Review: The Matzah Ball

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.3 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

She had taken her secret, shameful love of Christmas and turned it into a successful career. 

The daughter of a highly influential Rabbi and top fertility clinic doctor in New York, Rachel has always been aware of all eyes on her, especially in the Jewish community. Leaning in hard into her love of Christmas, the decorations, music, and sense of joy, became her private escape, a place she could forget the pressures of the real world. She also turned it into a hugely successful career and became best-selling Christmas themed romance author Margot Cross. However, her publisher wants a Hanukkah inspired romance now and Rachel is struggling to find the magic in her own reality. Fortunately, The Matzah Ball Max is being held in New York and if Rachel can get a ticket to go, she is sure she can get some inspiration from this exclusive, high end ball that will celebrate Hanukkah. The problem is that it is being thrown by her Camp Ahava nemesis, Jacob Greenberg. 

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt had saved him. 

And then she had broken his heart. 

Jacob hasn't been back to New York in eighteen years and observing Shabbat at the house of the parents of the girl who broke his heart when he was twelve, maybe not his best idea. After the death of his mother two years ago, Jacob has felt restless and returning to New York has him ready to face issues from his childhood that still linger inside him. When Rachel asks him for a Matzah Ball ticket, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to get her to open up more and a possibility to get their relationship back on track. When her volunteering goes horribly wrong and their relationship ends up worse than before, they both learn a little something about trust, opening up, and acceptance. 

They were both hiding. They just had different ways of doing it. 

Rachel used silence. 

And Jacob---like always, he reasoned---used noise. 

  

The Matzah Ball was a story that had a light tone with some chik-lit antics but also threaded through some weightier issues that provided some emotional heft. The pinpoint conflict between Rachel and Jacob is from their childhood, they had a prank adversary relationship at camp when they were twelve that slowly changed into a romance. Rachel thought Jacob took their pranks too far when he set up their first kiss to be witnessed by the boys in his bunk embarrassing her and Jacob is still hurt by Rachel standing him up at the camp dance. There's some Misunderstanding going on with their issues but what makes a twelve year old's grudge carried to thirty year old's work, was how the author intertwined it with their existing insecurities. Rachel always feels like she is being watched and judged because of who her parents are, being humiliated hits her extra hard and she felt like Jacob broke her trust. At the time, Jacob was dealing with his mother getting diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and his father abandoning them because of it. When they meet again as adults, the pain from camp lingers because of how it ties into their life insecurities but I also liked how the author still had them willing to test a friendship with each other again; nothing felt forced or childish about their conflict. 

“You're right,” he said, leaning into her, close enough for a second kiss. “We were never friends. We were so much more than just friends, Rachel...and you broke my goddamn heart.” 

Rachel is also living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), which as a chronic illness, permeates her life everyday and makes her feel isolated even more. You feel for her as she tries to be “normal” and do volunteer work for the Ball and Jacob pushes her thinking their old prank relationship way will get her to open up more and it all blows up. In his apologizing, is where Jacob shines a lot and the growth of his character becomes apparent as he is forced to confront the issues with is dad and how that has shaped him. In the beginning, you just want them to address their camp misunderstandings but as a reader, it selfishly works because it gives us opportunity to watch them learn and grow. 

He was the type of person you could stand around the stove with on Hanukkah, burning latkes together and laughing hysterically, but also rely on to clean up the dishes when you were done. 

With the family and community Rachel has, we get more of Jewish culture from her and a couple times some explanations for the less observant or involved Jacob, which I'm sure is really more for gentile readers and I appreciated it but also enjoyed how language was used throughout to help with the setting. The secondary characters, from Rachel's bestfriend Mickey and to Jacob's friend and business partner Shmuel showed different levels of observant, giving that reminder that some need that not all groups are a monolith but also showed the connection that exists because of historical and cultural context. 

“Then fight for him.” Toby smiled emphatically. “Fight for him, Rachel-la! So many people think Hanukkah is about miracles. But Hanukkah is really about fighting for the things you believe in. Everybody focuses on the oil, but there would have been no oil, no lamp and no miracle had the Maccabees not taken up arms and stormed that darn temple. That's the thing people forget about Hanukkah. We make our own miracles, Rachel-la. We're in charge of creating our own happy endings.” 

The second half gave a little more of a focus on Jacob and his issues, which is why I wouldn't actually call this women's fiction, it's romance with a happily ever after, no bedroom scenes; if you've ever read Sonali Dev, it's along that same story-telling feel. The first half was sweet and showed how Rachel and Jacob matched together and the second half gives us more of the work and learning, Rachel finds out something about the Misunderstanding and Jacob finds out about Rachel's illness. They both learn how their vulnerabilities affect their relationships and life and then do the work to earn each other and because this is romance, some of that work includes a bedazzled wheelchair and a fire escape climb in a ball gown and fuzzy socks. This was tender, had some watery eyes moments, charming, and will have you wishing you had a bubbe in your life. 

Truth could be scary. Darkness might always endeavor to snuff out the light, but the strength of those who truly loved us would always push us forward. This was how we brightened an otherwise dark world. We filled it with truth, and love, and light.

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The first day of Fall is the signal to start holiday books, right? 

⛄🎁 🕎 

 Shout-out to all my fellow holiday readers, it's our time to thrive❣

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer preorder (Sept 28) link

Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta & Spinach recipe

2 lemons for more flavor and added red pepper flakes

Review: A Reckless Match

A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

According to the Montgomerys, the pig was stolen. According to the Davies clan, it got lost. 

For over 500yrs the Montgomerys and the Davies have had a contentious neighborly relationship. Whether it was a pig or woman who started it, Madeline Montgomery and Gryff Davies have kept the feud going. Teasing and pranks were pulled while kids and while Gryff was away fighting Napoleon for three years, both have actually missed each other. When Maddie learns that her father has lost the family fortune in a stock scam, she's hoping that the Davies siblings all stay in London and don't show up for the handshake Henry VII decreed to try and stop the feuding between the two families. On the Spring Equinox, a member from each family must meet on the strip of no-man's-land between the two estates and shake hands, if someone from a family's side doesn't show up, the other family gets the land. Maddie needs the money that could come from owning the land but with minutes to spare, the worst Davies shows up. 

