Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 12

It is a rare post that features one author. Here is one of those posts. The author is Evie Woods. The first book I picked up caught my eye when I was wandering around Barbara’s Bookstore at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport early spring of 2025.

            The books are in order by publication/US publication date.

The Lost Bookshop (Nov. 7, 2023) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Three characters in two timelines have been supporting characters in their own lives. Opaline Carlisle/Gray faces an arranged marriage to a leering man by a misogynistic brother. Martha Winter has fled a marriage filled with domestic abuse, and Henry Field is fanatically searching for a lost bookshop while avoiding his alcoholic and emotionally abusive father. Opaline’s timeline starts in the 1920s and wraps up years after World War II. She’s a progressive woman of her time, opening her own bookshop and becoming a leader in rare book dealings. She also experiences tremendous loss and years of time when life seems to stop (but no spoilers).

            In the present day, Martha has taken work as a live-in housekeeper for Madame Bowden (first name: Eileen). It’s never what Martha would’ve chosen for herself, but she needs work. Meanwhile, Henry’s obsession crosses paths with Martha’s; she originally thinks he’s a pervert trying to peer in her window. He’s merely obsessed with the location of where Martha is living on Ha’penny Lane. Unfortunately, his fanaticism is costing him, not only financially, but in his relationships with others. The characters are all lost, but not all is lost, and the lost bookshop will prove it.

            This adult fiction novel is historical and contemporary with magical realism and splashes of romance. Despite traversing themes of domestic abuse, alcoholism and misogyny, this is an enchanting story that means to transport readers to a spellbinding Dublin that highlights the wonder of books and storytelling. It’s a story meant for bibliophiles that’s delightfully written and has a captivating warmth at its heart. While not always easy to read, it’s an absorbing novel of escapism. There is joy in storytelling and delight in reading books that capture your imagination.

The Story Collector (Aug. 13, 2024/US edition) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

In present-day New York, influenced by inebriation, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland and not to Boston, where her sister and brother-in-law are expecting her. While staying in the modest Butler’s Cottage in Thornwood, she finds the 100-year-old diary of Anna Butler, a teenaged farm girl who’s helping Harold Griffin-Krauss, an American visitor, who’s seeking fairy stories that have been kept alive. Anna translates the stories from Gaeilge (Irish) to English. The American is handsome and well-educated, while Anna and her family are working class. She laments that she has no real hope of catching the eye of Master George Hawley, who resides at the Thornwood mansion with his twin sister, Olivia, their father and all of their finery. That is, until she does. Oh, how tickled she is to have caught the eye of such a gentleman. But is George the gentleman he comports himself as? Will Anna trust Harold enough to share the secret of her older sister? Back in 2011, Sarah is weighed down by her own grief, questioning the wisdom of her hasty choice to fly to County Clare. Fortunately, she meets good folks like Marcus O’Brien (hotel manager), an upbeat sort, and Hazel Sweeney, who appreciates stories of The Good People. Her dad, Oran, is a good man who continues to sort through his own grief. Myth and magic in the everyday are par for the course when in Ireland.

            A standalone that is part contemporary romance and part historical fiction contains elements of fantasy and magical realism with the cottage life lending a domestic fiction feel. I didn’t fancy this tale as well as Woods’ other two books in this compilation, but the magical feel of the story is tantalizing. There is mystery and darkness, yes, but also beauty and light and, of course, the folklore and otherworldliness of fairies. The story is a tale of grief, but it’s also one of new hope, brighter days and the uplifting power of friendship. If this story were set to music, it would be haunting and lyrical, crescendoing at the highest turmoil and in the deepest grief. It is bewitching.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris (Apr. 8, 2025/US edition) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

