“I Do Not Trust You” by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz: A Review

Hardcover, 320 pages
Published September 11th 2018 by Wednesday Books
Original Title: The Lost Map of Chaos
ISBN 1250052300 (ISBN13: 9781250052308)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Memphis “M” Engle is stubborn to a fault, graced with an almost absurd knowledge of long lost languages and cultures, and a heck of an opponent in a fight. In short: she’s awesome.

Ashwin Sood is a little too posh for her tastes, a member of an ancient cult (which she’s pretty sure counts for more than one strike against him), and has just informed Memphis that her father who she thought was dead isn’t and needs her help.

From the catacombs of Paris to lost temples in the sacred forests, together they crisscross the globe, searching for the pieces of the one thing that might save her father. But the closer they come to saving him—and the more they fall for one another—the closer they get to destroying the world.

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If you’re reading reviews, then you’ve probably already read the summary–if you haven’t for whatever reason, do the thing. Go on, I’ll wait.
. . .
Have you read it?
Are you lying?
Well, if you are, then this might be a shade confusing for you.

On to the review: that sass that you see in the summary? Yeah, that’s more or less the tone of the entire book.
Characters:
Memphis? Kind of awesome.
Ashwin? Also kind of awesome.
Everyone else? Sort of one note. I was expecting a bit more from them.

Storyline:
‘Round the world travel? Check.
Miss Fancy linguistic skills showing off her area of expertise? Check.
Opening plot twist/reason for going on an adventure? Check.
Not overly broody male MC with a sad past and isn’t a complete douche to the female MC? Check.
Thrilling, edge of my seat adventure? Eh, half-check?
An all too obvious love interest that actually manages to just skim the line of the insta-love trope? Check.
Big bad? Also, eh. Half-check.
Satisfying ending? Also, eh. Half-check.

Overall thoughts:
Acceptable, but not a favorite. Decent addition to the YA-Thriller/Adventure genre.

Will I read more by this author duo?
Maybe.

I won an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway; thank you! (Insert obligatory disclaimer here.)

“The Gathering Murders” (Inspector Torquil McKinnon #1) by Keith Moray (more like gathering dust, but whatever)

Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published March 1st 2018 by Sapere Books (first published January 1st 2006)
ASIN B0781TFMFJ
Edition Language: English
Series: Inspector Torquil McKinnon #1

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who can you trust when everyone is suspect?

The annual West Uist literary festival – The Gathering – always attracts the best in the business. But with the tiny Scottish Hebridean island population suddenly doubling, the local police force is stretched to breaking point. And this year they have to deal with more than just drunken fights and rowdy behaviour…

Ranald Buchanan, the local poet, is found dead, with his head brutally caved in, and Inspector Torquil McKinnon is brought into investigate. Did Ranald trip and fall, as suggested? Or is something more sinister happening?

Before Torquil can find out more, another victim is found. The island is on lockdown. There is a serial killer in their midst. And this time the victim is someone very close to him.

Now finding justice is personal. Torquil is out for revenge.

Can he solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? Or will more bodies fall victim to The Gathering Murders?

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I received an ARC mobi file from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This obviously does not change my feelings, opinions, etc. Thank you Sapere Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I’m noticing a trend with the books I’ve reviewed for Sapere; so far they’ve all be set in the UK, which I know little about (typical self-absorbed American right here, haha) and I am feeling like there’s this assumption that I’m supposed to know what certain things are/where certain places are, etc. Its basically feels like I was dropped into this book with little to no context.

I liked Torquil, the MC, well enough, most of the other characters too. But Fiona pissed me the hell off. And did no one else think her relationship with Torquil was both rushed and forced? Which the affected his motivations going forward?

The ending! Oh don’t get me started on how that came out of left field–was I so uninterested in this book that I missed the clues that would have predicted it? (Seriously, did I just miss things because I was having a hard time staying interested in this book?)

Something else that pissed me off were the inclusion of various sexist/-phobic comments, that were either representative of the views of persons who were/are from sheltered/non-progressive backgrounds; were meant as a satire of those views; were meant to show characters who you’d previously liked as assholes; or included for no reason whatsoever and are in fact the author’s feelings on the matter?

