Review: Tudor Christmas Tidings

 I have been in a dreadful reading slump. How dreadful? I started Tudor Christmas Tidings back in early November and finally finished it on December 29. That dreadful. Is it the book's fault? Not entirely. I mean it's not bad, but it also didn't help my situation at all either.

This anthology kicks off with the late Blythe Gifford's Christmas at Court. I have enjoyed several of Gifford's full-length historical romances, she really had a way of infusing history into her romances that I always appreciated.  Unfortunately the short format here does her no favors. This story is mostly political intrigue not given enough room to breathe with a teaspoon of romance that never takes off because I never felt invested in the couple either separately or together.

The story is set after the young princes "disappear" and Richard III is King. Lady Alice is our heroine and her family is working in concert with a rebellion to have Henry Tudor (future Henry VII) claim the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York. Part of the scheme involves Lady Alice becoming betrothed to Sir John Talbot.

That's pretty much it and I confess I couldn't figure out why the Alice-John marriage was so reliant on whether Henry married Elizabeth. Also the whole "romance" consists of Alice and John not sure if they can trust each other because they have to act like they're loyal to Richard, even though they're not, but they also can't tell the other that because what if the other one IS loyal to Richard. The short word count means neither the romance nor the political intrigue have room to grow and it comes off convoluted. 

Final Grade = D

Secrets of the Queen's Lady by Jenni Fletcher was by no means perfect, but after slogging through politics it was nice to get back to a story that was mainly romance, even though Anne of Cleves is the main secondary character.

Pippa is a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves who has since been divorced by Henry VIII and living quietly in the country. Landing on their doorstep is Kit, a diplomat, who is delivering a message that Henry wishes for Anne to join the court for the Christmas holiday.  Kit met Pippa years ago and was besotted, despite the fact that she was married. Now widowed, he sees an opening, but he's unaware that despite what everyone may think, Pippa's marriage was not a happy one. Her husband became emotionally abusive due to her in ability to get pregnant.  Needless to say Pippa has no desire to marry ever again, and besides - Kit is 7 years younger than she is, and even though he's not the heir, his political animal of an older brother is determined that Kit do his familial duty. Marry well, keep the future Mrs. pregnant and squirting out babies.

Kit's a rather enlightened hero for the times, and while his lack of concern about being disowned by his family raised an eyebrow, it helps that he's not a fan of court, Henry's tendency to discard wives, nor his brother's machinations. Our Kit wants a different sort of life. Still, during this period family and loyalty were kind of, well, everything. Pippa is ready to tar and feather Kit with the same brush as her husband - which I can understand better here than in other romances because a woman's ability to procreate was pretty much her sole reason for existing during this time period (and future time periods...). It wasn't perfect but it was quick, readable and heavy on the romance.

Final Grade = B-

The anthology ends with His Mistletoe Lady by Amanda McCabe, which is set during that period when Queen Mary was "pregnant" and newly-wed to King Philip II of Spain. Catherine Greaves' father is currently in the Tower of London for his part in the failed Wyatt Rebellion. Catherine's mother came over from Spain with the former Queen, Catherine of Aragon, so the plan is to head to court and hopefully a sympathetic Queen Mary will allow them to see her imprisoned father. The Queen is sympathetic, as is Don Diego de Vasquez, a visiting courtier from Spain who has been sent to help ferret out other plots against the Queen - and turns out that Catherine's father is a double agent. He's Diego's contact on the inside and feeding him information. Oh, and Catherine nor her mother have any clue about any of this. For all they know, their husband and father is a traitor.

Of course these two crazy kids start to fall in love despite the drama and intrigue surrounding them, and there's a little suspense at the end to carry us home to the happy ever after. The story works so long as you don't think about what's going to happen shortly after these events - but I'm convinced it all works out for Diego, Catherine and her parents in the end. One imagines that once they find out the Queen's pregnancy is a "phantom" one, they hightail it back to Spain to live on Diego's lands populated with orange and lemon groves.