“Well, well. Maddie Montgomery. Did you miss me, cariad?” 

With a light and sweet tone, A Reckless Match starts off the Ruthless Rivals series. I enjoyed the set-up of the English Montgomery's endlessly feuding with the Welsh Davies and loved how the author gave our couple's fathers an undercover friendship from it. From the start, it was obvious that Gryff liked Maddie, he's candid in his thoughts of how much he cares and missed her. Maddie was struck by lightening and he thinks about how when he heard this, how shaken he was. Their teasing and back and forth always had a lightness and little sizzle that made you want them to never leave each other's side because they were a fun couple to be with. 

He shouldn’t be goading her, of course. It could only lead to trouble. But teasing her was a pleasure he’d missed out on for three long, miserable years. The memory of her face was something he’d fallen back on when times were particularly hard. Wounded, exhausted after battle, he’d often reminded himself to stay alive, if only to spite her. To tease her just one more time. 

The plot has the two discovering an underground cave on their no-man's-land and while exploring it, learning that smugglers are using it to hide their barrels. It's a lighter mystery that works to keep them together and pulls in some side characters, Gryff's brothers, Maddie's cousin, and an unwanted suitor of Maddie's. I usually like a little tease alluding to future couples but this had some overkill in that department. Gryff's brother Morgan and Maddie's cousin Harriet and Maddie's older brother Tristan and Gryff's younger sister Carys, are obviously future couples and they seem to have an extremely similar relationship and set-up as Maddie and Gryff. Did I enjoy Maddie and Gryff's relationship? Yes. Do I want to read the exact same dynamic three times in a row in the same series? Not really. 

The expression in his eyes was one of undisguised admiration and Maddie’s heart missed a beat. He’d called her remarkable. 

There wasn't a lot of exploring of our character's make-up, I know Maddie's mother died when she was ten and Gryff was off soldiering for three years, the focus is solidly on the here and now and the teasing with wanting more between the two. I greatly enjoyed the first 60% of this but started to get a little restless, especially when I hit 70%. Maddie and Gryff are trapped in a cave and even though we're in the back-half of the book, their relationship felt exactly the same. They still are doing the fun teasing and I still felt the sizzle but where was the relationship growth? The last 40% just didn't give me the development between the two that I was looking for, their relationship felt exactly the same as when I was reading in chapter one. 

Ten years of teasing and flirting— yes, that’s what it had been, she could admit it now— had always been coming to this. This bonfire. 

The all too easy match-ups have me a bit worried for the future couples' stories and Maddie and Gryff's relationship didn't really change from the start to the end enough for me. However, the majority of this story was plain fun with it's light tone and the little bit of sizzle to their teasing. There were also numerous interesting tidbits included about the times that were engaging and had me going off to read more about. If you're looking for light sweet teasing with a sizzle, this would be one to pick up.

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Sneaking in an early lunch today and some historical romance before NFL Sunday gets going. 

Hearing great things about this enemies-to-lovers with adventure 😍 

Enjoy the day, everyone! 

And #goVikes

A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman preorder (Sept. 28) link

Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos recipe

Review: Homecoming Heartbreaker

Homecoming Heartbreaker by Joss Wood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

2.5 stars 

Well, he was back. 

Starting off the Moonlight Ridge series, Homecoming Heartbreaker introduces us to Mack and Molly. Mack is the oldest of the three boys Jameson, the owner of the resort Moonlight Ridge, adopted when they were younger. He was adopted at age 8 because his mother died in childbirth and his father gave him up. Growing up with an emotionally abusive father, Mack constantly heard that he was responsible for his mother's death, has left Mack always wanting to be in control so that he doesn't hurt anyone. When he and his two brothers, Grey and Travis, get into a car accident, in which he was driving and Travis injures his knee enough to lose a football scholarship, Mack decides to leave town at eighteen and distance himself from everyone, including his childhood love Molly. 

It was one night, fifteen years ago, but it had had enormous ramifications. 

The story starts fifteen years after the car accident and Mack finds himself having to come back and stay a couple months at Moonlight Ridge because his father Jameson has experienced a brain episode and has to take it easy. His childhood love, Molly, just so happens to be the resorts manager and they are going to have to spend time together and Mack knows he owes her an apology for how he left. Molly has had her own drama to deal with, her father was Jameson's CFO and he was caught for embezzlement and then ended up having a heart-attack and dying, leaving Molly, her mother and two older brothers to deal with the ramifications. Molly's family consists of nothing but leeches and they constantly demand money from her and Molly's afraid to cut the cord with them because they essential blackmail her threatening to tell Jameson that she stole two thousand dollars from him when she was a kid. 

She was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. And she was drowning. 

As you can tell, our leads are dealing with a lot and as this is the first book in the series, it had the heavier load of setting up the series. I thought the groundwork of characters, their relationships, and the setting of Moonlight Ridge was laid out nicely. I thought Mack's motivation of not wanting to lose control around anyone because his dad made him think he was responsible for his mother's death was a bit overplayed. When he comes back to Moonlight Ridge, he does apologize to Molly early but he seemed to want to move on from it very quickly. I liked how Molly still hurt over his abandonment but understood that they were kids and she doesn't work to punish him for his decision. Molly's, just about over-the-top, family steals the show some because a decent amount of focus is giving to their blackmail scheme, even adding in one of the brother's girlfriends, which at first seemed unneeded but will maybe play a part in a continuing thread in the series. 

They were groping on the back stairway of Moonlight Ridge and she didn't care. At all. 

With Jameson sidelined with health issues, we didn't get scenes with him and Mack as much as I would have liked but we do get a couple povs from him and a little secondary romance involving him and his former housekeeper who is now his nurse, I missed seeing him with all three of the boys. I wish we could have gotten a flashback scene with them as a family before we start with them all separated. The romance between Molly and Mack felt a little stiff at times but delivers a couple scenes to have this fit in the Harlequin Desire category. There were times I thought Mack was too harsh with Molly but I did like how she stood up to him. I didn't quite get the warm feelings of two childhood friends-to-lovers reuniting. 

