Tuesday, November 28

Monthly Bookshelf Review - November 2023

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Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book. ~Jane Smiley

I did my best to get more reading done in November, with limited success! I did finish an excellent review book, and am currently working ona couple more. I expect it will be a bit of a challenge to find time to read as holiday activities kick into high gear though. This week is already full, with my chorus performing at two holiday events, a hockey game to attend tomorrow, and a church activity I'm going to on Thursday evening. I've already got a couple of extra events on the calendar in the weeks ahead, and I'm sure there are more to come!

November's Books Completed and Reviewed

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder - William Kensley loses nearly everything in his search for answers about his family after mysterious attempts on his life. Is he willing to risk his very life to save Isabella Gresham? (Read my review HERE.)



During November I started reading:

Kingdom of Love by Tracie Peterson - This is a trilogy of three romantic novellas set in medieval England. I'm almost finished the first of the three stories, A Kingdom Divided, in which Arianne discovers love and kindness in an arranged marriage she had been opposed to, only to face treachery when an enemy of her husband attacks the castle to settle an old score.



During November I continued reading:

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright - This dual timeline story about a mysterious castle in the wilds of Wisconsin was on my backburner for awhile, but I'm back into it now.



During November I shelved . . . 

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev - I decided to put this on hold while I concentrated on a couple of review books, but I do plan to pick it up again.



A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli - I thought this looked like a fun light read, but didn't get far enough into it before the library needed it returned.



Where My Books Took Me in November . . . On Budget Tales Book Blog, there was a monthly meme about "Places My Books Have Taken Me" along with a one-word summary or review of the book. I haven't seen a link-up for it recently but maybe I'm just missing it. It's still a fun summary to do though! Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

Garden of the Midnights takes place in England, with a journey to Scotland included.
One Word: Identity

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is set in rural Wisconsin.
Kingdom of Love is set in medieval England.


Coming Up in December!

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette
Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn



   


What I'm Highlighting . . . The monthly book review link-up continues through the end of the year and it's been fun to try this. Since my reading has slowed down somewhat, and I realize I'll have to manage my blogging time differently in the new year, I don't think I'll continue into 2024. The November edition is open for a few more days, and the December link-up will open on the 1st. Find the current link-up here: Book Review Bulletin. I'd love for you to drop by and share a review or two, and comment on someone else's review. The hope is that we can comment on actual reviews and share them.



On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:



And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date. 

bookworms monthly linky

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Tuesday, November 21

Recent Reads - Garden of the Midnights

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.


Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder - As the story opens, William Kensley is realizing that the so-called accidents that have befallen him recently are not just random. He is being targeted, but why? And by whom? A servant he trusts agrees to tell him the truth, but when William arrives at their meeting place, the man dies - murdered. William flees for his own life, following the only clue he has to find a man who may hold the secrets to William's true identity and inheritance. 

William meets Isabella Gresham while trying to gain an audience with her father, and they enjoy a sweet friendship and connection until the secrets start unravelling and everything William has is taken from him. He is left without a home or resources and even his name and connections have become worthless. Lord Gresham will have nothing to do with him, but Isabella intervenes when an attempt on William's life leaves him seriously injured, and insists on nursing him back to health. Their relationship continues to grow as he recovers, but he knows it cannot continue.

William is betrayed and endangered once again, and he knows that it is best for Isabella that he leave, but after his goodbye, Isabella is kidnapped and William knows that he would give everything in order to find and rescue her. He joins the chase and in the clash with her captors, risks his life, but will it be enough to save her life? Even if they both escape with their lives, William and Isabella may never be able to stay together.

This story has a lot of twists and turns and is full of suspense and secrets. From the opening pages, William discovers one deceit after another in everything he has believed about himself, and must cope with the tragedies of losing everything he thought was his. The relationship between him and Isabella is sweet and develops slowly, especially for Isabella, as she has tried to harden her heart against the possibility that love exists. Tragedy and intrigue dot the storyline, putting William and Isabella both in peril, and making the odds against them seem insurmountable. In true Gothic style, a dramatic kidnapping by a clever but heartless villain leads to an equally dramatic and heroic rescue attempt; and all of it seems to lead from one tragedy to another. Each new turn of events kept me eagerly turning pages to see how the conflicts would resolve.