Final Grade = B

The last two stories were pleasant enough, but the whole reading experience overall was very much a slog. Certainly this time of year is challenging for a lot of us, but I also think the overt political threads running through all these stories was just not where my mind wanted to go right now. I probably would have been better served reading some cotton candy holiday fluff instead of the political machinations and shenanigans of the Tudors.  Your mileage may vary.

Jingle All the Way: Unusual Historicals for December 2024

I hope that wherever you are reading this that December has managed to not suck out your will to live and whatever holiday madness you may celebrate that you can sit back, relax and enjoy it. I'll have Christmas Day off, but will otherwise be working this week and the last two things on are my to-do list are 1) buy rolls on Tuesday morning on the way to the office and 2) cook the actual holiday meal on Wednesday. I also hope I can take a moment to enjoy some holiday cheer before I'm back to work (it's a librarian's life for me!) on Thursday. Publishing typically ghosts us in December, but all things considered we still have a nice mix of Unusual Historicals debuting this month. Happy Holidays to you and yours and here's to a 2025 that doesn't suck (hope springs eternal...)

The Secret Daughter by Anne Gracie 

Orphaned Zoë Benoît has spent the last three years in Paris learning how to be a lady. But Zoë is torn—as an independent spirit and a talented artist, she cannot help but want more than the tightly controlled life of a society lady.

On an impulsive visit to the château where her mother lived, Zoë, disguised as a maidservant named Vita, meets a handsome wandering artist, known simply as Reynard. One blissful week with the charming Reynard convinces Zoë that this is the man and the life for her—until she discovers what he’s been hiding from her, and she flees, heartbroken.

Longing for the chance to redeem himself, Reynard searches far and wide for the woman he knows as Vita, to no avail. Disheartened, he returns to England to reluctantly resume his role as Julian Fox, the Earl of Foxton. However, when he sees one of Zoë’s paintings, he realizes she’s in London, and becomes desperate to find her before it’s too late. But even if they reunite, can he convince Zoë he’s worthy of her trust and prove to her that, with him, she can be a free-spirited artist and a countess?

This is the fourth book in Gracie's Brides of Bellaire Gardens series and features an artist heroine, masquerading as a servant, falling in love with another artist while visiting a French chateau. Not realizing, of course, he's actually an Earl. Oops.

No Ordinary Duchess by Elizabeth Hoyt

Cold and brooding, Julian Greycourt, the heir to the Windemere dukedom, has always known that his uncle the duke was responsible for his mother’s death. Now he’s determined to exact revenge against his uncle—if he can find the proof. But Julian hides a secret so explosive it will destroy him if it’s ever revealed, and the duke is watching. The last thing he needs is a distractingly sensual woman whose very presence threatens to destroy his plans.

 Sunny and cheerful, Lady Elspeth de Moray doesn’t know why her brother and Julian fell out all those years ago, but she can’t let the autocratic man get in the way of her mission: to retrieve an ancient family text that she believes is in one of the Windemere libraries. Locating the tome, however, proves trickier than she anticipated, and at each turn, she’s thrown together with the maddingly mysterious Julian. And the temptation to give in to her family’s greatest enemy grows stronger with each intriguing encounter…

The third book in Hoyt's Greycourt series has been four years in the making and features the heir to a dukedom bent on a revenge (aren't they always?) and a heroine determined to find a missing family text she thinks just might be in one of his libraries. The question is where? Like Hoyt's backlist, we're back in Georgian-era England for the various hijinks.

A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath

After surviving a horrific railway accident, Viscount Langdon retreats to his private island to recover and conquer the nightmarish memories that continue to haunt him. The very last thing he wants—or expects—is for London’s most infamous courtesan to wash up on his beach. 