(Yes, I am definitely living up to my (salty) name today. No, I don’t think I’m sorry. But as my opinions are strictly mine, perhaps this is one of those books where you have to decide for yourself what you want to think of it).

2 stars and I think I’m being generous.

“Death Below Stairs” (Kat Holloway Mysteries #1) by Jennifer Ashley: A Review

Paperback, 313 pages
Published: January 2nd, 2018 by Berkley Books
Original Title: Death Below Stairs
ISBN 0399585516 (ISBN13: 9780399585517)
Edition Language: English
Series: Kat Holloway Mysteries #1
Characters: Kat Holloway, Daniel McAdam
Setting: London, England, 1881

Goodreads Synopsis:

Victorian class lines are crossed when cook Kat Holloway is drawn into a murder that reaches all the way to the throne.

Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds its way below stairs when her young Irish assistant is murdered.

Intent on discovering who killed the helpless kitchen maid, Kat turns to the ever-capable Daniel McAdam, who is certainly much more than the charming delivery man he pretends to be. Along with the assistance of Lord Rankin’s unconventional sister-in-law and a mathematical genius, Kat and Daniel discover that the household murder was the barest tip of a plot rife with danger and treason—one that’s a threat to Queen Victoria herself.

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So I was apparently on a Victorian England kick because this was the third(?) book set in Victorian England I read in less than a week. (Note I might still be on said kick, I have at least three or four more books set in Victorian England on my immediate #TBR list.)

Death Below Stairs was a fast read for me–I stayed up probably far too late reading it. (“I’m only going to read a few pages before I go to bed–oh, whoops, its three in the morning! Oh well, who needs sleep? What’s that?)

Tiny salty rant: while I understand that generally speaking, starting a book with an action, or pretty close to the start is supposed to be a good way to draw a reader in. Now, that being said, for the love of all that’s holy, stop starting a story where characters have already established relationships with other characters, but you write their introduction to the reader as if the reader is already supposed to know who these people are!

Salty rant continued (I guess its not that tiny . . . oops. *sweatdrop and sheepish smile*): do not start stories in the middle with the assumption that world building isn’t required. How does an author with very detailed writing have such a difficult time establishing a scene? And I think there’s a difference between a red herring and a useless distraction–but then again I am so difficult to please.

Okay, saltiness aside, I really enjoyed Kat and Daniel’s interactions–actually I just like Kat in general. They had a really interesting back and forth dynamic (even if I spent a lot of time wondering at the backstory they kept referencing and never fully explained).

Ashley has a deft hand for detail and better than a passing knowledge of Victorian history, though there were the occasional moments where I wondered about the accuracy of certain interactions, especially those between characters of different classes.

With the exception of the last fifty pages or so(?), the pacing was strong and Ashley’s attention to the character’s action is clear, especially Kat’s cooking–I’m going to have to do the research to see if anything can be recreated, because some of the dishes sounded quite tasty.
Overall, a quick read and a solid addition to the Victorian mystery genre.

3 stars from me and I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in the series.

“How to Drink Like a Mobster” by Albert W. A. Schmid: A Review–Quick, drink the evidence!

Hardcover, 128 pages
Published September 1st 2018 by Red Lightning Books
ISBN: 1684350492 (ISBN13: 9781684350490)
Edition Language: English

Goodreads blurb:

From John Dillinger’s Gin Fizz to Al Capone’s Templeton Rye, mobsters loved their liquor―as well as the millions that bootlegging and speakeasies made them during the Prohibition. In a time when any giggle juice could land you in the hoosegow, mobsters had their own ways of making sure the gin mill never ran dry and the drinks kept flowing. And big screen blockbusters like The Godfather, GoodFellas, and Scarface and small screen hits like The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire ensure that our obsession with mobsters won’t run dry, either.
Mixology expert Albert W. A. Schmid shows how you can recreate the allure of the gangster bar life with step-by-step instructions on how to set up the best Prohibition-style bar and pour the drinks to match. Recipes include mob favorites like the Machete, the Paralyzer, Greyhound (Salty Dog), Say Hello to My Little Friend, and Angel Face, as well as classics like the Gimlet, Kamikaze, and Bee’s Knees. How to Drink Like a Mobster also includes profiles of the most notorious mobsters’ connections to the booze business, along with tips to stay under the radar in any speakeasy: always have at least one or more aliases ready, pay with cash, don’t draw attention to yourself, and in the case of a raid, drink the evidence as fast as you can!