It’s been over a year since Edith (Edie) Lane’s mother passed away. She doesn’t regret helping to care for her mom, but she knows she used her caretaker role to put her own life on hold on purpose. Now life’s staring her in the face in a big, big way and so she accepts a position in a bakery on the Rue de Paris in Compiègne, France, despite lacking strong fluency in French. The proprietor, Madame (Genevieve) Moreau, is disdainful toward her at best, and Edie’s room is the lonely attic at the top of the building, which sits over La Boulangerie et Pâtisserie de Compiègne. Edie wonders if she made a mistake, but after she makes new friends in Nicole and her husband Johnny and meets Hugo Chadwick, life seems more than a sprinkle brighter. The recipe book that Edie finds with a dash of magic in the ingredients spells deliciousness, but a recipe for disaster waits around the corner, and it involves the last person she’d suspect. Going through it also helps her see that she is exactly where she needs to be, not on the bustling streets of Paris, but in a small, locally-owned bakery on Paris Street in an entirely different town. She’s in a magical place where hot cocoa can unlock a precious memory, and a residual mystery resides in the basement.

            While this standalone novel read slow out of the gate for me, it picked up the whispers of wistfulness and whimsy that I felt when reading “The Lost Bookshop,” and then I got lost in the deliciousness of homemade bread and pastries. There is magic in a fresh croissant or a perfectly made macaron. Grief is at the forefront of the story, no matter the façade one puts on. A brave face still has struggles and sorrows, and the story balances that with secrets and sweets aplenty. The novel is a delight to the senses, even when you must use your imagination, and a literary tribute to hardworking, family-owned bakeries and all who love carbs (this includes me). Go ahead and eat a profiterole for luck!

"Arsenic and Adobo" by Mia P. Manansala

Arsenic and Adobo (May 4, 2021) by Mia P. Manansala.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Big city life in Chicago was the dream and still is, but Lila Macapagal is back home with Tita (Aunt) Rosie and Lola (Grandmother) Flor. The Calendar Crew of aunties not by blood (Mga Ninang April, Mae and June) give her a hard time for leaving for three years, showering her with love and judgment, as Lila is back working at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. When the particularly unpleasant, self-proclaimed food critic in Shady Palms, Illinois (population around 20,000), drops dead soon after a wisecrack from Lila about, “Would it kill you ...,” her life tilts. Not only is the deceased her ex-boyfriend, but Detective Jonathan Park treats her like the only suspect and is convinced of her guilt based on evidence [definitely] planted in her work locker. Lila has no choice but to conduct her own investigation. She’s got a list of restaurants who’ve been targeted by Derek Winter (the dead guy), the nosy auntie network, her barista bestie Adeena Awan and her trusty, overweight Dachshund Longganisa. There’s also the family lawyer, Amir Awan, Adeena’s golden-child big brother and the guy Lila’s had a crush on for forever. And Dr. Jae Park, town dentist, has entered the picture. Both are attractive. Both are successful. Both are single. But first, Lila must figure out who killed Derek, framed her and brought further distress upon her family’s already struggling restaurant.

            The debut adult fiction novel in Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries series brings Filipino American food culture to the forefront of a cozy, culinary mystery series with a sizzling plot and mouthwatering dishes. It is ripe with sticky situations and satisfying snark, humor, hard work and heart. Lila is plucky and sarcastic and is definitely new to amateur sleuthing, flawed bits and all, but I rooted for this tight-knit (if sometimes overbearing) family and community of color. There is one moment where I really struggled with Lila, as she’s the one who’s bringing the “high school drama.” Not Adeena. Yeah, I realize she’s going through a lot, and while I have compassion for her, I have zero patience for bratty behavior. There is emphasis on culture and language (Tagalog) with the story tackling heavier matters like drug-dealing, racial discrimination and fatphobia. (There is a trigger warning.) I flew through this story like a contestant in a timed showdown (minus all the stress and the actual cooking or baking). There is food. There is murder. It is cozy and culinary with the right amount of drama. It’s a little sweet, a lot salty, but all the mentions of food balance it out and keep me hungry. Now, how about a plate of ube crinkles?

            P.S. This library checkout was my Blind Date with a Book this month.

            P.P.S. There are recipes at the back of the book, including a recipe for those ube crinkle cookies!

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 10

Here I am with a second adult fiction compilation for 2025. I didn’t purposely aim for variety, but in this post, you’ll find magical realism, a cozy, contemporary mystery and domestic (or women’s) fiction.