Marlowe is known for her bold flirtations, but her most daring exploits involve flying in her hot air balloon. When a storm blows her off course, she discovers herself alone with the isle’s only inhabitant. The gorgeous, seductive lord tempts her beyond reason, but giving into temptation would lead to her ruination because the all-consuming liaison would demand complete surrender. And she has secrets to protect.

Langdon finds the captivating beauty near impossible to resist, but he can’t risk her learning the true reason behind his isolation. However, a powerful tempest of desire is swirling wildly between them, urging them to give in to the perilous passion that could destroy them . . . or perhaps show them the way to love.

Heath continues her Scandalous Gentleman of St. James series with a plot so absurd it intrigues. A Beastly hero hiding out on his own private island (as you do) rescues a hot air balloon flying heroine, who happens to be a courtesan, when she washes up on his shores, thereby disturbing his pity party. The unmitigated gall of some people...

The Lady's Snowbound Scandal by Paulia Belgado

A spinster, a scrooge 

…and only one bed! 

American industrialist Elliot has a plan to ensure his sisters will marry well—find a London society wife to elevate the family name! What’s not part of his plan is falling for the shy spinster who has no intention of marrying at all… 

Lady Georgina believes Elliot to be a heartless scrooge! Still, she needs his help to save her beloved orphanage in time for Christmas. So, in exchange, she offers to help him find a respectable wife. But when they’re scandalously snowed in at a coaching inn, their simmering attraction has no place to hide…

He's an American industrialist (eww, he's new money and he works?! How gauche!) determined to take a London society wife to better elevate his sisters' prospects and instead...he falls for a shy spinster. Because of course he does. 

Murder in Moonlight by Mary Lancaster

On a personal quest, Constance Silver, who runs Mayfair’s most exclusive brothel, has lied her way into Greenforth Manor, home of respectable and charismatic provincial banker, Walter Winsom. She feels quite safe from recognition until Solomon Grey joins the party.

Aloof and strangely exciting, Solomon is one of the wealthiest men in London, so what does he want with any of the small players gathered at Greenforth? More immediately, will he give Constance away? He saved her life once, with most disturbing effects on her, and she is still magnetically drawn to him. But he is one of the few men she cannot read or influence.

When they discover their host’s murdered body together, they have to overcome distrust of each other to investigate. Everyone in the house seems to have had both motive and opportunity to kill him, so Constance and Solomon must uncover many secrets and set a dangerous trap in order to reach the truth.

She's a brothel madam up to shenanigans and he's an extremely wealthy man who can blow her cover sky high. Then their house party host turns up dead and they need to set aside their distrust of each other to solve the murder. This is the first book in the Silver and Grey series.

The Knight's Bride Prize by Ella Matthews

Will he risk his mission… 

For her hand in marriage? 

On a secret quest to expose a traitor, Sir Hugh enlists in a tournament to win the hand of his target’s daughter, Lady Bronwen. But the clever, driven maiden jeopardizes his plans when their unexpected attraction threatens to distract him from his duty! She’s desperate to escape her father, and Hugh can protect her by claiming his prize and marrying her. Yet honor demands the noble knight keep their desire at bay, for completing his mission means betraying his new bride’s trust…

He's on a quest to expose a traitor and instead ends up falling in love with the man's daughter. For our heroine's part, she's desperate to escape her father and in waltzes the hero, seemingly the answer to her prayers. This is the second book in the Knight's Mission series and is set in 14th century Wales.

A Story of Love by Minerva Spencer

Investigating London’s most infamous rogue for a seedy newspaper is hardly Lori’s dream job. But if that’s what it takes to break into publishing, so be it. She’ll uncover the sexy nobleman’s deepest, darkest secrets. It’s just her misfortune that she’ll have to peek into his bedroom windows—at his brothel, no less—to do it…

Lord Stand Fast Severn, heir to the Marquess of Granton, needs answers. Contrary to what the ton believes, he didn’t drive his twin brother to kill himself. But finding the man who did might be tricky. Especially with a nosy—and dangerously fascinating—journalist plaguing his every move. But when her investigation lands her neck-deep in danger, Fast knows it’s up to him to protect her.