From the Publisher:

Danger Lurks at Rosenleigh Manor

Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder

The accidents are not a matter of chance. They are deliberate. As English gentleman William Kensley becomes aware of the danger at Rosenleigh, he pleads for truth from the only man he can trust―until that man is murdered.

As the secrets unfold into scandal, William's world is tipped into destitution―leaving him penniless and alone. His only comfort is in the constant love of Isabella Gresham, but even that has been threatened. When a hidden foe arises from their acquaintances and imperils Isabella's life, will William be the only one willing to rescue her? And even if he saves Isabella from her captors, will he still have to forsake her heart?

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.



This is a book with time in the title (#42), for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge
#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023


©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


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Friday, November 17

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for November 17, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


Okay, readers! Help me decide if I should continue reading this one! I impulsively picked it up at the library, even though I've got an enormous TBR stack already and am not getting through it very fast at all. And Diwali is already over, so am I crazy for picking up something that's so different from my usual and thinking I'll somehow find time to read it? Have any of you read it?

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"We need to talk."
. . . Their faces were stone, and when Dad put his arm protectively around Mom's shoulder, my stomach bottomed out as I imagined the reasons for said "talk."

~From the beginning of A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli


One type-A data analyst discovers her free-spirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning.

Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions. Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability. She's always stuck close to hom, in case her family needed her. And she's always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies. When she's laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn't exactly paid off for her. So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya's wedding.

Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Maybe it's the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam. At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual.

When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper. Free-spirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots. When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her life―to cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of.

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RimSP button

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.
*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.
*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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"And what if I told you it was a lot of trouble?" Aasha Auntie turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "This room is already made up, beti."
I swallowed hard. "Then I guess I'll take the dog's bed?"

~from page 156 (which is probably at about 56%) of A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli




The Friday 56 was started and hosted at Freda's Voice. She is taking a break from hosting, but Anne at My Head Full of Books has volunteered to host for now, so I'll be linking up there.

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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The Book Review Bulletin, a monthly link-up for review posts, is open and I'd like to invite you to stop by and share a review or two. 


©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Monday, November 13

What I'm Reading - November 13, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't update that often. Usually I do this around the middle of the month, and try to share my monthly bookshelf summary on the last Monday of the month. Here's what I've been working on lately.


I finished reading . . . 

A Louisiana Christmas To Remember (novella collection) - a sweet trio of novellas about the women of a small town preparing for a special Christmas. (Read my review HERE.)



I'm currently reading . . .

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder - an English gentleman trying to find out who is behind the attempts on his life and discovers that most of what he believed about his own family is a series of lies. This one has been keeping me up at night turning pages until I can't keep my eyes open any more, so I'll be finished soon!



The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright - I'm still working on this dual timeline story centering around a castle and its mysterious residents who have an ominous reputation, but it's once again taken a back seat to the review books.


Ticker by Lisa Mantchev - I decided to re-read this steampunk YA novel in order to meet an October mini-challenge for #the52bookclub to read steampunk. I didn't expect I'd be able to finish it in October, especially since I started late, but I thought I'd be finished by now. 



A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli - I stopped by the library to pick up a hold (that I'd forgotten I requested!) and happened to see this one. Despite the fact that I'm not reading as much lately, and the fact that I already have an overflowing TBR list, I decided I'd give it a chance. It's a contemporary rom-com and seems fairly fluffy so far, so I may or may not continue. (Also, Diwali is now over, I believe.)



Up Next . . . 

Kingdom of Love by Tracie Peterson - This is the next review book I'll tackle. It's three novellas set during medieval times.




All Hallows Eve by Charles Williams - so apparently I requested this book from the library and forgot all about it! I suppose I figured I'd find time to read it by the time I finally got it. We'll see how that goes.



On the TBR stack . . . 

These are the books that I wished I'd read already, and are still waiting for me on my bedside table, as soon as I get a moment to start my next good read. The stack grows faster than my ability to read it, especially lately!

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette
A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber
Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber


      

   

   


What I'm Highlighting . . . The monthly book review link-up is back for another month. Stop by the Book Review Bulletin - November 2023 and link up any of your reviews that you'd like to highlight.




This post will also be linked at What's On Your Bookshelf? #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge hosted by Deb's World. 

 ©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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