Category: ARC (Advanced Reader Copy)

ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), Historical Fiction, Romance

The Blue Butterfly, by Leslie Johansen Nack

Kristie

AVAILABLE May 3, 2022

A beautiful cover. An intriguing title. The Roaring Twenties. Prohibition. Hollywood glamour. The true story of the richest man in the country and a young, unsuccessful actress. Surely these ingredients make for a gripping story?

I had high hopes for The Blue Butterfly. The 30 year relationship between William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies is, no doubt, interesting. However, the more I read, the more I wondered if it is a story that really needs to be told–especially a fictionalized account from the point of view of Davies herself, who is anything but a sympathetic character. Even though it was Hearst that pursued Davies, the fact that he was world famous and married with five sons brings the story to a predictable end before it even begins.

The whole thing reads like a diary entry of bad decisions. The tentacles of their choices reach farther and farther over the years, creating devastating effects in the lives of others. What else could happen? I didn’t really care. Davies comes across as immature and selfish. Hearst is either manipulative or a beaten-down puppy dog of a man. How can we root for either of them? We can’t.

6.5/10 Stars

ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

214 Palmer Street, by Karen McQuestion

Kristie

AVAILABLE April 5, 2022

Imagine you’re trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. You have no idea what it is supposed to look like. Painstakingly, you continue working. When you’re about 30% done the frustration really starts. What is it supposed to be?

Unfortunately, that is my metaphor for this book.

214 Palmer Street is a book that required a lot of patience. I doubt I would’ve finished it if it wasn’t for my agreement with NetGalley to review it. By one-third completed, I was still full of questions, confused by so many characters, and getting whiplash by the POV format that jumped from one person to another. Finally, finally the pieces started to fit together. But the more they did, the more predictable it became. By then I just didn’t care.

Sarah Aden is seen lurking inside the house of Josh and Cady Caldwell. They’re on vacation. A neighbor is suspicious. Who is this woman and why is she there? We discover Sarah is recovering from a head injury–an assault–and is becoming more and more mistrusting of her husband, Kirk. She’s discovering things about his past that do not add up.

Over time, more characters are added. Each tells their part of their story, pressing the rewind button on tedious scenes you just read. Then there’s the mysterious, unnamed “Her,” who I first assumed was one person and then changed my opinion (correctly.) All of the main characters are terrible people. Even the protagonist, Sarah, was unlikable.

This is my third Karen McQuestion book and, sadly, my least favorite. There’s no real hope, no real solution, no hero. I do not have a lot of experience with the suspense genre, but I know readers need something more than what we get here. I longed for a strong character to be the moral center, but there was none.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy. I wish I enjoyed this one more.

7/10 Stars

ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), Fiction, Historical Fiction

Where the Sky Begins, by Rhys Bowen

Kristie

AVAILABLE August 2, 2022

Where the Sky Begins broke new ground for this book blogger. It is the first full-length WWII novel I’ve read by Rhys Bowen and, even more exciting, it is the first Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) I’ve downloaded from NetGalley.

When we think of great literary heroines we think of Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennett, and Scarlett O’Hara, to name a few. I’m going to add Josie Banks to that list. I loved this character.

A London East Ender (“the slums,” as she describes it,) Josie is stuck in a frustrating life, one that never felt like her own. She helped raise several younger siblings and her brash, Cockney husband, Stan, wants nothing more than a simple, passive little wife. But Josie is smart. Very smart. She made high marks in school and showed great potential. But potential for what?

It doesn’t matter now, because as World War II escalates, all plans are interrupted. Stan is called up and Josie finds herself shuffled off to the countryside, billeted in the dilapidated mansion of reclusive, elderly Miss Harcourt and her grumpy Irish housekeeper, Kathleen. Yes, Josie has a roof over her head and food to eat, but little else.

It’s situations like this that make or break a person. Josie refuses to be broken. Her intelligence, fortitude, dignity, and kind heart will be her greatest assets.

This is a book I could not put down. (Yesterday I had the tired eyes to prove it.) Following Josie on her journey was exhausting but rewarding. Her endurance is admirable and her story is epic. I was immersed in Rhys Bowen’s world. Not just the fleshed-out characters, but the sights and sounds of the time period. Air raid sirens, criss-crossing searchlights, neighbors crowded together in shelters, families being separated, scared young pilots–all of it springs to life in vivid detail with a plot that takes many unexpected turns. At the center of it all is Josie Banks, whose strength and compassion elevate everyone around her.

I highly recommend Where the Sky Begins. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced copy.

9.5/10 Stars