The last thing Lori wants is the handsome rake’s protection. Especially when it means being kidnapped and held in his brothel like a prisoner.

But if Lori wants to get away from him so badly, then why isn’t she trying very hard to escape?

Can two enemies, forced into close proximity, write their own story of love?

Only if they can solve a murder before a killer gets to them first…

A rake with ulterior motives (don't they always...) partners up with a journalist heroine with ambition forced to work an assignment for a seedy newspaper because....well, woman. Whatcha gonna do? A brothel and a murder promise shenanigans. This is the seventh book in the author's Academy of Love series.

The Cornish Widow by Fil Reid

When Harriet Penhallow is left widowed, she and her two children are forced to accept the charity of her late husband’s aunt. Having uprooted themselves from their life in Bath, they move into a comparatively isolated and rundown cottage on the south coast of Cornwall, nestling above a little inlet known as Prussia Cove. Little does Harriet know, but it’s the center of Cornish smuggling.

One of the ringleaders is the charismatic Jack Trevelyan, captain of The Fly and only son of Harriet’s kind new neighbor. It doesn’t take her long to work out Jack is a smuggler, despite him being a gentleman and despite the fact that she’s beginning to have feelings for him. For his part, Jack, even though he’s immediately attracted to her, suspects she might have been sent to spy on his activities.

Then, one night, Harriet's twelve-year-old son sneaks down to the cove where The Fly is anchored, and she goes after him. When they hear the crew returning, they hide—before they know it, they’re at sea and too frightened to reveal themselves. When daylight comes, they’re discovered, but it’s too late to take them back to Cornwall. They’re forced to continue on to the smugglers’ rendezvous in Brittany.

A down on her luck widow falls for a smuggler hero with a suspicious nature. Then bingo-bango, shenanigans ensure and she finds herself a stowaway on a smuggler's ship with the hero and her 12-year-old son. This is the fourth book in the author's Cornish Ladies series.

Lyon's Lover by Maggie Sims

A wastrel lord and an ex-courtesan forced together must pay the price of their past sins.

She’s planning for the future…

Having enjoyed a successful career as mistress to various members of the Ton, Isabella Rossi longs to walk away from her past. She wants a normal life with all it entails—a husband, a home, and children. Isabella seeks out the Black Widow, owner of the Lyon’s Den gaming hell who also runs a specialized matchmaking service.

He’s living for the moment…

Heir to an earldom, Luke Lynwood is addicted to drinking, gambling, and avoiding his responsibilities. But when he gambles more than he can afford, the Black Widow offers him an alternative way to repay his massive debt.

Under Isabella’s reluctant tutelage, Luke must come to terms with his lack of self-control and face his father, which might just take a Christmas miracle.

Part of the long-running Lyon's Den continuity series, we have a former mistress desperate to finally settle down and a debauched hero basically blackmailed into making an honest woman out of her. This is either going to be really good or a hot mess (the word "addicted" is used to describe the hero - so help me if all it takes is a "love of a good woman..."). Also, never let it be said I cannot be shallow during the holidays - the we've got chest hair on the cover!

What Unusual Historicals are in your immediate TBR?

#TBRChallenge 2024: A Trio of Christmas Novellas

The final TBR Challenge of 2024 snuck up on me to the point that it was Sunday morning before I remembered my own deadline. Not a good look for the hostess. The other fly in the ointment? I haven't been reading - much of anything. This is an affliction I've struggled with all year but December, always being busy, has just exacerbated it. So I did what I always do when I'm caught with my TBR Challenge pants down - I did a deep dive into my Kindle, found three short stories that fit the bill, and read them back-to-back-to-back.