She was his and he was hers; they'd always each been one half of a whole. 

This was a quick read but it did set the scene at Moonlight Ridge for the other two brothers to come into. There's some left to dangle story threads, the hunt is on to find out who is embezzling money from the resort and the need to revitalize the resort because it could soon be in danger of closing. Looking forward to Grey the architect and Travis the chef finding their own loves and the Holloway brothers becoming a family again.

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Starting the Moonlight Ridge series today! Three different authors writing connecting books sounds fun, could keep the series feeling fresh. 

A fall salad and some ex-lovers turned enemies, what a Thursday for me 🍂🥗🥰

Homecoming Heartbreaker by Joss Wood purchase link

Sweet Potato Salad with Avocado Green Salad recipe

Loved the dressing

Review: Lady Katherne's Wild Ride

Lady Katherne's Wild Ride by Jeane Westin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Do you like japes and cods? Boy do I have a story for you! 

She would soon send him on his way with a hot rebuke he would remember long after his cod cooled. 

The TBRChallenge theme for September was Unusual (Time/Location/Profession), I went with this because it has been on my tbr for about ten years and Jeremy, our hero, is an actor during the Restoration Period. Taken separately, an actor and Restoration period, they are not so uncommon but together, well, I'm not sure I've ever read or seen a historical romance with a hero who was an actor during this time. I feel like I'm begging for people to come out of the woodwork to give me examples, lol. I had about a day to pick from garage sale box tbr for this month's challenge, means and all that. 

Katherne knew the price was hanging and the drawing out of Martha's entrails while she was yet alive, then cutting her body into four pieces to hang on the gate of Sir William Pursevant's manor of Bournely as a lesson to all who would defy a master's rule. 

Lady Katherne (Kit), is living with her uncle because her father fought against Cromwell and when Cromwell came into power, he was hung for a traitor. However, it is now 1666 and Charles II is in power and the Restoration Period (1660-1685) and theaters are back open. Her uncle tries to rape her, this scene is in fact the first scene and if this is a trigger warning for you, beware because her uncle William's actions and thoughts are grotesque. Fortunately, a servant named Martha saves Katherne, she fainted and is unsure if William was able to complete the act before Martha came along, but they fear Martha may have killed William. Fearing for her life, Martha is going to flee and Katherne decides to flee with her. 

All had violated her woman's rights ... what few a woman possessed in this world made for men, who made law to please themselves. 

They come upon an acting troupe, led by a man named Jeremy and he deduces they are the run and offers them a job in the troupe because Katherne relates her story of being on the run because her uncle tried to rape her, making Jeremy think of his sister who was raped by soldiers. Guess what? Jeremy and Katherne immediately have the hots for each other, though, Katherne has made a personal promise to never marry or let a man dictate her life. Guess what, again? Jeremy has been quite the ladies man and has been currently sleeping with Lucy, another actress in the troupe. Lucy is not happy and becomes our scorned other woman. Lucy is not a scorned other woman to sit on her hands, she gets to work immediately and sets it up to look like Katherne and Martha have stolen money from the troupe and gets them cast out. Jeremy wanted to stand-up for them but he also has dreams of acting in Lord Rochester's (yes, that Lord Rochester) theater and doesn't want a damaged reputation. He does, however, send a letter of recommendation along with his friend Alain to Katherne for her to present to a friend, George Folly (yes, that George Folly) to help her get on with his acting school. 

Aye, she was beautiful, but she was more. There was something separate in her that he could not reach, that he longed to touch and yet feared, knowing that it could most surely make him a captive, when as a man he must be free and master. 

Jeremy thinks the above quote two days after knowing Katherne. TWO days. This had some insta-love going on. Because he feels so deeply for Katherne, ol' Jeremy is melancholy and this infuriates Lucy even more and remember, she's a scorned other woman of action! She ends up stabbing Jeremy during a live performance. This causes Jeremy to leave the troupe and head to the Inn he knows Katherne is staying with his friend Alain and collapses in Katherne's arms from his wound. 

"Then I will bleed him to bring down his fever by drawing down the heated blood to cool the residue in his vessels, and to bring his four humors to a proper balance. Do you know if he was born under Sagittarius? Oh, surely not Aquarius. The water bearer is a bad sign for bleeding." Alain shook his head at every question, and the doctor harrumphed, "If I knew his astrologic nativity, I could better treat him." 

Maybe this is where ivermectin people are going wrong, have they consulted their astrologic nativity??? Anyway, by 35% these two were pretty much in luv and I got a bit glazed over for the rest. Martha does end up getting arrested for the attack on William, he didn't die and with a jape set-up by Lord Rochester, gets her out of jail but makes it so Jeremy has to marry her in order to get her out. The lovebirds are upset but this author knows how to dispose of in the way secondary characters and ships Martha off to the Virginia plantations because Martha thinks it will be a better life for her. Goodspeed, Martha. 

He bought a penny bunch of violets from a flower seller. "Here," he said, handing her half the bunch, "hold this to your nose so that you won't breathe in the foul vapors which carry plague." 

Oh god, definitely don't let ivermectin people read this, there will be a shortage of violets next. If you couldn't tell by some of the quotes I've shared, the plague does swirl around in the background. This, along with mentions of chocolate houses, politics, heavy use of real historical people and events, and vernacular did provide an excellent historical setting; I can see modern readers struggling with the parlance. Remember how I said it was 1666? Yep, one of those real historical events the author uses is The Great London Fire. I was a little disappointed in how it felt more like a blip but this story has a lot going on and we can't let something like a little Great Fire take up too much time. 

"They do say the fire started in the king's bakery at Pudding Lane," the man replied bitterly. "The king will get no bread this morning, nor will half of London." 

