It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (Kiss, Merry, Kill #2) by Ally Carter

 

5*

I thoroughly enjoyed Carter’s The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (Book 1 of the series Kiss, Merry, Kill) and am pleased to say that Book 2 is equally engaging, humorous, and mysterious. There are some similarities (a Christmas gathering at a mansion, a childhood enemies to lovers romance, and a mysterious disappearance of a pivotal character), but It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder is a unique mystery with a sizable cast of greedy suspects, one or more of whom won’t be happy until they’ve removed any human obstacles in their path to untold riches.

There is a fine line between love and hate, and Ella and Liam have been straddling it for twenty years. However, when Liam is presumed dead and Ella is the prime suspect, it becomes a hilarious cat-and-mouse caper once she realizes that Liam is very much alive but needing her help to keep him that way. The only way to survive is to stick together, and that closeness is just what they need to discover what they could be to each other. If you like a little mystery with your Christmas reading, I highly recommend this delightful Christmas caper.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

*4

Adler has written another winning romance (actually two romances) using a dual timeline featuring a relationship in 1908 between a female ornithologist who fights hard to be taken seriously in a field where women aren’t welcome and a newspaper publisher and wildlife illustrator who helps her discover a rare goose. Cal’s and Annie’s romance picks up over 100 years later when his ex finds the goose in the attic of her new home and asks for his help in discovering its provenance. The lighthearted mystery is the wild goose chase they find themselves in, and the solution is a hoot (or should I say honk).

One of the highlights of the story are the funny and rather poetic analogies Cal uses to compare love to furniture. Annie is quirky and believes in repurposing antiques in disrepair for use by her modern clientele whereas Cal believes that antiques should be restored to their former glory. Their relationship is a combination of the two viewpoints and reflects their personalities.

Readers can always depend on Adler’s romances to have a unique premise (the opposite of formulaic). In Wild Goose Chase, she’s written yet another witty, engaging story that stands out in a field of contemporaries. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Romance through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren

5*

As always, writing duo Christina Lauren have written a multi-faceted romance I couldn’t put down. If I’m recollecting correctly, this is the first time they’ve delved into science fiction (I don’t count The Soulmate Equation) and I found the premise fascinating. Workaholic Emery meets landscaper (and perfect book boyfriend) Luca at her cousin’s wedding, and it’s love at first sight despite them being polar opposites. Two months later they’re married and the story picks up on their third anniversary. It’s not until tragedy strikes that Emery realizes how out of whack her work-life balance has become, but they’re given a second chance (thanks to the invention Emery has spent her entire adult life developing), if only Luca could remember her.

For the most part, this is a relatively light-hearted romance, but there is the challenge of reconnecting & repairing their marriage, the top-secret medical research, and a compelling mystery thriller involving corporate espionage and murder. The authors have struck a perfect balance between a marriage in trouble, steamy romance, nosy neighbors, unforgettable friends (who I hope get their own book), and the villains who will stop at nothing to get their hands on Emery’s discovery. Luca is an absolutely swoonworthy cinnamon roll and Emery is a dedicated scientist and former child prodigy who chose (motivated by the grief over losing her parents) to put her work ahead of the husband she loves with a passion. My favorite parts of the book are the scenes where they realize how much they love each other and the tenderness between them. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

5*

Road Trip is so much more than I expected, and I loved it. It’s about estranged sisters who fulfill their mother’s dying wish to travel together through Ireland in the hopes they’ll reconcile. It’s also a mystery thriller centered on a painting that has been in the family for generations and determining its provenance. Was it stolen? Is it authentic? The actual story behind it is told in a series of letters between their great-grandmother who fled to America at age 18 and the younger brother she had to leave behind. It’s also a delightful romance between younger sister Maeve and a sexy Irish whiskey distiller named Liam. Who doesn’t dream of discovering love while tracing their roots?