First up is Letters at Christmas by Amber Lin that our Evil Overlords at The 'Zon tell me I downloaded (undoubtedly) as a freebie back in 2014. Gently born Sidony has had three Seasons, but her heart wasn't in it. Her heart was already spoken for, to her brother's BFF, Captain Hale Martin. These two crazy kids were madly in love and carrying on in secret, but Hale, with limited prospects, knows he needs to change his fortunes if he wants to ask for Sidony's hand. He enters into the shipping business and tells Sidony he's setting sail for one year, she'll have her one Season, and then they'll reunite. And of course he'll write her constantly! That was three years ago, and Hale has sent word that he's coming home and will be spending the holidays with Sidony and her brother. Gone two years longer than expected and oh yeah, there were no letters. Zero. None. Zilch. Boyfriend just straight up ghosted her. Of course she's still in love with him but she's also really angry - and naturally in waltzes Hale determined to win her back.

I stuck with this story because the writing is just that good. It's polished with well-done tension and character development. Unfortunately, the plot doesn't do these two any favors.  It's basically "I loved you, I'm really mad at you, I don't know if I can forgive you, oopsie doodle now we're having sex." Speaking of the sex, there's a lot of it.  Which is fine if you're looking for a steamy read, but given the short word count I wanted more time spent on the emotional heft of these two finding their way back together and the heroine's anger, and forgiveness, towards the hero.

What's even more unfortunate? This author seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth. Her website is down and according to Goodreads she hasn't published anything in 10 years - which is a shame because the writing is certainly more than good enough here to make me pick up another one of her stories.

Final Grade = B-

I downloaded A Merry Royal Layover by Teri Wilson via Amazon back in 2021, but it no longer seems to be available - well, anywhere. Maybe it will become available again some day? Maybe as a freebie via the author's website or newsletter? But until then, sorry folks - if this sounds good you're out of luck unless you already have it in your TBR.

Cindy's fiancé broke her heart on Christmas Eve and since then the holiday season has been rough thanks to well-meaning family. So this year she's decided to travel to Tiny Made-Up Country in Europe That Only Exists on Romancelandia Maps to volunteer at an animal shelter - Cindy being a veterinarian. She arrives at Heathrow Airport in London only to discover inclement weather has delayed and cancelled all flights. Luckily her father pulls some strings and gets her access to a posh airport lounge and that is where she has a meet cute with none other than Prince Tristan, from Tiny Made-Up Country in Europe That Only Exists on Romancelandia Maps. Prince Tristan is on his way home after volunteering at a sloth sanctuary because of course and naturally these two tap-dance around each other by not acknowledging he's a frickin' Prince.

This is a sweet, just-kisses bon-bon of a holiday read, the stranded/layover premise is great and Wilson certainly has the romantic comedy chops to pull it off.  Unfortunately the story itself leans hard into the movie of Love Actually. The whole story basically hinges on it and Lord help you if you haven't seen the movie and/or you hate it. But if you're fan? It'll probably work better for you. For me, personally, it was all a little too cutesy-wootsy for my tastes.

Final Grade = C

I have no idea how A Countess for Christmas by Anthea Lawson came to be in my TBR, but it was the caboose bringing up the rear in my holiday read-a-thon. Miss Cecilia Fairfax is not looking forward to the holidays. She's now in charge of running the household, her mother having passed and the family just coming out of mourning. Her father is in declining health and her oldest brother's family is about to descend on them - which includes her sour sister-in-law and her barely housebroken nephews. Then she gets word that her younger brother, Marcus, has been injured in an accident, rendering him temporarily blind, while visiting Liam Barrett, the Earl of Tarrick. What follows is Cecilia and Liam exchanging a series of delightful letters to exchange news of Marcus' recuperation. Seriously, the letters are the very best part of this story.

Anyway, Marcus recovers enough to head home and to show his gratitude he invites Liam to join him. Does he tell his sister he's bringing home a houseguest? You have to ask? Of course he doesn't. 