We're about at the 50% and Jeremy gets arrested and now that I'm thinking about it, I finished reading this at night and am now typing up the review the next morning, I can't remember why he got arrested. Lol. Is this where I say take this review with a grain of salt? Katherne can't be without her luv and when she gets invited to perform the short act she did with Jeremy about lovers meeting and coming together that has become popular, in front of Charles II (yes, that Charles II), she declares she can't do it without Jeremy. Some word play with the king gets him on her side and Jeremy is freed and they perform the play to the delight of the king. But hold on, Lucy our industrious scorned other woman has made it to London and working for the king's troupe and declares Katherne to be a thief and whore. 

"Actresses duel at dawn in Hampstead Heath, Thursday next!" 

Lucy has gumption, I'll give her that. She challenges Katherne to a duel, even though they have been outlawed. So, they meet up and we get some sword fighting. I'm not sure I'd call them Errol Flynns but they hold their own. Katherne comes out victorious, hope this wasn't a spoiler. We are now at 70% and while Katherne is out with her bff Nell Gwyn (yes, that Nell Gwyn) she gets kidnapped by William (the rapist uncle). We get a wild reveal Her dad is alive! But he's out of his mind not knowing years have passed., some dashing sword-fighting, and then a set to rights for Katherne's home estate. She hasn't forgotten about her vow to never marry but does it matter because Jeremy is already married to Martha? I'll just say JAPES. 

He covered her mouth with his, his tongue stroking hers as his cod thrust through her hot, slippery passage, to be stopped by her maidenhead. He thrust again harder and harder again until he broke through. 

This was published in 2006 but it read kind of like an old '80s, not quite bodice ripper because Katherne had more empowerment but the underlining vibe was there with the sheer amount of events happening and the wording choices. I'm going to put the over/under at 100 times for the words “japes” and “cod” used and bet it all on over. If you're here for the stage stuff, you'll get a fair amount along with a lot of quotes from plays and poetry of the time. The ending gave us some contraception talk and Jeremy setting up, you guessed it, a jape to manipulate Katherne into agreeing to marry him. Oh men and their manipulations, so funny!!! She agrees but the epilogue shows us not until right before giving birth to give her offspring legitimacy. Enjoyed the historical aspects but “japes” and “cods” were too abundant and the love was too insta. 

"Although Kit seems to have the mind of a male and I confess I did allow her to be educated with her brothers, she is yet a weak woman and subject to Eve's womb frenzy." 

I do call dibs on “Eve's womb frenzy” for my band name.

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#TBRChallenge: September - Unusual (Time/Location/Profession)

 

This #TBRChallenge is set-up by @SuperWendy (blog). Besides the theme months, this is a pretty relaxing challenge. On the third day of every month participants are encouraged to use the hashtag TBRChallenge and discuss the book they plucked from obscurity. I decided to make a personal rule that a book had to be in my TBR for at least 5 years.

I ended up missing August's TBRChallenge and I had a book picked out that I really wanted to get to 😢 Vacation and preparing for the start of Halloween Bingo just sucked all the time away. But I'm back! I almost forgot but @SuperWendy and her dedicated awesome tweeting reminded me. Most of my library checkouts and holds are occupied by Halloween Bingo right now and I didn't have as much time to put into looking for a perfect fit book as I would like but for September's Unusual theme, I have come up with Lady Katherne's Wild Ride by Jeane Westin. Now, the hero is an actor but stay with me, it's set in the Restoration period. I've read about hero actors and stories taking place in the Restoration period but not Together. So, totally works, right? I may be reaching but time, means, and all that. I'm not completely sure when I got this book but it was in my garage sale box, so around ten years ago, I'd unscientifically say. 

Looking forward to some steaming behind-the-curtain action and with synopsis quotes like:  

But the night she foils his lecherous plan to steal her virtue, she becomes a suspected murderess with a bounty on her head. and Jeremy Hughes is notorious for both for his performances upon the stage and in the bedchamber.

Lecherous! Murderess! Notorious! 

This should be fun, hopefully.

TBRChallenges: 

January - Unbound by Cara McKenna 

February - Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant 

March - Anything for Love by Connie Brockway 

April - Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers 

May - Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge 

June - Moonrise by Anne Stuart

July - Secrets of the Heart by Samantha Garman

August - N/A

Review: The Grace Year

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

They believe our very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why we’re banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we’re allowed to return to civilization. 

I read this for the Dystopian Hellscape Halloween Bingo square and with a sort of The Handmaid's Tale formatted society, it definitely fit. The vast majority of this story was a girl Lord of the Flies with some Crucible. I have read all three stories this was clearly inspired by and, well, I hate to be that person but they did it better. 

There’s no freedom in comfort. They’re padded shackles, to be sure, but shackles nonetheless. 

This is tagged as YA, which because of our main character's age, 16, sure, but adults would have no problem enjoying. It's all told from first person perspective by Tierney, a girl who is about to be sent into the woods with other sixteen year old girls for their “Grace Year”. When a girl comes into her magic, the author is obviously talking about menstruation, the men fear their power so they have to spend that year in the woods to burn it off. The messaging is pretty clear with men fearing women's “power” and so forth. 

I want to believe we can be different, but when I look around the church, at the women comparing the length of their braids, reveling in another woman’s punishment, scheming and clawing for every inch of position, I can’t help thinking the men might be right. Maybe we’re incapable of more. Maybe without the confines placed upon us, we’d rip each other to shreds, like a pack of outskirt dogs. 

I wasn't really feeling the first half because I was ready for some woman power, working together to smash the patriarchy. To me, it felt like Tierney had a case of “not like other girls” and whenever she needed help, it was men who came to her rescue. The Crucible-ness, along with Lord of the Flies, really comes into play when the girls are alone and lead by the lead mean girl, Kiersten, who is mad at Tierney for “stealing” the boy she wanted for a husband, they dissolve into hysteria and attacks. The vast majority of this was “look how mean girls/women can be to each other and they are the true perpetrators! ”. Not really what I was personally looking for. 

“[...]I mean … who doesn’t want to feel powerful? Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re in control for once in their lives? Because without it, what would we be?” 