Andrews strikes the perfect balance between the romance, the healing of Therese and Maeve’s relationship, and the sordid and tragic story behind the painting. Her characters are richly-drawn and the various locations perfectly set the stage. This would be a wonderful book to take on your summer vacation. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh

 

5*

There’s so much to appreciate about this book: first great loves and second chances, the mystery, and the female empowerment. Surgeon Carrie Cole comes from a line of strong, determined women whose passion for their vocations makes romantic relationships difficult, if not impossible. Yet, when she meets Johan Kullberg, the connection is so strong and instantaneous that she struggles to find a balance. On the night of their spontaneous wedding, Johan is taken by the police, and Carrie begins to question everything she thought she knew. To cope, she throws herself into her work and, with much therapy and family support, learns to thrive and let love in again. Years later, she receives some startling news which opens old wounds and reveals life-changing secrets. Will the fallout destroy her? Walsh keeps readers guessing until the final pages. The mystery element is extremely compelling, and the romance is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. Her choice of first-person point of view works well, allowing readers to get a true sense of what it means to be a woman in a still-misogynistic profession which makes motherhood and romantic relationships beyond challenging. It also shows Carrie’s struggle to find a balance while losing a father to dementia, fearing for her premature twins, suffering the effect of maternal abandonment, and realizing that she might have been completely duped by the man she married.

I read this in one sitting because Walsh does such a wonderful job of pacing that I couldn’t put it down. This is the perfect book for readers who like complexity in their romances. I could see this being a great choice for bookclubs since the spice factor is low (although the chemistry is palpable) and there so much to discuss about morality, misogyny, etc. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Pamela Dorman/Viking Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

An Ocean of Time by Kennedy Kerr

4*

I would have given this book 5 stars for the compelling, suspenseful, romantic story. However, without warning, it ended on a cliffhanger. If I’d known, I would have waited until the 2nd (and perhaps successive) book had come out because I’m just not patient enough to wait.

If, however, you don’t mind cliffhangers, I definitely recommend this intriguing time slip novel set in Cornwall, UK in 1755. There’s forbidden romance, villainous treachery, and deep, dark secrets that keep you at the edge of your seat. Recommended. 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

 

5*

I loved this story. Two emotionally-damaged people who have been betrayed by negligent, abusive parents and unscrupulous bosses, find a connection and acceptance that neither expected. Although, on the surface, their goals seem to be working against each other, the growing feelings they have for each other can’t be denied. I love how Hazelwood portrayed Rue’s autism and Eli’s innate understanding of her neurodivergency and needs. He’s the perfect book boyfriend who not only accepts her uniqueness, but also gives her the support and protection she’s never had. I also enjoyed Rue’s relationship with her best friend, Tisha.

If you enjoy frenemies to lovers romances with an element of mystery mixed with corporate greed, you’ll enjoy this latest offering from Hazelwood. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

4*

A grieving husband who is struggling with writer’s block after his wife Abby, an investigative journalist who’s been getting threats, disappeared one year ago on the night he made the New York Times bestseller list, Grady Green jumps at the chance Kitty, his agent and Abby’s godmother, gives him to get out of his pathetic hotel room in London and spend three months on the Isle of Amberly off the Scottish Highlands in the writing shed of a late author who willed it to her. Even before he reaches its shores, he gets his first sighting of who he believes is Abby. Is it a hallucination, a ghost, or a result of his alcoholism? As it turns out, this is just the beginning of the strange happenings on the small island, its only full-time inhabitants about 25 women who are both mysterious and disturbing. There’s plenty of tension as Grady realizes that he’s essentially trapped with no phone service and a ferry that runs at the whim of the captain who seems determined to keep him from leaving.