This is when the story starts to falter for me. There's just not enough of Liam and Cecilia together on page and developing a relationship to get me to buy into the happy ending. There's a potentially great emotional scene where Liam comes across a wrung-out Cecilia having a cry in a linen closet but it doesn't go far enough. Then there's some tacked on bits involving a ghost haunting the house and an added twist of suspense when Cecilia gets locked in the cellar - leading to Marcus rescuing her, proposing marriage, and then The End. Look, I realize people married back in the day not knowing much about each other, but this was the very definition of hasty. The delightful letters in the beginning were not enough to sell me on the romance. There was just too much left unanswered for me.  Great beginning leading to an ho-hum at the finish line.  But have I mentioned the letters in the beginning are great?!

Final Grade = C+

And there you have it, the final TBR Challenge of 2024.  I want to thank everyone who participated and followed along this year - and hey, let's to it again in 2025.

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is December 18!

Well this month is getting away from me and I'm late with my reminder that our next, and LAST of 2024, #TBRChallenge Day is Wednesday, December 18.  This month's optional theme is It's a Party!

This is another suggestion that came out this year's theme poll and is a cause for celebration. Parties, weddings, holiday celebrations, a Regency era Season - whatever you fancy, this is your month.

However, remember that the themes are totally optional. Maybe you're in the mood for a dark and angsty read. Remember the goal of the challenge is to read something, anything, that's been languishing in your pile.

A reminder that sign-ups are open for the 2025 Challenge and we have some great themes ahead for the new year. I want to thank everyone who participated and followed along in 2024.  Thanks for another great year!

Review: The Final Girl Support Group

I am not a horror movie fan - except for the Scream franchise. Mainly the early movies because they're tongue-in-cheek, have a Gen-X esthetic, and if Courtney Cox is playing a bitch, I. Am. THERE. Anyway, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix was an extremely popular book in 2021 that has been languishing on my Kindle thanks to, yet again, me getting suckered in by a NetGalley promo email. I thought the premise sounded clever and that's how I got sucked into this nightmare that I should have DNF'ed but didn't, because damn my eyes, I had to see how it ended.

Final Girls are the ones who end up surviving at the end of a horror movie and in Hendrix's world, all horror movies are based on true-life events. The Final Girl world is small, and a group of them meet every month in Burbank, California with a therapist. However after years of living with the trauma and trying to work through it (with very mixed results) the group is splintering at the seams - and the only one who seems to care is Lynette Tarkington - who, if you get down to brass tacks - isn't really a Final Girl. Oh sure, she survived a massacre, but did so by playing dead - which is not the same thing. She did not actively stop a monster, she simply waited to be rescued. But she's in the club, so to speak, and is the only one who seems to care when one of their group misses the latest meeting. Turns out she missed the meeting because her monster came back and she's dead. 

What follows is Lynette running off half-cocked. The proverbial chicken with her head cut off while spouting conspiracy theories like a paranoid delusional. On one hand, Lynette is right - their group is in very real danger. The problem is she's half-crazed and wrong about so much else that nobody takes her seriously.  This is a woman who has turned her apartment into a bunker (OK, understandable), keeps a pepper plant as a pet (seriously, she names it), and thinks she's so smart because she's always one step ahead, planning escape routes, staying off the grid as much as possible - but of course her security and walls are breached in short order. 

The problem with this story is there's literally no one to root for. The secret to a good horror movie is that your Final Girl IS someone you can root for.  The ordinary, everyday girl who thwarts a monster. These characters all did that, but they all left a bad taste in my mouth. Hell, even in Scream III when Sidney Prescott is living off the grid, she's answering phones for a women's crisis hotline. The one character in this group you could potentially root for is the character you never meet on page because she's the first to get killed off. 

