris making me yearn for a croissant and les Tulleries. I actually think this is a great way to write a historical YA novel, as it makes it more accessible for reluctant readers.  

Though the book is historical fiction, the problems Evie faces would be just as recognizable in today's world: the occasional callousness of teenage boys, means girls and cliques, and even gentrification take the stage. Class is a constant underlying theme in the novel since Evie's family is working class and barely able to keep their bake shop, whereas most of her classmates are aristocratic. Her determination to make life better for her sister Violette is admirable and heartwarming, though I feel Violette is underestimated.

Of course the love story is why most readers will be picking up this book. The comparison to the movie She's All That is entirely apt. Though the reader will go into the book knowing who Evie will end up with, there is a third party in the middle of the book who makes things very interesting. As for Beau, his backstory piqued my interest and the one interaction he has with his father in the novel left me wishing this plot line had been expanded on.

All in all this was a fun and fast read, perfect for the upcoming summer. Bellegarde releases July 11th so be sure to add it to your calendar! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. As always, opinions are my own.

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library
Holly Danvers
320 pages
Crooked Lane Books

From Goodreads: Summer is in full swing as tourists flock back to the Northwoods and travel to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. For Rain Wilmot, owner of the Lakeside Library, this is the perfect opportunity to bring back her mother’s summer book club. But the summer sun starts to really heat up when one of the club’s members, Lily Redlin, is found dead in her own home not long after the first meeting.

Alongside her sidekick and neighbor Julia Reynolds and the charming Jace Lowe, Rain discovers that the murder is seemingly inspired by the book club’s recent selection of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, Sparkling Cyanide. But who would kill Lily, and more importantly, why?

The deeper Rain goes into the story, the more confusing and complicated the plot becomes. Was Lily murdered to cover up a tragic accident involving an old classmate years earlier? Or were the rumors true—did Lily really possess priceless original Laura Ingles Wilder manuscripts and someone killed her for them? And who stands to gain the recently inherited piece of waterfront property that Lily received from a long-lost relative?

With a long list of suspects and motives, Rain realizes that all leads come back to people involved in the book club. Rain and her friends take a page from Agatha Christie’s book by hosting a reenactment of the club’s first meeting to flush out the killer. Will Rain’s plan succeed—or will this librarian’s book be checked out for good?

I fell right into this new cozy by Holly Danvers; it has such an energetic pace I couldn't help to keep reading. Rain is definitely a character you can't help but root for. Despite a tough past, she has such an infectious energy and is extremely kind to her friends and neighbors in Lofty Pines. So it's no surprise that when of her new book club members if found murdered, she starts investigating with her best friend Julia. The book club contains a wide cast of characters (and suspects!) but as each woman was investigated by the duo we got to know them better.

This cozy has some of the best aspects of other cozies: idyllic setting, spunky heroine, slightly disgruntled law enforcement contact, BFF and partner in crime, fluffy pups, and a friendly local library. Still, as I was reading this book felt surprisingly refreshing. Rain is definitely a part of that because her character is so awesome, but she and Julie egg each other on and push themselves further than other cozy heroines. Rain and Julie have a precious friendship, which really shone through at the ending of the book. 

This is the third book in the series but I had no problem jumping right in. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book, which comes out in August so mark your calendars! As always, opinions are my own.