Through a series of flashbacks in both Grady’s and his wife Abby’s voices, we get a sense of the state of their marriage before she vanished. There was definitely love but, contrary to what Grady professes, his writing had been his primary focus. Like any good psychological thriller, Feeney kept me on the edge of my seat, but I never anticipated the twists near the end. This isn’t my usual genre, but I appreciated the way Feeney set up the story and her eerie depiction of Amberly. Recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Flatiron Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I Will Follow by Eireann Corrigan

 

4*


This YA abduction thriller is reminiscent of Stephen King’s Misery, but with a psychotic teen girl, Nora, who develops a parasocial relationship with Shea, a TikTok influencer/dancer instead of a middle-aged woman angry with the ending of her favorite novelist’s series. It’s a harsh look at influence culture, and how internet fame corrupts the creators as their follower count rises and their focus turns towards monetization and away from the fans who helped them grow their brand. Sadly, when an emotionally and mentally unstable follower convinces herself that her idol needs her help, the price of fame becomes too high.

Author Corrigan’s wise decision to use a dual POV enables readers to see into Nora’s mind and the experiences in her young life that have fostered her delusions. We also see how, despite her fear, Shea uses her time in captivity to reflect on how far her internet fame and sponsorships have taken her away from the joy she used to get from sharing her love of dance with her audience and how exposing even small parts of her life make her vulnerable. The message is an important one for today’s teens and tweens if there are librarians who can guide them to this worthwhile book because it’s not one they might easily find on their own. Recommended.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams

5*

It’s been quite a while since I read a Beatriz Williams novel, and I’d forgotten how much I love her writing. She does such a phenomenal job of connecting stories in multiple timelines, never sacrificing characterization or plot to make the puzzle pieces fit.

In Husbands and Lovers, there is the story of Mallory Dunne, a single mother to young son, Sam (who eats a poisonous mushroom at summer camp, leaving him in need of a kidney transplant) and her sister Paige, both of whom are still grieving the accidental death of their mother less than two years prior. When Paige finds their mother’s adoption papers, it opens a new door in their search for a kidney donor. There’s also Mallory’s first love Monk Adams, a famous musician who has been kept in the dark about Sam but, through Paige’s machinations, re-enters their lives during a visit to the coastal community of Winthrop Island, MA where these former best friends fell in love.

A gold and jewel-encrusted Egyptian cobra bracelet that Mallory’s mother willed her is the artifact that ties this modern plotline to the story of Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth, wife of a British diplomat more than twice her age, from World War II in Europe to post-war Egypt and the civil unrest caused by British colonization and the establishment of the Israeli state. She suffered unspeakable tragedy during the war, and when she began an affair with the mysterious hotel manager, Lucien Beck, who other wives suspected was a spy, it was her opportunity to regain some of what she’d lost.

This beautiful novel is full of heartbreak, love, and redemption. Williams’ female characters are flawed and make morally dubious decisions with the best of intentions, but you can’t help hoping that they get the second chance they both seek and fear.

Now I need to go back and read the two previous titles that are connected to this one. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

A Daughter of Fair Verona (Daughter of Montague #1) by Christina Dodd

 

4*

I really enjoyed this unique, creative, humorous retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, imagining that they didn’t die, and I definitely got the vibe that this is how Shakespeare’s comedies would sound if written in contemporary English. It was a treat to see Romeo and Juliet as great parents, still madly in love after 20+ years. Although the book opens with them promising their spinster daughter Rosaline (all of age 20) to an evil duke, whose last three wives died under suspicious circumstances, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Romeo taught all of his daughters how to defend themselves. So, although the medieval society of Verona was misogynistic, Romeo was surprisingly modern in his relationships with the females in his life.

There was one passage early in the book that was very reminiscent of Monty Python’s brand of comedy, and that bawdy, sometimes brutal humor was sprinkled throughout the story, including some pretty gruesome scenes as the murder mystery unfolded and the bodies kept piling up.

This is a perfect blending of a love triangle romance between Rosie, the young and handsome Lysander, and the 26-year-old scarred, but kind and protective Prince of Verona, Escalus, and a murder mystery in which Rosie takes on a detective role of sorts. My only complaint is that I found the ending irritatingly ambiguous, and then realized that it’s the first book in a series. So, I’m going to assume that any loose ends will be tied up in the next book.

