Month: July 2021

Mini-Reviews: Decoy, Counting, Companion

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Dawn Cook, The Decoy Princess

Tess has grown up believing she’s the crown princess of Constenopolie. But on the eve of her betrothal to a neighboring prince, she learns that she’s actually a decoy, installed at the palace to ensure that the true princess (who has grown up in hiding) won’t be assassinated. No sooner has she learned this shocking news than there’s a palace coup, in which the king and queen are killed and Tess must flee to avoid the same fate. Pursuing her is Jeck, a captain of the guard in the new regime, who has plans for her back at the palace. And then there’s Duncan, an attractive card sharp who wants her to team up with him and leave Constenopolie to its fate. I really liked the premise of this book and found it a fun, action-packed read. But while the main plot of this book is resolved, there are an awful lot of loose ends, from Tess’s surprising magical abilities to her romantic destiny. There is a sequel, Princess at Sea, and I’m eager to read it so that I can find out what happens! But on its own, this book isn’t totally satisfying, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a stand-alone.

Tashie Bhuiyan, Counting Down with You

High school junior Karina Ahmed is under a lot of pressure. Her Bangladeshi parents are strict and focused on her academic achievements, expecting that she’ll become a doctor one day. Karina is more interested in English than STEM, but she’s afraid to admit this to her parents. She’s also a bit of a nonentity at school, but that all changes when her English teacher asks her to tutor the most notorious and good-looking boy in her grade, Ace Clyde. Ace turns out to be different from what Karina expected: he’s thoughtful and sensitive and dealing with his own family issues. As their relationship deepens, will Karina find the courage to go after what she really wants? This book was a cute, fast read, but I must admit I didn’t love it. I think Ace is just too good to be true; I can’t imagine an actual teenage boy being that sweet and emotionally fluent. Also, I couldn’t figure out what made him interested in Karina initially; she’s smart and funny and kind, but how would he know any of those things based on her mousy public persona? It seemed unrealistic and more like a wish-fulfillment trope. But fans of teen romance may like this one more than I did; maybe I’m just getting crotchety in my old age!

Ann Granger, The Companion

Left penniless when her father dies, Elizabeth Martin takes a job in London as companion to her late godfather’s wife, Mrs. Parry. Lizzie soon learns that Mrs. Parry’s previous companion, Madeleine Hexham, recently left without warning and hasn’t been seen since. Mrs. Parry and her friends think Madeleine ran off with a man, but Lizzie worries that something more sinister has happened. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard Inspector Ben Ross is investigating the murder of an unknown young woman who turns out to be Madeleine. When he and Lizzie meet in the course of the investigation, they team up to discover the killer. I quite enjoyed this Victorian mystery. There are times when the author’s research shows a little too much, but the wealth of detail also contributes to a believable setting. Lizzie is an outspoken, independent woman, but not implausibly so for her time. The book strikes a good balance between the mystery plot and social commentary, and there’s a hint of romance as well. I’ll look out for subsequent books in this series.

Mini-Reviews: Secret, Pretty, Shell

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Jennifer Kincheloe, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc

In 1907 Los Angeles, Anna Blanc is a wealthy debutante who seemingly has the world at her feet, but she chafes under her father’s strict upbringing and longs for excitement. When she stumbles upon an opportunity to become a police matron for the LAPD, she jumps at it, even though it means using a fake name and lying to everyone in her life. When women from the local brothels start dying, allegedly by suicide, Anna is convinced they’re really being murdered. She investigates with the help of handsome but skeptical Officer Joe Singer, learning about some of life’s harsh realities along the way. This is a book I found both enjoyable and frustrating. It moves along at a quick clip, Anna’s internal monologue can be amusing, and Officer Singer is a delight. Unfortunately, Anna is also insufferable — she’s such a thoughtless, spoiled brat! The book tries to redeem her by having her solve the mystery, but to me, that doesn’t make up for how recklessly and selfishly she often behaves. Your mileage may vary; maybe I’m being harsh because I know how deeply she would irritate me in real life. But for me, the obnoxious heroine means I won’t be continuing with this otherwise promising series.