The Cat Who Saved the Library (Apr. 8, 2025) by Sosuke Natsukawa.

   Louise Heal Kawai, translator.

<This is a sequel book.>

The local library is 13-year-old Nanami Kosaki’s home away from home. Her books are her best friends, though she does have one human friend, a straightforward classmate named Itsuka Imamura who’s often seen carrying her archery bow. Nanami, with her “wild horse” asthma, can’t do physically exerting things, and she’s had limited exposure to the outside world. But her world is in the books she reads, so it’s troubling when she notices that some of her favorite books are disappearing from the library’s shelves. There is a mysterious man taking them, but maybe more mysterious is Tiger the Tabby. He’s a talking cat. There’s a passageway that glows blue, and the General tries to convince her that books are extremely dangerous, the Prime Minister tells her that imagination is the worst evil of all, and the King only seems to understand power. There’s also Rintaro Natsuki, a.k.a. Mr. Proprietor, who helps Nanami and Tabby out of a tight spot. Rintaro owns Natsuki Books, and he understands what Nanami and Tabby are trying to do. Save books.

            Whether someone reads one genre or multiple, all readers understand the transporting power of good literature. In a time where book bans are at an all-time high (or it certainly seems so), this contemporary fantasy, magical realism story is needed. It’s a story where faceless gray soldiers led by a changeling menace (who happens to take the form of men in authority roles) are stealing books to try to erase them from humans’ minds. They are taking away the freedom to choose, but Natsukawa writes the story in a way that’s warm and wise. The fleeing scenes don’t have the intensity of an action-adventure or suspense novel, but it doesn’t diminish the seriousness of the situation. We are reminded to think for ourselves and be intelligent about it. “We need to see things with our heart as well as our mind, but that view can easily become clouded” (Rintaro, p. 67).

            Book One: The Cat Who Saved Books (haven’t read as of this posting)

The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Feb. 13, 2024/US edition) by Hisashi Kashiwai.

   Jesse Kirkwood, translator.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

The Kamogawa Diner exists past the Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, down a quiet backstreet. The restaurant has no sign and no listed menu and those customers looking for the Kamogawa Detective Agency typically have naught to go on but one line from an ad in Gourmet Monthly magazine: “We Find Your Food.” Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare, run the unique restaurant, serving delicious food on high-quality dishes with top-brand chopsticks. But the reason for their ad proclaims them to be “food detectives.” Koishi takes the initial information, but it’s Nagare who does the bulk of the research and creates the lost recipe, treasured by the customer. One customer wants tonkatsu that her ex-husband used to make for her. Another wants Napolitan spaghetti that she once ate with her grandfather when she was five years old, but she has no recollection of where they ate it or the name of the restaurant. The unassuming restaurant is one of lost recipes waiting to be found – and eaten – again.

            Reading “The Kamogawa Food Detectives” (TKFD) is like being enveloped by your favorite comfort food and warmed up by a steaming bowl of soup. Each of the six chapters follows the same recipe (a.k.a. setup), and each meal is worthy of a Michelin star. TKFD is completely charming. Koishi and Nagare are so warm and welcoming, that I wish this was a local restaurant that I could frequent. It’s beautifully crafted and completely off-beat compared to other mystery stories. You’ll find no dead bodies or major scandals, but good company, great cuisine and culinary history for each of the found-again foods. It’s an ode to nostalgic food; it’s umami for the soul. Remember to savor each bite (a.k.a. page)!

The Memory Library (Dec. 3, 2024) by Kate Storey.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Every year, on July 11 at midnight, Sally Harrison adds a new book to a special bookshelf with a personal note to the daughter who hasn’t been home in 21 years. Ella, Sally’s only child, fled from the U.K. to Australia after angry words were exchanged, and she’s had nothing but cursory contact via phone with her mother. Ella and Charlie’s daughter, Willow, doesn’t properly know her own grandma, who’d love to dote on her. When an accident prompts Ella to grudgingly return to the home she grew up in, she learns critical lessons about herself that are hard to learn, like how judgmental she’s been -- to her mother and to Nathan, one of her mother’s next-door neighbors. Something precious of Sally’s has been ruined because of the accident, and Ella may find it within herself to do something positive about it.

