November 3, 2023
Hello, sweet reading friends!
It has been a wicked, busy fall for this reader and writer, but I wanted to update you on some of my most recent reads. Dragons, serial killers, Icelandic noir, and historical fiction are coming your way today. I hope your TBR can handle the extra load!
Cheers to a gorgeous weekend filled with books!
xoxo,
Kelly
Oh, My Gosh, Kerri Maher has blown me away once again! Her latest creation is loosely based on an underground abortion clinic from the 1970s called the Jane Collective. The story takes place in the 1970s before Roe vs. Wade, sadly making it a timely book for 2023. The characters in her book are trailblazers in the ever-controversial arena of women’s agency and reproductive rights in a male-dominated world. Maher’s story has an incredible sense of time and place. The pages are filled with fierce female characters who offer peace, empowerment, and the right to choose to fellow women everywhere. With a compassionate hand, Maher wrote an immersive tale that will have your next book club talking!
I was on a serial killer reading kick when I picked up this hidden gem, and boy, was I surprised. The main character is literally on the HOT MESS EXPRESS TRAIN. She escapes a serial killer only to have another run-in with a different killer and, might I add, a more dangerous one. Gagnon’s book isn’t true crime-esque or overly gruesome, but instead an entertaining thrill ride with a hilarious dark comedic vibe that had me chuckling on more pages than not. In between laughs, there was a mystery to be solved that left me a delighted reader! Have a blast with this one.
So, this book caught the reading world by surprise in 2023. Even though fantasy is not my usual cup of tea, I enjoyed this dragon-slaying adventure. It was like Harry Potter met Danenerys Targaryen at the Hunger Games but with fabulous contemporary dialogue and a lot of romantic spice. It’s a chunky book—528 pages, so get extra comfy for the ride!
I had the pleasure of visiting Iceland this summer. I aimed to soak in as many geothermal hot springs as possible and ride gorgeous Icelandic horses among the dramatic landscape. My other mission was to discover new Icelandic authors so I could always have a little piece of this fabulous country whenever I opened their books in Maine. I started with Eve Bjorg’s most recent book, which happens to be the prequel to her Forbidden Iceland series (which I haven’t read yet). Even though this was my first book in this series, I not only loved it but followed along effortlessly. The story takes place at a new futuristic hotel on the Snaefellsness Penisula (think everything controlled by an app) with a very wealthy family at the helm. A family reunion is happening, and all the drama begins when everyone is under one roof and someone goes missing. Bjorg’s book is an atmospheric treat. The ice-cold, menacing air made me want to linger by the fire under my faux fur blanket. I loved the closed-in feel and boozy vibes. The characters were unreliable, with baggage galore, and the pages practically turned themself. I was hooked until the last page and pleasantly surprised at the ending. I can’t wait to read the rest of her series. This book was the perfect introduction to Bjorg’s series and an incredible escape back to Iceland!
*Dear Mr. Hemingway, LLC receives a variety of advance reader copies of books from publishers and authors throughout the year in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own. If I don’t like it…I don’t share it!
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