Francis Duncan, So Pretty a Problem

Celebrated painter Adrian Carthallow has been killed; his wife, Helen, confesses to the killing, claiming that she shot him by accident. But the local police are able to disprove her story almost immediately, which raises the question, why did she lie? Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine happens to be vacationing nearby, and he also knows the Carthallows socially, so he’s perfectly placed to investigate the matter. He soon uncovers plenty of motives among the Carthallows’ circle of friends, but who actually pulled the trigger? I’ve read a few of the Mordecai Tremaine books now, and I always enjoy them. There’s nothing particularly original about this one — and I was able to figure out the solution in advance — but I liked the book and will continue to read more in the series.

Rosamunde Pilcher, The Shell Seekers

This is a hard book to describe, because it’s mostly about ordinary people living ordinary lives, without many exciting events or dramatic plot twists. It centers around Penelope Keeling and describes her life, both as a 64-year-old woman in the present (that is, the 1980s, when the book was written) and as a young woman before and during World War II. It also explores the lives of Penelope’s three grown children, who are very different from their mother and from each other. I found this book a slow read but an enthralling one; Penelope is a (mostly) sympathetic character, and I enjoyed how the slow unveiling of her past clarified events in the present. If you like quiet British novels, this is definitely one to pick up.

Mini-Reviews: Acting, Trip, Wisteria

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Adele Buck, Acting Up

Cath and Paul have been best friends since college, and they also work together: Paul is a regional theater director, and Cath is a stage manager. Cath has been in love with Paul for years, but she’s never made a move for fear of ruining their friendship and professional relationship. Now they’re putting on a new play, and Cath’s nemesis Susan has been cast as the lead actress. Susan’s spiteful behavior irritates everyone but also forces some long-buried feelings into the open. I really wanted to love this book — I do community theater myself, so I was hoping for a lot of behind-the-scenes drama and hijinks. But the book focuses much more on Cath’s and Paul’s inner turmoil, and I found their conflict frustrating. One honest conversation could have solved everything! And I couldn’t figure out why Cath was so reluctant to share her feelings…it seemed like she should have had some traumatic backstory to explain the extent of her fear, but she didn’t (at least not on page). Overall, this book was OK but not what I wanted it to be.

Beth O’Leary, The Road Trip

Addie and Dylan used to be in love, but they broke up two years ago and haven’t spoken since. Now they’re both going to a mutual friend’s wedding, and when Dylan wrecks the car he’s driving, he and his best friend Marcus hitch a ride with Addie, her sister Deb, and another random wedding guest who needed a ride. The book jumps between the present-day road trip and the story of Addie and Dylan’s relationship in the past. I couldn’t put this book down, and I was surprised by how much it affected me emotionally. At the same time, though, I wasn’t necessarily rooting for Dylan and Addie to work things out! Their relationship seems based primarily (solely?) on physical attraction, and they don’t function particularly well as a couple. I also couldn’t relate to Dylan and Marcus, who are basically “poor little rich boys” distracting themselves from real life with sex, drugs, and their parents’ money. The book attempts to make them sympathetic by giving them some shallow backstory and (in Dylan’s case) a cartoonishly villainous father, but it doesn’t quite work. I did like the book overall, but I’m still deciding whether it’s a keeper for me. Oh, and notwithstanding the cover, it’s definitely more of a drama than a comedy.

India Holton, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite is a proper young Victorian lady, and also a pirate. In fact, she’s a junior member of the Wisteria Society, England’s most prestigious and fearsome league of piratical ladies. When another Society member hires an assassin to kill her, Cecilia thinks she’s finally made it: now the Society will have to take her seriously and promote her to senior membership. But things start to go wrong when the assassin, Ned Lightbourne, turns out to be dangerously attractive and charming. Then the villainous Captain Morvath, an evil pirate and even worse poet, kidnaps the rest of the Society, leaving only Cecilia to save the day. Hijinks ensue, complete with flying houses, literary allusions, ghosts, thievery, and a touch of romance. This book won’t be for everyone; it’s a ridiculous romp in which the rules don’t make sense, there’s very little character development, and the tone is gleefully ahistorical. To enjoy it, you have to let the silliness wash over you — and be someone who appreciates Brontë references and dick jokes in equal measure. Honestly, I loved it! Can’t wait for the sequel next year!