            While I wasn’t specifically looking for a domestic fiction story, this one’s large print edition cover and “Library” in the title caught my attention. As gathered from the title, this lovely novel celebrates books and libraries (and notes that libraries these days do so much more than simply house physical books), but also emphasizes the importance of family, compassion and love. There’s the rekindling of love between spouses who’ve let life drift them apart, the understanding of the unconditional love of a parent while accepting the misunderstanding of youth that led to a false accusation toward said parent whose love never wavered, and the love of friendship that’s grown dusty with time. Ella’s not an easy character to like in the beginning, but as her awareness grows and understanding seeps in, the complexity of her and Sally’s characters really stand out. A touching story, full of heart and hope.

            P.S. No, I don’t need large print books. My local library only has the large print edition, so I checked that one out vs. requesting the regular print from a different library.

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 2

Hello, dear visitor! Welcome to my first middle-grade (MG) compilation post of 2025. I firmly believe that MG stories can be easily enjoyed by adults as well as youth. Don’t knock it because it’s MG. Open your minds and your imaginations. You never know what doors will open for you!

The House at the Edge of Magic (Jan. 7, 2021/UK edition) by Amy Sparkes.

<This is the first book in a series.>

An orphan pickpocket knocks on a tiny door that grows into a sizable higgledy-piggledy house. Nine knows nothing of her origin, and the only possession her baby self came with was a treasured music box, which is in the literal clutches of Pockets, the grimy man who took her in and who, apparently, never gets strawberries. Life’s circumstances have made Nine cynical from a young age, and she has not an altruistic bone in her body. To say the word “sorry” is almost painful for her. The house, cursed by a witch, houses an eccentric group. There’s Flabberghast, a young wizard and champion hopscotch-er, Eric, a troll housekeeper whose most beloved possession is his feather duster, and Dr. Spoon, an alchemist who really is a sword-wielding wooden spoon. Nine will be the one to help end the curse, because she’s the one who knocked. There’s a life-changing reward in it for her, but is she ready for a zapping cabinet, acid dung, a burping sugar bowl and a clever witch? A room with a dark purple door has chosen her, because “the House at the Edge of Magic has manners” (unlike Nine), but the toilet is never in the same spot and has reportedly grown teeth (so “Sit down very carefully”), and there’s a skeleton in the closet. For real. He’d like his ribs dusted.

            An eccentric group, a house that can’t move because it’s missing its toad tongue and magic mix together to craft a delightful, middle-grade adventure. It’s filled with wonder and mayhem, ferocity and hidden vulnerability, with clever world-building and characters that you want to root for, no matter how ridiculous or rough-around-the-edges. It’s an adventure story, but the main character may find herself learning the significance of friendship, teamwork and compassion. If you found the House at the Edge of Magic, would you knock on its door?

The Lost Library (Aug. 29, 2023) by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass.

<This is a standalone novel.>

A mysterious little free library has popped up overnight in the small town of Martinville. It’s guarded by a large orange cat called dear cat/Goldie/Sunshine, but his name is Mortimer. Seeing it on his way to school, 11-year-old Evan McClelland plucks two books from its shelves and later realizes they’re books from the former Martinville Library, which burned down 20 years ago. As Evan looks through the books, he discusses with his best friend, Rafe, that one book was checked out multiple times by his father. The other had one checkout to H.G. Higgins, a famous mystery writer. Evan thinks this writer had something to do with the mystery fire, a cause for which was never determined. There is an unknown past in his town, and Evan seeks to find the answers as he also navigates his anxiety about entering middle school. At one point, visiting the History House, he’s able to talk to Al (short for Assistant Librarian), a ghost woman, who resides in the House with ghost residents Ms. Scoggin and Mr. Brock. All three perished in the library fire. Al has struggled to remain invisible to others, and Ms. Scoggin reminds her to, “Take your place, my dear!” Ms. Scoggin’s Reminders and Criticisms have been a constant since Al first started at the library as a 17-year-old. It’s a constant that’s about to change. Is Al ready? Is Evan?