If you are looking for a relatively light-hearted, multi-genre story that keeps you laughing and guessing, I highly recommend A Daughter of Fair Verona.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

The House Like an Accordion by Audrey Burges

 

4*

Not being a fan of science fiction or fantasy, it was difficult to read this story because it’s not in my nature to suspend disbelief. However, the premise is so intriguing and the characters so charming and flawed that I felt compelled to see it through to the end. I’m so glad I did, because this metaphorical tale full of magical realism about a family of artists whose drawings influence life is unique, thought-provoking, and ultimately redemptive. I had so many questions along the way, and I’m still not sure I found satisfactory answers to some of them. There were also a couple of decisions that the main character Keryth made that I wished had been different, but that’s the prerogative of the author.

It’s not possible to give a clear synopsis of this book given the twists and turns it takes, but the appendix of book discussion questions helped me make more sense of what I read and can share without spoilers. Ultimately, this book is about “the act of creating, and the role of a creator in defining—both successfully and not—what they’re trying to bring into the world.” In this case, it makes the reader think about the choices creators make, whether it be fine artists or tech gurus, the ethical considerations behind their ideas, and the impacts (both positive and negative) their work has on the people around them and, sometimes, all of humanity. It makes us think about the choices we’d make if we had the opportunity to revive someone we’ve lost, rekindle an old love, or hold tight to something that wants or needs to be set free. It also makes us reflect on the lessons we’ve been taught by our parents and the ways we interpret them, sometimes wrongly. This impactful story will stick with me for awhile, thinking about the life choices I’ve made, the people I’ve loved and lost, and the way I might reimagine my future. Kudos to author Audrey Burges!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Ace Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

 

5*

The Paris Novel is a beautiful little gem of a book by Ruth Reichl, best known for her time as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine and author of a series of engaging memoirs. It was the mention in one of her books of a little black dress she tried on while in Paris that inspired this book. I can’t help but think that much of what Reichl has written mirrors her own experiences, and the story is infused with her love for and knowledge of food. In fact, in the author notes, Reichl reveals that many of the famous people in her book she met in real life. It combines historical fiction (early 1980s), a bit of romance, a reluctant search for a missing father, and a mystery involving Victorine, the model for Edouard Manet’s Olympia, who eventually became a painter in her own right and then faded into obscurity thanks to jealous men.

After a horrendous childhood being raised by a cold, neglectful, narcissistic mother who looked the other way when she was being molested by one of her boyfriends, Stella has led a colorless, boring, but safe existence in NYC. After her mother dies and leaves her a small inheritance with the condition that she go to Paris, her boss forces her to take an extended vacation. Shortly after arriving, she wanders into a shop where the proprietress says she’s been waiting for her, the woman meant for a little black dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent. The dress begins a personal transformation and leads Stella to Jules, a grandfatherly figure who introduces her to the gastronomic delights of Paris and the dawning comprehension that she has a talent for cooking and a passion for food and wine that brings much-needed color to her life.

Her transformation is further aided by the comforting chaos of the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore where Stella finds a home away from home and a colorful cast of characters led by the grouchy but kind real-life George Whitman, who welcomed what he called his Tumbleweeds to use the store as a temporary home on three conditions: help in the store as needed, read a book a day, and write a one-page autobiography before you leave. One of the recurring responsibilities for Stella is to watch his 7-year-old (fictional) daughter Lucie, who is a great help in solving the mystery of Victorine. I couldn’t help but pause my reading many times to look up the people, places, paintings, and events that populate the book. Rather than pulling me away from the narrative, the light research enhanced it.