The second half brings in a romance, severely underdeveloped, between Tierney and Ryker, a poacher who, you guessed it, rescued her. The last 30-20% also brings in some quiet defiance and finally some of that women's strength I was looking for, but coming so late, it ends up feeling brushed over and, underdeveloped. A lot was underdeveloped for me, but as this is categorized as YA, maybe I was looking for some context and layers that were purposefully glazed over. The first person pov also isn't a personal favorite of mine, as I like to be in different characters' heads. 

The world-building was there microscopically, as in seen only from Tierney's view and while I thought the rules of the land were laid out nicely, there was a lot not conveyed, was this some kind of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village happening with the mystery of over the hills? This was just ok for me but if you haven't read The Handmaid's Tale, Lord of the Flies, or The Crucible, your mileage would definitely vary. I wish the ending reveals of women fighting back would have been the focus more than the fighting between the girls. Some good highlighting of how power structures work to keep certain people down and women's resolve.

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Reading this for the 

Halloween bingo square.

It's girl Lord of the Flies and I'm a little disappointed so far in how the first person girl narrative we're getting is "not like other girls" and the men seem to be the one rescuing her even though the synopsis made it seem girl power burn it down. Come on second half!

Quickie Review: The Last True Cowboy

The Last True Cowboy by Kathleen Eagle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

“[...] At heart they’re still wild.” 

“And we hold that in our hands,” Chevy said, quoting him. “That heart. That wildness.” 

This was a trailed finger, Texas drawl, slow burn of a story. 

K.C. Houston is our Last True Cowboy and he shows up at the Weslin Ranch looking for Ross Weslin who offered him a job training horses. When he arrives he finds out Ross just died and the three women left to run the ranch, Gramma Sally and her two granddaughters Julia and Dawn don't even know if they are going to keep the ranch or sell. 

The beginning was pretty slow and I had a hard time getting into it but around 30% I was able to sink into the measured and time taken flow the author had created. The western vibe is strong in this, it's in the way they talk, walk, live, and breathe and I really felt like I was on the ranch. 

There's angst and drama but all in a deliberate and timed perfectly way, the reader is enveloped in as it is revealed to us and then builds.The two sisters have a careful relationship because of past hurts, their grief over losing their brother Ross and feeling like they never had a close relationship because Ross being scared to come out definitively that he was gay to them, and then the back and forth of if they should sell the ranch. 

K.C. comes into the picture with his own background of losing his mother young, on the road and working ranches starting at fifteen, becoming semi-famous for his ability to work with horses, and then losing his business when a child got hurt and they didn't have insurance. He's a lady's man but in the most caring way; he's genuine and caring. K.C. and Julia had a steady connection that was mature and developed and I can't stop thinking about some of their little moments (him sitting on the porch railing and slowly but surely drawing her in-between his legs and then putting his hat on her). 

The romance is extremely slow burn but all those little moments and touches sizzle under the surface in the best way. The author took time and care with her characters and story and it shows, this was a rich world. You'll want to sink into this, need a long attention span, and maybe a porch swing and Afghan blanket wouldn't be amiss.

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Reading Update: 40%

 

“I like women,” K.C. said, thinking about the one who had just greeted him with a sassy slap on the ass. Pretty little redhead, couldn’t remember her name. “I like them very much.”

Weslin nodded, smiling like he got the message, loud and clear. “She left her mark on your face.”K.C. laughed and went after the lipstick with a cocktail napkin. “What do you like about them?”Weslin asked, and when K.C. gave him an incredulous glance, he shrugged it off. “No, I’m serious.”

“Hell, I like their spirit, their heart.” Weslin looked at him as though he found the answer to be intriguing. K.C. decided to take the reaction at face value; he’d said something interesting. If Weslin had been a woman, K.C. would have known better. Women weren’t interested in what he said so much. It was more the way it was said. That and the way he listened. K.C. glanced at the dance floor. Watching people dance always made him tap his toe, itching to get out there and enjoy the music with some sweet partner. He leaned across the table. “A woman’s heart is different from a man’s. It’s not a matter of soft, even though there is that softness about some women. It’s more like extra room, maybe a secret chamber. They always seem to have a little hope in reserve.”

“Heart.” Weslin seemed to be turning the word over in his mind, like a questionable coin. Finally he smiled. “That’s not the part most men would name.”

K.C. shrugged as he sipped his whiskey. “I generally just say I’m a leg man and let it go at that, but you did say seriously.”

“And I don’t threaten you.”

“Threaten me?”

“Seriously.” Weslin chuckled, sat back sipping on his bourbon and water. He was a good-looking cowboy, a little on the thin side with slender, elegant hands, but the kind of a guy a woman would surely notice. “My life is full of women, too,” he said, as if he’d read K.C.’s mind. “Women I love. Women I hate. Women I hate to love. I know just what you mean by a woman’s heart. There’s a gentleness about them that scares some men, I think. You’ve got it just right, though: gentleness and stamina. Unbelievable combination, but there it is.”

K.C. raised his glass in fraternal agreement. “If we were talking about horses, we’d call it try. Some guys don’t appreciate that, either. They say they do, but the first thing they wanna do is break her, break her in, which means break her spirit.”

“And when that doesn’t work out, they come to you.”

“We talking about women or horses now?”

Weslin smiled. “We’re talking about soft hearts and gentle creatures. Do you ever get tired of trying to make amends for other men’s mistakes?”

“It’s probably fifty percent of my business, ”K.C. said. As for women, he figured it wasn’t possible for one man to make amends for the mistakes of another. He’d gotten himself in trouble over it a time or two and given up trying. Thought he had, anyway. He sure as hell meant to. 

“You’re the kind of man a guy wants to introduce to his sister.”

Review: The Wives of Bowie Stone

The Wives of Bowie Stone by Maggie Osborne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

I wasn't planning on writing a review for this but I must talk about it. 

 "I'm not going to help you destroy yourself." He drew a breath and looked at her, trying to recall how she looked and smelled when she was fresh out of a bath. "Getting drunk won't change the past. It's time to forget the past, clean up your life and move on." 