            A contemporary, middle-grade novel with light supernatural elements, “The Lost Library” is a timeless ode to libraries, books that take readers to an infinite number of places, making “rooms and rooms up here” in readers’ minds, and the amazing librarians who know the power of reading. The fast pacing, well-rounded characters (even though physical character descriptions are mostly absent) and courage of this crafty, softly mysterious tale make for a dynamic, wholesome, engaging page-turner that’s full of heart and quiet magic. I adored it!

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching (Oct. 5, 2021) by Kwame Mbalia.

<This is the final novel in a trilogy.>

<Possible spoilers ahead.>

Hm, should Tristan Strong be on fire like that? Tristan is angry, and that uncontrolled anger “is chaotic at best.” He’s searching for his Alkean friends, now in this world, including Anansi’s son Junior. Anansi remains trapped in the SBP (Story Box Phone), though he continues to plead for his release. Or he will, once he sees Nyame again. Tristan’s also been pulled into a mystery involving missing children. The haintiest haint of them all, his foe King Cotton, must be behind it, but he has help, and not only from his monsters, but other troublesome haints. They’re snatching children as well as spirits, but for what nefarious purpose? Tristan reunites with Ayanna and manages to find Gum Baby. Old Familiar is around, too, but look sharp, because he isn’t only in his giant shadow crow form. Tristan must learn to overcome his impetuousness and harness his anger to use it as a tool to rid the world of his archenemy once and for all. “STRONGS ON THE MOVE,” and this Strong keeps punching.

            This book, along with the entire trilogy, is a triumphant adventure with superb world-building, standout characters and antagonists to make one’s skin crawl, featuring West African and African American mythology. Tristan’s recklessness is grating, especially when his choices tend to affect others outside of him, like children, but he’s still a hero to root for, because readers trust that he’ll remember his strength as an Anansesem (storyteller) and his family, blood-related and not. The story is compelling; its fantasy and action is fast-paced. There isn’t humor without heartbreak, the playful scenes balancing the serious climate and weight of the world. It’s a satisfying conclusion, and I would happily read a spin-off series.

            Book 1: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

            Book 2: Tristan Strong Destroys the World

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 1

Here is my first adult fiction compilation for 2025 (I’m aiming for two). This variety includes a novel that features triplet sister serial killers, a novel that features stylishly decorated cookies and a novel that takes place in Seoul, South Korea.

How I’ll Kill You (Mar. 21, 2023) by Ren DeStefano.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Identical triplet serial killer sisters have descended upon a sleepy town in the Arizona heat. They all have names on birth certificates, but they do not go by those names. They were abandoned as newborns with their umbilical cords still visible and no names. They were shuffled through the foster care system and mostly not homed together. 25-year-old Sissy is treated like the youngest, and it’s her turn to find a man, then make him want her and love her, so she can make him dead. She’s always been the one cleaning up her sisters’ messes. Sissy introduces herself with her fake ID as Jade Johnson. Both Iris and Moody take turns playing the married twin sister who goes by Lisa Canter. When Sissy lays eyes on the man she later learns is Edison, she knows he’s the one. She often daydreams of how she might kill him. Edison is a widower, and Sissy’s caught off-guard when she realizes he has a stepdaughter (Sadie). Sissy doesn’t plan to kill her, but schemes to become a trusted adult in her life, which will be especially useful when Edison is dead. What really gets Sissy is when she realizes she’s in love with her mark. Considering anyone outside of her sisters to be a friend or found family is the ultimate betrayal. And if her sisters, who’ve killed thrice apiece, so much as suspect she’s fallen for Edison, will they merely push her to kill him quickly and leave before six months is up? Or might they plot her burial site, too?