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Clear-cut and quick, How to Drink Like a Mobster is glimpse into the often overly glamourized life of the “American Mobster”. With dozens of easy to follow recipes for cocktails and other “Prohibition Era” drinks, along with anecdotes about how each peculiar beverage got its name, or just a small factoid that goes along with it (Corpse Reviver anybody?).

Nonfiction isn’t generally my genre but by and large, this reads more like a cookbook/drink book than it does like a piece of serious history. A short overview of famous mobsters and a handy lexicon of “traditional” mafioso jargon and then pages of drinks of all kinds and the differences between them make this book a handy thing to keep around next time you entertain.

I’m definitely looking forward to attempting to be a bartender, or just something new to try next time I go out for drinks with a friend.

3.5 Stars, rounded up to a Goodreads 4.
I got an ARC copy from a Goodreads giveaway (thanks so much), and then insert usual disclaimer here.

A Review: “The Lies We Told” by Camilla Way–and this is no lie

Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Expected publication: October 9th 2018 by Berkley
ASIN: B078VW7QSD

Paperback ISBN: 1101989521 (ISBN13: 9781101989524)

Goodreads Synopsis:

The highly acclaimed author of Watching Edie returns with a new novel of dark psychological suspense that explores how those closest to us have the most to hide…

When Clara’s boyfriend, Luke, disappears, everyone believes that he’s left her, but Clara thinks she knows the truth. Recent evidence suggests that Luke had a stalker, and Clara worries that he’s been kidnapped. Then Luke’s older sister, Emma, who vanished twenty years ago, suddenly reappears.

Emma wants to help Clara with her search for Luke, but she refuses to talk about what happened–even though it nearly destroyed her family when she vanished. And the deeper Clara digs into Luke’s mysterious disappearance, the more convinced she is that the two incidents are connected.

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A quick and solid addition to the thriller genre. “The Lies we Told” is a fast-paced story told in dual timelines with enough action to keep veterans of the breed on their toes and enough drama to keep the interest of even those who are only just willing to dip their toes in the proverbial pool.
Perhaps its not my favorite thriller ever, but I was interested enough to break a book slump that had gone on far too long. My own issues with downloading my copy aside, I read the whole book in less than a day, on the tiny screen on my phone–so how’s that for keeping and holding my interest?
Easily a solid 4 stars and I eagerly await any further works by this author.

I received an ARC from Penguin Random House’s First to Read program (many thanks!) and well, you know the drill by now, insert obligatory disclaimer here.

 

A Review of “Memento Park” by Mark Sarvas

Hardcover: 288 pages
Published March 13th 2018 by Farrar Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374206376 (ISBN13: 9780374206376)

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

A son learns more about his father than he ever could have imagined when a mysterious piece of art is unexpectedly restored to him

After receiving an unexpected call from the Australian consulate, Matt Santos becomes aware of a painting that he believes was looted from his family in Hungary during the Second World War. To recover the painting, he must repair his strained relationship with his harshly judgmental father, uncover his family history, and restore his connection to his own Judaism. Along the way to illuminating the mysteries of his past, Matt is torn between his doting girlfriend, Tracy, and his alluring attorney, Rachel, with whom he travels to Budapest to unearth the truth about the painting and, in turn, his family.

As his journey progresses, Matt’s revelations are accompanied by equally consuming and imaginative meditations on the painting and the painter at the center of his personal drama, Budapest Street Scene by Ervin Kalman. By the time Memento Park reaches its conclusion, Matt’s narrative is as much about family history and father-son dynamics as it is about the nature of art itself, and the infinite ways we come to understand ourselves through it.

Of all the questions asked by Mark Sarvas’s Memento Park–about family and identity, about art and history–a central, unanswerable predicament lingers: How do we move forward when the past looms unreasonably large?

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Quick review because I don’t have a lot to say.