 "I am so sick of your lectures! Stop drinking, stop smoking, stop swearing, stop remembering … I might as well stop living!" She stared at his tight jawline. "You just don't understand, do you? There's nothing in this whole miserable world I'd like better than to forget what he did to me! And I could forget if only I'd had the chance to say my piece and shoot the bastard. Everything would be different!" 

"It's too late for revenge. You've got this crazy idea that Frank Blevins can still see you and hear you. He's dead, Rosie. Blevins has been dead for three years. I'm sorry you didn't get to say your piece, and I'm sorry that life isn't fair; but it's too late to change that. It's over now." 

I highlighted the hell out of this story, there were so many quotes and scenes that hit me in the feels. This was published in 1994 but has the tone I've been crying for in newer published books. First off, the title is magnificent in it's simplicity. The Wives of Bowie Stone. It's so apt because this is basically two connected novellas melded into one book. 

 Considering that Rosie was about as loveable as a stink bug, he didn't understand why he liked her; but he liked her more the longer he knew her. She was generous to bastards who did not deserve her generosity. She was fiercely loyal to Lodisha, John Hawkins, and even to him. No roustabout had ever worked harder than Rosie did. She groused about little things that didn't matter but didn't complain about the things that did. On those rare occasions when something tickled her, her laugh was light and infectious and transformed her scowl into something lovely that could steal a man's breath away. Fresh out of the bath, she was the most beautiful and most desirable woman he had ever seen. And sometimes she was so painfully vulnerable that a child could have crushed her. Shaking his head, he led Ivanhoe toward his stall and a rubdown. When he thought about Rosie blurting, "But I thought you liked me a little," a painful tightening stretched across his chest. This strange wounded woman whom he'd had no right to marry was beginning to get under his skin. 

It starts in a small farming town in Kansas where Bowie Stone is about to be hung. He's a disgraced former Union Officer who supposedly disobeyed a direct order to participate in the slaughtering of Native Americans and then later supposedly shot his commanding officer in the back. Out west though, men are needed and this town has a law that if any woman picks a condemned man to marry, he's free. Rosie Mulvehey claims Bowie and he's saved from the noose. Rosie is dressed like a man, the town drunk, and besides labor, wants nothing to do with Bowie. We learn fairly quickly that she wants Bowie to help her with planting wheat and is determined to turn the first profit the farm has ever seen. She's so determined because her stepfather never had a profitable year and she wants to prove that she isn't all the names he called her and “beat” him and “win”. Her alcoholism and attitude become even more clear during an explosive scene when she reveals that she was raped by the stepfather for years. 

 "Just because you look pretty doesn't mean I'm going to attack you or make unwelcome advances." 

 "That's what it usually means. The only time a woman is safe from poking is when she's ugly." 

Rosie's character had an uncontrollable immaturity that was frustrating at times but so understandable as we know that kids can remain trapped in the age they were when their trauma occurred. It's mostly rooted in her wanting to be “ugly”, not bathing, wearing baggy clothes, drinking, and cursing. Right away you can see how Bowie is going to be good for her, he doesn't give into her temper tantrums and he also doesn't try to control her actions or judges, he makes her want to change because she wants to be better herself. 

So Bowie and his new wife Rosie are the first novella and the companion novella follows Bowie's first wife. Yep, The Wives of Bowie Stone, remember? 

"I am never going to marry you, Mrs. Stone," he said when they had traveled another mile in silence. 

Bowie had an older brother but he ended up dying in a carriage accident but not before he begged Bowie to marry Susan, a woman who was about to be engaged to and who was pregnant with is baby. Bowie marries Susan but then joins the Union army and is off to fight but he makes his father promise to take care of Susan and the child. When Bowie's troubles reach D.C., his senator father is disturbed in a way that has him deteriorating physically and dies. Susan thinking Bowie was hung, finds herself without a man to rule and guide her life and for a society woman, she is lost. It turns out Bowie's father knew her child wasn't Bowie's but didn't know it was his older son's and he only leaves her forty dollars thinking she trapped Bowie into marriage. Then the lawyer says he can't release Bowie's estate money until they have a death certificate and body, which Kansas just keeps ignoring their requests for. So Susan finds herself penniless with a child to feed and society turning their back on her because of Bowie's reputation. She decides to answer a mail order bride ad and travel west. 

She couldn't cook, couldn't wash or iron. She didn't know anything about building a house or fishing or livestock. He couldn't imagine her wringing a chicken's neck and preparing it for supper. But by God, Susan Stone had courage. 

When she gets to Wyoming, Gresham, the man who placed the ad isn't impressed with her lack of stature and inability to cook, clean, or generally work, plus he doesn't want a kid. She finds herself almost penniless and no man to help. Gresham keeps saying he isn't responsible for her but feels bad and sets up an appointment for her to possibly be a teacher. 

For the first time in her life, Susan Stone had won respect in her own right. 

So, while this is romance, Rosie and Susan's battles and journeys are the highlights here. I loved the two sides of a coin theme, Rosie wasn't looking for a man to help her live but got one and Susan was looking for a man but had to help herself. It's the Rosie knew how to survive but didn't know how to live and Susan knew how to live but not survive. The way these two historical women took the challenges placed on them and conquered them was a thing of beauty. Because of the two stories in one, the novella feel of some quickness and at times wishing there was time to spend more time with, this had a just the bare bones feel to it. You're getting the emotion from Rosie learning her self-worth and moving to recovering alcoholic and Susan's fear from not having a man to take the responsibility and then courage and exhilaration as she is at the helm of her life. It's not cloaked in ridiculous over-the-top and was all the better for it. 

 "I can speak for most of them. The most important thing is, you aren't to blame for what Blevins did to you. He didn't hurt you because you wore a skirt or because you dressed your hair a certain way or walked a certain way or because you looked pretty. Blevins hurt you because he was weak and brutal. He was a coward and sick inside. Maybe he was evil. But he was to blame for what happened, Rosie. Not you. It was never your fault." 

************ 

“You're not to blame for being victimized. You have nothing to be ashamed of; you can hold your head as high as any woman in this county. You're not dirty or ugly or anything else you might be thinking. You're fine and strong and decent. You're a worthwhile person, Rose Mary Mulvehey. You deserve respect and admiration." 