The entire book is a feast for the senses: the aromas of fine food, the scent of the flowers, the beauty of the landscape and architecture, and the fine art in the museums. Even the revolting description of eating the ortolans is something I won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Random House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

 

5*

This book is so incredibly twisted. It’s like a pretzel of grifting, stolen identity, assault, scams, revenge, and murder, all revolving around a Chicago-based critical care nurse named Meghan Miller. I won’t even try to write a synopsis since it’s impossible to do without spoilers. Suffice it to say, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush, especially all of the times Meghan walks home from work in the dark, knowing there’s a masked man who has been assaulting, robbing, and raping women. Add to that the fact that she and her 16-year-old daughter are living in an apartment with a door that doesn’t properly latch, and you’re just waiting for the worst.

Mystery/thrillers aren’t a genre I usually read, but I chose this for a reading challenge based on a Facebook recommendation, and I’m not sorry. It is absolutely riveting, and I really appreciate it as a window into the way people’s minds work: the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones, the damage and repercussions of childhood abuse, and people who are just natural-born sociopaths. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Park Row through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

 

4*

This was a tough book for me to read for personal reasons. I found myself sobbing more than once. So, I’ll start by warning that there are several triggers: death of a child, neglect and abandonment, involuntary eviction, and grief.

Like Sampson’s first book, The Last Chance Library, this story centers around a group of unlikely collaborators who come together to save a place that is special to all of them. In the process of working on a common cause, they not only get to know each other, but also learn more about themselves. In the former, the female protagonist is a shy, reclusive, 30-year-old librarian who emerges from her grief over losing her mother when she realizes that the mission to save the library is worth the risk. In the process, she finds community and love with a former classmate who comes to their aid.

In Nosy Neighbors, there are two female protagonists who are initially at odds. Seventy-four-year-old Dorothy has spent the past thirty years noting the comings and goings of her neighbors at Shelley House, but only speaking to them when she wants to complain and lecture them about what she’s observed. The comfort and familiarity of her home is rocked when 25-year-old, pink-haired and tatted Kat becomes the latest of her neighbor Joseph’s illegal tenants, her arrival quickly followed by the shocking news that they’re going to be evicted from their home by their negligent landlord and developer.

Over the next several weeks, as Dorothy, Joseph, Kat and Will, a local newspaper reporter who has caught Kat’s eye, work to save Shelley House, they find themselves opening up about their past traumas and the way their experiences have influenced their behavior and life choices. One glaringly clear theme is that we can’t begin to know what causes people to act the way they do, and that rudeness, diffidence, and even affability can be masks they wear to hide their pain. It’s also about forgiveness. Even when people’s words and actions have caused immeasurable pain, the act of forgiving them or even forgiving yourself is the only way to move forward.

Sampson writes with sensitivity and compassion. Her characters are complex, and represent the best and worst of us but, except for the villain, there is goodness in all of them. If you like women’s fiction with depth, small English village settings, rooting for the underdog, and authors like Jill Mansell, Jenny Colgan, and Debbie Johnson, you’re sure to enjoy Nosy Neighbors.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

 

5*

Legal thrillers aren’t my usual genre. In fact, I don’t think I’ve read more than a few. However, after reading The Truth About the Devlins and enjoying it immensely, I’m eager to read more of Scottoline’s books. She’s a former lawyer herself who, in her own words, hews “as close to the law when there are legal situations in the novels.”

In this story about a family of lawyers and TJ (the narrator, the youngest sibling, the college dropout, and the recovering alcoholic), the plot revolves around the mysterious death of a corporate accountant and how TJ and his older brother John are caught up in the mystery, to the point that they’ve put themselves and their entire family in the criminals’ crosshairs. However, it’s also about addiction and the lengths those afflicted will go to chase the high, the selfish actions they take that put people at risk, and the toll it takes on their loved ones.

Daughter Gabby Devlin, who is dedicated to her pro bono work, elicits TJ’s help as the family firm’s investigator on an actual civil case involving men incarcerated in Holmesburg Prison between 1951 and 1974. Without informed consent, they were subjected to legal, but unethical medical experimentation led by Dr. Albert Kligman, a dermatology professor at UPenn, that left them with horrendous scarring and often fatal illnesses as well as PTSD. Although the men in the book are fictional, the horrors the actual former inmates faced and the lengths the complicit corporations (who benefitted from the experiments), doctors, and our military and CIA went to avoid any civil or criminal liability are as appalling as what the Nazis did to concentration camp prisoners. You can read more about this in the novel Acres of Skin by eyewitness Dr. Allen Hornblum who believes these experiments violated the Nuremberg Code.