Pros:
*detail work is spot-on
*vivid descriptions
*a good addition to the “lost art connecting past and present” trope
*sometimes to try to reconnect with those who went before us, sometimes you try, and sometimes you fail

Cons:
*as a narrative voice, Matt’s is difficult to get into
*a little rambling(?)
*why did I come away feeling annoyed because how often the narrator refers to sex as a metaphor, how his every interaction with his girlfriend and his attorney (who keep getting pointe out as beautiful) always led back to sex? Just ARGH! (whether this is actually true or not, or was just my impression, I was still very annoyed by it and still am, a month plus after reading it)

Also, not being Jewish, there were more than a few references that I felt flew right over my head, though the author did his best to explain as he went. But there was something lovely about how Matt tried so hard to reconnect with his father, his family’s past, and his near forgotten faith.

A Review of “Sorority” by Genevieve Sly Crane

Hardcover: 293 pages
Published May 1st 2018 by Gallery/Scout Press
ISBN: 1501187473 (ISBN13: 9781501187476)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sisterhood is forever…whether you like it or not.

Prep meets Girls in White Dresses in Genevieve Sly Crane’s deliciously addictive, voyeuristic exploration of female friendship and coming of age that will appeal to anyone who has ever been curious about what happens in a sorority house.

Twinsets and pearls, secrets and kinship, rituals that hold sisters together in a sacred bond of everlasting trust. Certain chaste images spring to mind when one thinks of sororities. But make no mistake: these women are not braiding each other’s hair and having pillow fights—not by a long shot.

What Genevieve Sly Crane has conjured in these pages is a blunt, in your face look behind the closed doors of a house full of contemporary women—and there are no holds barred. These women have issues: self-inflicted, family inflicted, sister-to-sister inflicted—and it is all on the page. At the center of this swirl is Margot: the sister who died in the house, and each chapter is told from the points of view of the women who orbit her death and have their own reactions to it.

With a keen sense of character and elegant, observant prose, Crane details the undercurrents of tension in a world where perfection comes at a cost and the best things in life are painful—if not impossible—to acquire: Beauty. A mother’s love. And friendship… or at least the appearance of it. Woven throughout are glimmers of the classical myths that undercut the lives of women in Greek life. After all, the Greek goddesses did cause their fair share of destruction.

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Crane has a deft hand with prose, and her detail work is as vivid as it is insightful.

And yet . . . Sorority reads like an anthology of connected short stories, not a full novel. There’s a so many alternating personalities and POVs–which on one hand is good, a bigger arc and more characters to (possibly) root for and further detail. But by that same token, I had a difficult time following along with all these characters.
Note: if you read this, try to read it all the way through in as little time as possible or you might forget who is who and be really confused!
And for all the POV’s and all the details we were given, I don’t know if this was just a me thing or what, but I spent the entire time reading this wondering, “Where’s the plot? What’s the point?” (If you’ve ever seen “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and watched with the subtitles, the part where “God” shouts, “To the purpose!” that would be an accurate description of what I was doing the whole time I read this.)

So, while interesting, I’m not sure I’d reread this, but I will be waiting to see what Crane comes out with next because I do really like her writing style.

3 stars

Many thanks to the publisher who offered this up in a Goodreads giveaway!

A Review: “When The Serpent Bites” by Nesly Clerge (More like bites the dust I was so bored!)

Kindle Edition, 402 pages
Published October 30th 2015 by Nesly Clerge

NOTE: I DNF-ED AT ABOUT 37%!

Normally, I hold that I need to finish review copies because otherwise its unfair to the author to review their work without knowing the full story, but good grief, I’ve been trying since February and I just can’t.

If a book makes you think, “Why am I bothering with this waste of time?” then you probably shouldn’t be reading it. I’m sorry to the author and to Shayla Eaton who asked me to review this book, but I just can’t do it.

I was bored the entire time I was reading this. Literally bored and I kept waiting for something, anything to happen. With the chapters being as short as they were, you’d think the story would move along at a decent pace, but then you realize, what story? The entirety of what I read went from A to B to C and so forth in a “and this happened” sort of linear fashion that felt, well, inorganic? Slow? Amateurish?