Hendrix also makes the choice to have many of the Final Girls in this story be survivors of events ripped straight from horror movies. I suspect this might have been done as a wink and nod to horror fans, but quite frankly (and this cannot be overstated) I found it lazy as hell.  There's Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween. I'm pretty sure the Gnome movie was a rip-off of Leprechaun, and yes, there's even a Sidney Prescott wannabe and Scream rip-off - which, hand to God, Hendrix called Stab in this book.  Yes, the same knock-off name they used in the Scream movie franchise when Neve Campbell's characters finds herself being played by Tori Spelling in the movie version. 

I should have DNF'ed this early but stuck with it mainly because I had to see how it all played out in the end - and shockingly enough, I did like the ending. Unfortunately the ride to that ending was tedious and exhausting and there was just nothing there that worked for me. My New Year's Resolution? Stop getting suckered in by NetGalley promo emails. 

Final Grade = D

All Aboard! Sign-Up for the 2025 #TBRChallenge

I want to thank everyone who took the time to fill out my poll soliciting theme suggestions for the 2025 TBR Challenge. Every theme for 2025 was born out of that poll with a couple being suggested twice (Older couple and Monsters) and one theme being tweaked slightly be yours truly (Change of Plans). Also, while most of these are obvious, some others aren't quite as self-explanatory. More details and the method to the madness below.

For those of you stumbling across my blog for the first time, you're probably wondering - what is the #TBRChallenge?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and read it.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month, talk about that book.

Participation is as easy as being on social media!

• If you're on social media all you need to do is use the #TBRChallenge hashtag - there's no need to sign-up and your participation can vary throughout the year.
• You can use this hashtag on any day, at any time - but we're still going to concentrate on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to kick our commentary into high gear.  
• The idea is to have at least one day a month where we can always count on there being book chatter.

Want to let your blogging freak flag fly?  If you have a blog and want to post TBR commentary there, drop me a comment on this post with a link to your blog or hit me up on Bluesky or Mastodon.  I like to post links to the various blogs on my TBR Challenge page so those who follow along can start following you.

Sound good?  Of course it does!  So what are the themes for 2025?  So glad you asked!

January 15 - New Year, Who Dis? (suggestions: a debut, a new-to-you author, character looking for fresh start)
February 19 - Previously, In Romance... (suggestions: part of a series, author you haven't read in a while, Old School)
March 19 - Rizz (If you're old like me, this is slang the kids are using for "charisma" - I'm thinking playboys, rakes, heroes that have charm for days....)
April 16 - Location, Location, Location (interesting settings, unusual historicals etc.)
May 21 - Older Couple (self-explanatory)
June 18 - Road Trip (suggestions: couple traveling together, character who recently moved/relocated)
July 16 - Back in My Day... (suggestions: historical, Old School, I might go with a book that was published when I was in high school or college 😭)
August 20 - Do the Hustle (suggestions: single moms trying to make ends meet, work-related struggles, shady characters with ulterior motives / agenda).
September 17 - Friend Squad (self-explanatory)
October 15 - Here There Be Monsters (suggestions: monsters, Gothic, paranormal, fantasy, romantic suspense - humans being the biggest monsters of all quite frankly....)
November 19 - Change of Plans (suggestions: the character who has a wrench thrown in the works - sudden custody of kid(s), time travel, death in the family, accident, dystopia, left at the altar etc.)
December 17 - Celebration! (suggestions: weddings, parties, masquerade balls, holiday stories)

I know some of these are going to require a bit of planning on my part, but remember - if it all seems like too much bother - the themes are always optional. The goal of this challenge isn't so much what you read, so long as you're reading something (anything!) out of your TBR.

My hope is always for this Challenge to be low-key, stress-free and fun!  So I hope you'll consider joining this year. Be like me - use this Challenge to delude yourself into thinking you're actually making some progress on your book hoarding 😉.