The pacing of this story is perfect, keeping you on the edge of your seat while trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces fit together. TJ’s narration is charming, vulnerable, and honest, and you can’t help but hurt for him while also cheering him on. Whether or not you’re a legal thriller fan, I highly recommend you read this story.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy

 

3*

Abbey Bly is the daughter of an aging rock star who quit touring when she was 11 to become an overprotective, full-time dad. The last thing he wants is for Abbey to repeat his mistakes. So, when she announces she is going to Pembridge University in London for her sophomore year, he doesn’t take the news well. When she arrives, she discovers that what she thought were three female roommates are actually attractive men (with androgynous names). Lee is the fashionable gay one, Jamie the whorish aristocratic one, and Jack the Australian Chris Hemsworth lookalike who she’s instantly attracted to. However, the number one (and only) house rule is no fraternizing among housemates.

Unlike their American counterparts, these three are not impressed with her dad’s fame which is a huge relief to her. As Jamie says, “Englishmen only make a big deal about pints and footy.” Being the daughter of a rockstar and a groupie, Abbey never understood musician worship until her first night out with the gang…when she’s dumbstruck by the edgy singer/guitarist on stage, Nate. Soon, she’s juggling her feelings for two guys and still keeping the truth of her living arrangement from her dad.

In addition to the romance, there’s also a mystery element to Girl Abroad. Shortly after Abbey is given a year-long assignment to research and report on an interesting topic, she discovers a painting of a mysterious woman from the 1940s-50s at an estate sale at an ancestral home of the Tulley family, aristocrats who have fallen on hard times. She decides to investigate what this woman’s connection is to the Tulleys, one of whom paid to have her portrait painted. The only clue she has is a Dear John letter tucked into the back of the frame from Josephine to the man she’s rejecting. Josephine was in a love triangle, and it’s Abbey’s job to discover who she chose and what became of them all. As a librarian and lover of research, I found this subplot really compelling.

One big frustration I had that almost spoiled the book completely for me is that nearly halfway through the book, Abbey is in a love triangle with two different guys, but she can’t have either of them. It’s a double slow burn, but when it catches fire, it feels almost like cheating although none of them is willing to commit. It’s all a little too messy for my taste, especially when the feelings are strong all around. I didn’t feel Abbey had enough of a personality for two guys to fall for her, and her behavior was really hypocritical. Unfortunately, aside from the mystery element, there isn’t much to recommend this story. It falls far short of Kennedy’s hockey romances.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Bloom Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

                                    

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

 

5*

Clayborn has done it again, written a beautiful romance framed by a complex story that proves that true love can flourish, even under the most trying conditions.

In The Other Side of Disappearing, Jess has parented her younger sister Tegan for ten years after their mother Charlotte left them to travel with a con man, Lynton Bainbridge. During that time, Jess has dedicated her entire life to ensuring that Tegan is safe and loved, sacrificing her own wants and needs, including pursuing any romantic relationships or friendships. When their life is suddenly upended by the arrival of podcaster Salem Durant and Adam Hawkins, who Tegan (pretending to be Jess) contacted about her mother’s involvement with Lynton (the subject of Salem’s groundbreaking show before he disappeared with their mother), Jess has no choice but to reluctantly accompany them on a road trip that follows the clues from five postcards her mother sent before she completely disappeared.