Starks is this unlikeable character with no redeeming features what so ever–and don’t get me wrong, unlikeable characters/anti-heroes, etc. are some of my favorite characters, but when a character, especially the MC and the narrator has no redeeming/likable traits at all? And his attitude is basically “I never did a d*** thing wrong/its all _____’s fault/I’m the man that’s why I should get away with these things/I’m rich so obviously that’s all the proof I need to show what a ‘good person’ I am”, just no. What more is there to say?

Unless this was set up for some kind of redemption arc (and other reviewers don’t seem to see that happening), what was the point of just a spoiled, misogynistic character in a heavy-handed linear “story” with basically no structure/end/conclusion?

Normally, I give no stars when I DNF a book because its unfair for me to ruin an author’s rating’s because I couldn’t get to the end in case a book gets better, but in this instance, I’m giving it no stars because it doesn’t deserve any.

“Forever Charmed” (Halloween LaVeau #1) by Rose Pressey (More like ‘Forever Bored’ but whatever)

Kindle Edition, 253 pages
Published March 25th 2013 by Rose Pressey

Goodreads Synopsis:

Halloween Laveau is descended from a long line of witches. Yes, her name is Halloween. The cosmic universe is definitely playing some kind of sick joke on her. She’s the ultimate witch cliché, complete with a black cat and spooky house. Thank heavens she’s missing the warts and flying broom.

When Halloween inherits her great-aunt’s manor, she decides to put the house to good use as a bed-and-breakfast. Her first guest is the sinfully good-looking Nicolas Marco, but he’s not here for the continental breakfast. Halloween discovers a ratty old book in the attic. It’s written in an unfamiliar language, and unknown to her, the tome is cursed.

Halloween soon learns there’s a link between the book and her newfound talent as a necromancer. But her new skills come with a catch: the reanimated dead aren’t as cupcake-sweet as they were when they were alive. When a rival witch comes after the book, Halloween doesn’t know who to trust–the sexy vampire who says he wants to save the day, or the warlock who says he can destroy the book once and for all.

Halloween had better learn fast. Because when the dead start rising, only a powerful witch can put them back under.

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It started out so well; Halloween and Annabelle had this great friendship and I loved their dialogue. And then the tropes started:

Insta-love trope + love triangle (which was so poorly done as to be pitiful. The point of the triangle I’d that the character is supposed to be unable to choose until the last moment, or until the next book!) + zero to hero because of a magic object+ the female MC with low self-esteem + the constantly disappointed mother + . . . ENOUGH ALREADY!

Add these in to the spectacularly anticlimactic climax and progressively more boring storyline and seriously? I was just done. The synopsis makes it significantly more exciting than it actually is and I am very disheartened by that.

1.5 stars and no, I don’t feel like rounding up and being nice.

A Review: “The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids” (Amra Thetys #1) by Michael McClung

Kindle Edition, 210 pages
Published November 28th 2012 by Michael McClung (first published October 8th 2012)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules—take care of business, and never let it get personal. Thieves don’t last long in Lucernis otherwise. But when a fellow rogue and good friend is butchered on the street in a deal gone wrong, she turns her back on burglary and goes after something more precious than treasure: Revenge.

Revenge, however, might be hard to come by. A nightmare assortment of enemies, including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer, believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate—the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for—and they’ll do anything to take it from her. Trouble is, Amra hasn’t got the least clue where the Blade might be.

She needs to find the Blade, and soon, or she’ll be joining her colleague in a cold grave instead of avenging his death. Time is running out for the small, scarred thief.

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3.5 stars

I’m going to make this one a quick one, because I don’t have much to say. The story itself was interesting as Amra’s inner dialogue and point of view; often humorous, usually matter if fact, on occasion fed up, she felt like a real person.

But my main complaint about this book is that I constantly felt like I was expected to already know things about this world and didn’t. Certain things would be said/mentioned and it wouldn’t really be explained. It’s like trying to put a puzzle together without being given the framework necessary to understand where the edges are, or what the picture was in the first place.

I definitely want to know what happened next, but I’m definitely going to need to prepare to constantly be confused (unless book 2 is better in that respect).