Again, those quotes are from a book published in 1994, don't spend all your time in newer releases, there are some wonderful hidden gems out there. Anyway, the men take a little bit of a backseat because of how emotional the women's journeys are. However, in his quiet but steadfast way, Bowie Stone cemented his nomination for my end of year Romancies awards. Gresham definitely plays second fiddle to all the characters but he flashes beautifully at times, especially as he goes from refusing to admit feeling bad for Susan to not leaving her side and crying with her after a horrible moment. <spoiler>*****Her son dies and it didn't quite have the big impact it was supposed to have on me because we just don't get to spend quite enough time with them and then it felt rushed*****<end spoiler>

"If you want to kill yourself with drink, fine. That's your choice. If I prefer to make love to a woman who will remember it in the morning, that's my choice." 

Much is made about Rosie having to give up liquor in order to live but to her alcoholic persona, Bowie matches with his ghost. His story is always lingering in the background with his guilt over killing his commanding officer, his will to live is about as strong as Rosie's. I loved how the author mirrored Rosie having to be able to be in the saloon without drinking with Bowie having to fight a second attempt at hanging, they both ultimately have to save themselves but they also have that foundation of previously growing love and strength from the other and I think some books miss that part. 

"Needing someone is as much a part of life as breathing. When we no longer need someone, we're alone, the worst kind of alone there is. You are long past needing a man to survive. Don't mistake that kind of need with needing a man—a certain man—to be fulfilled and happy. It isn't the same thing. Time is shorter than we think it is. Don't delay doing something you know in your heart is right." 

When I read that above quote, I thought “Yes!”, I want my heroines to stand on their own but in romance I also want them to stand supporting and supported by the hero. 

 "You were magnificent out there," he said softly. Taking her wrists, he raised her hands to his lips and kissed her bandaged fingers. "I don't know another woman who could have done what you did. I'm proud to know you, Rose Mary Mulvehey. I hope to hell that you get the crop you deserve." 

He thought she was magnificent. He felt proud to know her. Hot tears pricked at her eyelids and she couldn't breathe. No one had ever said anything like that about her. The sentiments and the sincerity in his eyes made her feel strange and almost sick inside. Joy and pain and disbelief built a searing pressure behind her chest. 

There were times that I got some The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale vibes, with the heroine in so much pain that accepting any form of love could shatter her. 

Loving and being loved, that was the most powerful revenge of all. 

I could go all day quoting this story, Bowie Stone was a quiet hero, a hell of a one, but this wasn't his story, this was all about Rosie and Susan for me. The novella format with it's two sides of a coin heroines worked beautifully but it also kept the page count too low for both romances. A definite hidden gem, read this one and then come talk to me about it!

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40%

 

Staring at him in silence, she drank one jar of whiskey after another until her strange look of confusion and apprehension relaxed and she fell unconscious on the rug. Bowie picked her up and held her in his arms. "You break my heart," he said softly. Then he put her to bed. 

This damn book. Was supposed to be my easy, don't have to review read. 

It's going to tear me apart like The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale, isn't it?

Reading Update: 20%

"Why do you drink so much?" 

"Why don't you care whether you live or die?" 

Stalemated, they walked on in angry silence, neither willing to explore the other's question. 

An alcoholic heroine saves a disgraced former Union officer from hanging by marrying him. 

I'm only 20% in and oof, this story is vibrating.

Review: The Inheritance

The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.3 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

There would be no dramatic scenes with his three daughters---all now grown women with lives of their own---hovering over his deathbed. 

Famous conflict photographer Jackson Swann is dying from lung cancer. Putting his affairs in order involves a winery in Oregon and three daughters that have never met each other. His eldest daughter Tess, was a childhood actress, pop singer, and now writer; the middle daughter Charlotte is a married southern socialite and interior designer; and his youngest Natalie is a street photographer. Not wanting to confront his daughters, he leaves it to his lawyer Donovan to travel, let the women know of their father's death and try and convince them to meet together at the winery. Jackson's winery manager, Gideon, convinces him to at least record video messages for all three sisters and is left with the task of explaining the winery to them when they arrive, their inheritance. 

With high readability that will pull you into the story, The Inheritance was mostly women's fiction and at turns romance and historical fiction. With a handful of characters to keep track of, the oldest daughter Tess, takes point and we get the most from her point-of-view and as the most bitter towards her father, he divorced her mother when she was a toddler and never had communication with him since, she has the most emotional turmoil to overcome. Even though Tess takes point, Charlotte with her imploding marriage, coming out from underneath her controlling husband, and taking control of her career again, gets enough page time to get to know her. Jackson was still legally married to Charlotte's mother, they had an open marriage, but Charlotte got enough visits from Jackson over the years to love him. Even though she is the youngest, Natalie had the closest relationship with Jackson, he and her mother were in a 28yr relationship. Natalie has visited the winery, had a relationship with her grandmother, and knows about her other two half-sisters; Tess knew about Charlotte but not Natalie and Charlotte knew about neither. 

Oh yes, she thought, Gideon Byrne could well be trouble. 

The first half was heavy on the women's fiction tone, it's gradually paced as we learn about these women and their lives, it was also what I thought worked best. The middle has the reading of the will and the sisters learn that they will inherit an equal part in the winery, along with Gideon, who will have a controlling vote in decisions, but in order to inherit and possibly sell, they must spend a season at the winery. Tess, who knew her father the least, wants nothing to do with the winery but the first half had her softening as she gets to know her sisters, grandmother, and Gideon. I'm not sure all of her complicated emotions and journey to accepting her father's inheritance was fully conveyed, because of amount of character stories being juggled and page count. After the reading of the will, the tone changes from women's fiction to more romance threads being focused on. Tess with Gideon is the most prominent but moves a bit too quickly for romance purists to really sink into and Natalie's childhood love of her father's lawyer Donovan comes to ahead as Donovan seems to have his own complicated feelings for her. The author's romance genre background is evident in these threads but they hit a little too fast and furious in the latter second half (Charlotte even gets her own HEA in the epilogue) to develop much depth. 