From Tennessee to Florida to a stop at Adam’s family farm in Missouri and then onto Oklahoma, New Mexico and finally Washington, Jess and Adam grow close despite her trust issues, worry about Tegan, and anger at both Salem for digging into her painful past and her mother for prioritizing men over her daughters. On the other side of Charlotte’s disappearance is the complex trauma which Jess tried desperately to suppress. Confronted with the past and the choices Charlotte made, the feelings of betrayal, abandonment, and Jess’s fear that she failed to make the right choices in trying to protect Tegan force their way to the surface. When the mystery is solved, will the fallout be more than Jess can handle?

Clayborn wisely chose a dual point of view to delve deeply into what both Jess and Adam are thinking and feeling. Although Adam is falling for Jess, his emotions and motivations are influenced by the death of his best friend and football teammate Cole and his need to set the record straight about the NFL’s and others’ handling of his mental illness and complicity in his death. How he balances his needs with his awareness of Jess’s issues is neither trite nor sensationalized. They’re just two traumatized human beings who are figuring themselves out and acknowledging their flaws and insecurities. This emotional and slightly steamy love story wrapped in a mystery is heartwarming and unforgettable. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.



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The Lost Dresses of Italy by M.A. McLaughlin

 

5*

All the best historical fiction seamlessly blends real events and people with fictional characters and, often, periods of historical figures’ lives from the author’s imagination. In this dual timeline story, McLaughlin introduces her readers to Marianne Baxter, a war widow and costume curator, who is invited to Verona, Italy in 1947 by a friend to research and restore three Victorian-era gowns for the reopening of a museum that was damaged during the war. When she finds a letter in a sleeve addressed to famed poet Christina Rossetti from her father, it begins a hunt for clues not only about the woman who wore the dresses, but also how they ended up in a walled-over room in the museum. In her postscript, McLaughlin mentions a cryptic quote from Christina Rossetti’s brother William, who accompanied her on her trip to Italy in 1865, which presumably was the inspiration for this fictionalized period of her life. “Had she [Christina] henceforth lived in Italy…she would, I believe, have been a much happier woman than she was.”

The story opens with a murder outside the museum, when a young man in the Italian Resistance is double-crossed by a compatriot who kills him for the emerald he was about to sell to raise money for their cause. In the letter, Christina’s father writes of a pendant that she would have found after his death, a probable connection to the murder. As Marianne begins to follow the clues as to what transpired during Christina’s visit to Italy, it angers the museum director, Alessandro Forni, whose cousin was the murder victim. As he tells her, “Wading into the unfamiliar waters of a foreign country, which has so recently endured a bitter war, can stir up nothing but ugly things lurking in the depths.” This foreshadows what becomes a suspenseful mystery that combines the restoration of various art forms with jewelry theft, the physical and emotional toll war’s death and destruction had on the people and the morally dubious choices they had to make to survive, and an epic love story that has faint echoes to the most famous star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. So, it’s only fitting that most of the book is set in Verona.

McLaughlin chose a dual POV, featuring two creative women eighty years apart who went to Italy and found love when they weren’t looking. Their trajectories were different, but their time there profoundly changed them. Don’t be surprised if you end up going down a rabbit hole Googling information about the Rossetti family, especially after reading the conversations between Christina and her more famous brother, Dante, both of whom their mother referred to as the “storms” (versus their other siblings, William and Maria, who were the “calms”). The Lost Dresses of Italy is a compelling story with vibrant characters driven by greed, obsession, passion, and grief, one that you won’t quickly forget. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester

5*

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard exemplifies the best of historical fiction, seamlessly blending real events and people with fictional characters whose lives intersect. It combines a family saga, the mystery surrounding both Astrid’s disappearance and the identity of her father, and an exposé on the misogynistic toxicity of the fashion industry.

