𝑇𝑤𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑇𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦 | Pub Day Reviews

♥𝑇𝑤𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑇𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦♥

Happy Pub Day to these fantastic books.

Thank you @putnambooks and @penguinrandomhouse for gifted digital arcs and thank you @PRHaudio for the gifted audiobooks. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞 #𝟐)

𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐲

I adored 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞, so I was thrilled that fun-loving GUP – gay uncle Patrick – was back. Patrick is traveling with his niece and nephew through Europe to get to their father’s wedding in Italy, which the kids are not too keen about. While Patrick is still his fabulous self, the kids are older, and thus, this is seasoned with a bit more sage advice than humor and laughs. But you can’t help but have a great time when you’re with GUP, even if his position of favorite is threatened by the LAUNT (lesbian aunt). 

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𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐁𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐧

If you’re a romance reader who loves having your heart torn apart by a couple you wish would be together, this book is for you! Finn and Liv put me through the wringer, whew. Finn and Liv met six summers ago, and with each summer Finn returned to Liv, until one summer, everything changed. Although romantic and angsty, it still aptly explores the burden of grief and loss. This has a great cast of characters, and the shifting timeline allows the plot to unfold gently – just hold on to your heart. 

🎧I loved listening to the audiobooks for both these books – they were amazing!

✈️ 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 | Book Review

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞

𝐁𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐤𝐞-𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐞

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏𝟐.𝟔.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

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After reading 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐬 by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, I knew she’d probably become a go-to author for me. Now, I can say that with certainty. 

In 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞, I was taken back to my hometown of Milwaukee, as Saskia returned to her home after the sudden death of her mother. She is shocked to find that her mother has bequeathed their beloved 19th-century, lakeshore mansion to Patrick, a fellow professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

As Saskia digs into why her mother would leave the family home to Patrick, the story jumps back to when Saskia was a youth – a piano prodigy. Slowly details tumble out of how Patrick and Saskia began an inappropriate relationship.

But there is so much more here, something far more sinister and dark. Saskia, now years later, discovers the truth. She has to ask herself, what is justice when someone steals away your innocence?

I love the writing here, with this air of foreboding throughout. The eerie house and Saskia’s mother’s fairytale writings play such a central role, giving it a gothic feel. Yet the themes of grooming, sexual abuse, and child pornography are the true focus, which was done with sensitivity. Of course, she throws me for a loop at the end, adding to the suspense and satisfaction.

Thank you @stmartinspress for a gifted copy and @macmillanaudio for a complementary audiobook. 

🎺🎹🎸 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤?

𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 (𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲 #𝟏) | Book Review

𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 (𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲 #𝟏)

𝐒𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐮𝐫 

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏𝟏.𝟐𝟐.𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔

I had heard bookstagrammers talk about Suanne Laqueur’s books for some time, so I was so thankful that the author was gracious enough to send me the first two books in the Venery series.

First off, look at these beautiful covers! 

I have to say that the story was not what I expected. It went beyond my expectations! When you read the synopsis, it appears that the story centers around two historical dates. So I thought this would be more of a historical fiction read. Although historical events, such as the 1973 Chilean coup and America’s 9/11 are part of the narrative, the heart of the story is about young people finding their way through loss and love.

I loved how these characters came together through found family, friendship and lovers. But the author had my heart on edge as relationships teeter and dance with new awakenings and self-discoveries at every turn. 

Although this is filled with heartache and loss, it is also sensual, raw, and incredibly moving. The ending is so hopeful that I’m glad I have book two, 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 waiting for me.

Thank you @swainblqr for these gifted copies.

Like the title, names of animal groups are listed in the book: 

Pride of Lions

Tower of Giraffes

Murder of Crows

Sleuth of Bears

Bevy of Swans

🐼 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?