“[...] And that was the day I decided to join Maquis. La Resistance.” 

The latter second half also gives us the historical fiction aspect, Tess' grandmother was a teenage girl in WWII France, joined the Maquis (French resistance), and helped hide a downed American pilot who she fell in love with and was the sister's grandfather. I thought this story thread would play a much bigger role in the story and was a little disappointed when it took until around the 70% for it to really make an appearance. As Tess is a writer, she wants to write her grandmother's fascinating story and we get the story with some flashbacks and oral history. It's an intriguing thread to put in and brings an encompassing feel and connection to the sisters, family, and winery but it also felt rushed and shoved in with it coming in so late to the story. 

Overall, there were a lot of characters to juggle in this story but I thought the sisters and secondary characters carried their weight. There were also engaging aspects sprinkled into the plot with Oregon's jory soil, winery and WWII tidbits, that really drew me into the story. The women's fiction beginning was the best flushed out, the romances had the beginning sparks but not enough page time to give depth, and while the historical fiction thread was compelling, it was left too long and felt rushed at the end. I did read this in two days because of how easy it was to sink into and certain aspects of the story will be staying with me for a while.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Happy Sunday and hopefully, not quite the end of your weekend! 

I'm having an early lunch and then going to escape into some historical fiction with sisterly love and drama, a WWII story threaded through, and set at an Oregon winery.

The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross preorder (Sept. 7) link

Southwestern Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing recipe

Review: The Ex Hex

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

Okay, so yes, Rhys had broken her heart. 

The Ex Hex, starts off a new series about witches that live in the Georgia town of Graves Glen. Vivi grew up not really knowing about her witchy powers because of how her mother feared the power but when her parents die, she is sent to live with her aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn and tries to straddle the line between being a “normie” and a witch. When she is nineteen, she has a summer romance with Rhys, who is a Penhallow, the town's founding family. They burn hot for three months but when Rhys says he has to go home to Wales to tell his father to break his betrothal, Vivi freaks out not knowing he was engaged and breaks up with him. Heartbroken, she and her cousin Gwyn conduct, what they think is a fake, curse on Rhys. It takes nine years later and the return of Rhys to find out that their curse was all too real. 

Even now, battered and bruised and possibly standing in squirrel shit, he was . . . happy. Glad to see her, brush with vehicular homicide aside. 

The timing of the release of this book couldn't be more perfect, the Fall and Halloween vibes is perfect for late September and the light, chik-lit tone brought the spookiness in a fun and delightful way. I've seen some Hocus Pocus talk in the marketing and it has a little bit of that, especially one scene the movie's fans will be able to point to, but it does it with more of an adult theme with some sex scenes. With the lighter tone, we kind of dance into and around the characters, not too much delving deep. I felt like I knew Vivi more but I still didn't think her struggle with fitting in and complicated relationship with magic was explored enough. Rhys was the perfect gentleman with just enough moments of introspection to go along with his sweet and loose personality. We get introduced to his family, his scary father Simon, and two broody older brothers but, just. As Vivi's aunt and cousin live in Graves Glen, we see them more and Vivi's cousin Gwyn has future main character written all over her. 

And the last thing she was going to do was fall for Rhys Penhallow all over again. 

When Rhys comes back to Graves Glen to help celebrate the town's founding anniversary and strengthen the ley lines, the magic that flows into the town, the curse takes affect and he's suddenly dodging life threatening accidents. He thinks something might be wrong but his father's arrogance can't imagine Vivi being strong enough to be able to curse a Penhallow, so Rhys goes ahead with the ritual of strengthening the ley lines, only to transfer the curse into the ley lines and thus, into the town. Graves Glen is full of witches and civilians alike and now that magic is going haywire in the town because of the curse, they fear discovery. This gives the story the excuse to keep Rhys in town and working with Vivi and the second chance romance and enemies-to-lovers tropes to perform. 

“Stay with me here. You’re an adult woman going through a stressful time in her life, and now your hot-as-hell ex is back in town and wants to kiss your face off. I say smoke ’em if you got ’em, babe.” 

 

Vivi and Rhys figure out she cursed him for real by the 25% mark and with so much story left, there were enough times I stopped to think that they weren't paying enough attention to stopping the curse, the focus dwindles as Vivi and Rhys' relationship takes more of the spotlight. With the lighter tone, I didn't mind as much but it does become noticeable, especially in the second half. The town and it's mythology come into play more in the latter second half and I appreciated how it filled the world out and gave us more of a setting that could be continued into the series. 

Cariad. He’d called her that, that summer. She could still feel it, growled against her ear, whispered into her skin, murmured between her thighs. 

This was a fairly angst free zone, Vivi thinks Rhys thought of their summer romance as more of a fling but Rhys still checked up on her over their nine years apart and calls her the one who got away. As they start their romance back up, Vivi doesn't think they can have a future because Rhys lives in Wales and she loves Graves Glen too much to ever leave and Rhys is scared to tell her he loves her because of this. They were sweet, cute, funny, and steamy at turns but not particularly deep diving. This story did have loads of charm, from the seasonal Halloween vibes, the light tone, Vivi and Gwyn's friendship, Rhys and Vivi's cute romance, and to Sir Purrcival, who when he gets his chance to talk, opts for “treats” to be 95% of his vocabulary. The Ex Hex is the perfect light and sweet romance to start your Halloween season with. 

“How did I ever give you up?” he murmured.

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Halloween Bingo!

 It's Sept. 1st! That means it is the start of Halloween Bingo. Here's my card for this year:

Once I get the first book read and first square covered, I'll create a master post and just keep updating it. I'm going with a coverall picture again this year and am hoping I can fill out my card more than last year.

I like to play where I follow the bingo calls and for the first time, I don't have the first square that was called But no worries, the middle Raven square isn't called, you can read for it whenever you want, so I'm going to start with that one. 

The book I chose to start with:

🎃👻🧙‍♀️🧹

Of course I had to make some screaming ghostie donuts to celebrate with :)