In the author’s note, Lester mentions that Mizza Bricard, Astrid’s biological mother, was a real person, knowledge which led me down a Google rabbit hole. Fictional Mizza was the first generation of Bricard women who gave birth out of wedlock (what an archaic term), thus passing on the common surname, but that’s not where the commonalities end. Beautiful MIzza, who began her fashion career almost by accident, grew up fast in the salons of Paris on the eve of World War I, rubbing elbows with everyone from Coco Chanel to Pablo Picasso. Despite her incredible design talent, she was relegated to being a “muse” to Christian Dior with a sordid reputation thanks to the misogynists with fragile egos who rule the world of haute couture, both then and now. As Lester mentions, “I believe the truth is more likely to be found in the accounts of those who knew her, rather than men reporting on her thirty or forty years after her death who’ve decided that the racier the anecdote, the more chance they have of being published.” If you’d like to read more about Mizza, I’ve included a link at the bottom of this review to an article written by Lester for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mizza’s fictional daughter Astrid, who was raised by her adoptive parents, enrolled in Parsons School of Design in NYC in 1970 at age 24, and, despite not being raised by Mizza, she suffered a similar fate by virtue of association. Hawk Jones was a wunderkind who started his own design house right out of school. From the moment they met in the Parsons Archives, the pull between them was undeniable and unavoidable. Although Astrid’s designs inspired Hawk and he was adamant about giving her credit, the toxic and petty fashion patriarchy persisted in undermining her talent and painting her as a muse as well. Like her mother, whose famous, somewhat scandalous photograph sealed her fate, Astrid was captured wearing a silver lamé dress and nothing else while dancing at a disco. As months passed, she and Hawk pumped out hot-selling pieces while rubbing elbows with the likes of Mick Jagger, and ultimately fell in love. When it all came to a head at the Battle of Versailles in 1973 (an actual event that had the established and favored French designers competing against the upstart, risk-taking American designers), Astrid disappeared, and no one knew if she was dead or in hiding for the next 40 years.

Mizza Bricard at age 55, photographed by Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Blythe Bricard, daughter of Astrid and Hawk and divorced from fashion mogul Jake Black, is at the tipping point of her fashion career. Like her parents, she and Jake met in design school and vowed to support each other’s dreams. However, the pressure and fickle nature of the industry has led her to the point that she must decide if she will continue designing costumes for film (which would mean giving up her dream) or revive her mother’s fashion brand, Mizza, either with Jake’s competitor, with Jake’s company if they can first overcome their personal differences, or by taking the reins herself with investments from other women. In a world heavily populated by female customers, workers, and talent but still run mostly by men, it’s a point of pride and ownership she craves. And, of course, she wants to be the first in her family’s line to get credit for her work and shed the heavy mantle of “muse.”

Although this isn’t a romance, the relationships each woman had are intrinsic to the plot and it’s impossible not to root for both Astrid and Blythe to find some happiness. However, the over-reaching theme is the damage caused by generational trauma and parental neglect and abandonment as well as the repeated messaging that talented women in fashion, especially ones who are trying to be innovative (like Astrid with her mix-and-match separates for ‘working women’, modeled after Anne Klein, the actual female designer at Versailles) will be suppressed, rejected and ridiculed by both petty journalists (like real-life Women’s Wear Daily’s John Fairchild) and most male designers.

“Dior didn’t know Mizza would be reduced in later years. And she was his muse. But she was a designer too. History forgot the second half because it’s a man’s name on the awning. History kept the first half because that’s the way stories of male creators working with women are written.” (Blythe's niece Coco in response to her question about why Dior allowed the press to slander Mizza)

Lester has written characters so compelling and well-rounded and settings so alive with imagery that you can’t help but put yourself in their place. As the mother of a fashion model, I was also affected by the knowledge of how men treated female designers because they were threatened by their talent. I really appreciate Lester’s extended author note, showing readers the depth of her research and findings.

The only slight criticism I have is that the multiple timelines got a bit confusing at times, and I personally would have preferred a first-person point of view from each of the Bricard women. It’s a minor quibble that doesn’t negate the power and appeal of this story. Highly recommended.

For more information on Mizza Bricard, read

She was known as Christian Dior’s muse, but Mizza Bricard was so much more than that.

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/she-was-known-as-christian-dior-s-muse-but-mizza-bricard-was-so-much-more-than-that-20230914-p5e4ro.html

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.