Review: Ladykiller

As I've spent the better part of 2024 cleaning out neglected mystery/suspense ARCs from my Kindle, I have managed to learn one thing: I really need to stop getting sucked in by promotional NetGalley emails. Ladykiller by Katherine Wood is one of those debut novels that's not really a debut - the author having published three previous books under the name Katherine St. John. It came out in July, has a cover and blurb that screams beach read, and I'm nothing if not predictable. Of course I downloaded it, only to curse my one-click finger the minute I finished the final page.

Gia and Abby have been BFFs since childhood. Gia, a poor little rich girl with a distant father and mentally ill mother and Abby, the daughter of the cook. Gia's father, seeing the good influence that Abby could have on his impulsive daughter, pays for her schooling - an opportunity that Abby does not take for granted as it wasn't until this particular job that she and her mother were able to crawl their way out of poverty. Further bonding Gia and Abby together is a tragedy that occurred on a tiny Greek island (Gia's father owns a villa there - because of course he does) when they were 18, when a young man ends up dead. The incident was deemed as justifiable homicide and of course Gia goes on to publish a pseudo-memoir about the incident that gained her some notoriety, which has since faded into Where Are They Now? territory.

Then, Gia's father dies and ultimately leaves the bulk of his fortune to charity. Abby is a fledgling new attorney working 16-hour days while Gia continues to drift through her life until she falls head over heels in love with Garrett. They marry just a few short months after meeting and when Abby doesn't drop her life to fly to Europe to attend the quickie nuptials but also has the gall to say to Gia that she might want to slow down just a wee bit - the friends don't speak again for months. That is until Gia talks her into going on a bucket-list vacation to see the northern lights in Sweden. Abby is all set to say no again (work, work, work) until she finds out Gia's brother, Benny, is also coming. Naturally there's unrequited, complicated feelings there, but Abby shuffles some things around at work, digs out her passport, and hops a flight to Sweden.  Except once she and Benny arrive, there's no Gia. Benny was in Greece a month ago visiting Gia, Garrett and some new friends staying with them. Between the weird scene that Benny experienced on his visit and the fact they can't get ahold of Gia now? Yeah, they change plans to fly to Greece to find out what's going on.  Where is Gia?

The book is told in alternating points of view - Abby's and through a series of manuscript pages written by Gia that details her life in Greece with Garrett.  They're staying in the family villa for a few months, getting some renovations done, in preparation for selling the place to Gia's stepmother. Gia doesn't want to sell but she needs the money - apparently so does Garrett, who is in more financial trouble than he's letting on to his new wife. These manuscript pages eventually become the main clue in helping Benny and Abby find out what happened to Gia. 

Rich people behaving badly, Greece, and a load of secrets - this sounds like a perfect beach read. Except, unfortunately, it is not. It's really slow to get moving along.  It takes about half the book to really cook and by then you just want to scream at Gia for being such a trusting dumb bunny. You'd kind of expect Abby to be the moral center to take up the slack, except you'd be wrong. That incident that happened on the island when they were both 18 and a guy ends up dead?  Yeah, let's just Abby doesn't come off looking real good there and I'll leave it at that.

But things do eventually heat up and Lord helped me I got sucked in once it's clear that Gia is missing.  Unfortunately the whole thing is undone by my least favorite plot device in suspense novels and thrillers.

That's right folks, we have a "you as the reader decide" ambiguous ending. 

Like a "romance novel" without a happy ending - these need to be lit on fire and shot into the sun afterward for good measure.

What did our "bad guy" know and when did they know it? Is our "bad guy" Machiavellian or just a delusional narcissist? Did our "bad guy" have intent? 

No idea. Couldn't tell you. It's an ending without being an ending and I hate everyone here thanks for asking.

There's a reason I read genre fiction folks and ambiguous endings ain't it. If it wanted this kind of shit I'd spend a lot more of my leisure time reading general fiction. 

So a book I wasn't madly in love with but was easily a "it's OK, YMMV may vary" ends up sinking like a stone with that ending. Oh well, one more off my catch-up pile I guess?

Final Grade = D