            In DeStefano’s adult fiction debut, readers delve into the mind of disturbed sisters. Told from Sissy’s perspective, hers is a struggle of sisterly loyalty vs. betrayal, dispassionate actions trying to hide loneliness and a desire for love. It’s easy for someone who’s grown up well to think, Pull yourself together! This is a psychological thriller and a dark romance, but it’s also something of a bildungsroman, with Sissy discovering what type of person she truly isn’t and the type she wants to be. This novel is clever and malicious, filled with sinister scenarios and messy clean-ups, self-sacrifice and the emotional pain of wanting what one cannot have. “How I’ll Kill You” isn’t for the faint of heart, giving readers twisted love that has them rooting for a psychopath.

            Notable lines: “His hands have built and carried and created. Mine have dismembered and buried and destroyed.” (Sissy, p. 87)

            P.S. I checked this one out from the library as my Blind Date with a Book back in February 2024.

How the Murder Crumbles (June 20, 2023) by Deb Sennefelder.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

“Put that in your icing bag and pipe it.” Those are some of Mallory Monroe’s famous last words to Beatrice ‘Queen Bea’ Wright, food blogger and town menace, before she’s found dead on her kitchen floor, flour around her body and a bloodied marble rolling pin nearby. Because multiple people witnessed Beatrice accusing Mallory and Mallory’s late Aunt Glenna of stealing a cookie recipe, including Detective William Hannigan, Mallory has become suspect number one. This affects her sales, her two employees continue to butt heads, she catches her (now ex-) boyfriend with another woman, and that woman, Aspen Leigh, has suddenly relocated to Wingate, Connecticut, is living in the apartment over Mal’s bakery (which is owned by Mal’s cousin Darlene), and has apparently decided Mal’s her one friend in town. That doesn’t make sense to her, either, but what does make sense is initiating her own investigation in order to clear her name. The deeper she delves, the more obvious it is that the killer may be whipping up another murder.

            In the realm of cozy, adult fiction mysteries, this is a solid entry. There are a few cookie recipes included at the story’s end, and Sennefelder bakes up a whodunit that’s tasteful and tastefully decorated with dashes of humor throughout. I would absolutely want to visit Mal, Kip and even Claudia at The Cookie Shop, though no Almond Meltaways for me, please. I much prefer chocolate! It’s not a highly remarkable story, but it has well-rounded characters and a steadily-moving plot. Mal should definitely leave investigating to the professionals, and, while I know she’s desperate to clear her name, the way she demands answers from whichever hapless person she’s decided is her next murder suspect is really off-putting. I don’t expect to continue this series.

            P.S. This library checkout was my Blind Date with a Book this month.

If I Had Your Face (Apr. 21, 2020) by Frances Cha.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Told from four viewpoints, this novel follows five young women making their lives in Seoul. Ara is a mute hairstylist; she’s been mute ever since she was the victim of a violent attack. Kyuri is the kind of beautiful that money can buy, working at a “10 percent” room salon (“a salon that supposedly employs the prettiest 10 percent of girls in the industry”), critical of herself, and utterly judgmental of anyone she deems ugly (which is most other women). Sujin, Ara’s roommate, is fixated on making her face beautiful so that she can work in a room salon like Kyuri. Kyuri’s roommate, Miho, is a talented artist who grew up in an orphanage, is the only one of them to venture to America (on a scholarship) and has a chaebol boyfriend who’s definitely unfaithful. Wonna, a floor below the other four, is the only one who’s married and is preoccupied with becoming pregnant, expecting that her child will love her like her physically abusive grandmother did not. All struggle financially, even Kyuri, who hides it well. Miho, whose current life Kyuri’s envious of, states, “… but I was the first to come to America. Without being adopted, I mean.” Each young woman is navigating an uneasy life in an expensive city, but friendship knits them together.

In previous novels I’ve read, it’s a glittering, shiny Seoul, but this Seoul is unflinchingly hard and sometimes downright brutal. It’s still a world with disturbing, impossible beauty standards (and the plastic surgery debt to go along with it), ruthless social hierarchies and K-pop obsession. The characters can barely afford to live for today, much less plan for tomorrow. This is an insightful, contemporary story of sisterhood and female friendship, provocative and biting, powerful and gripping. I did not expect to be swept up in the compelling realism of the story. Cha’s writing doesn’t only shine light on economic inequity, but the effects of classism and patriarchy on these young women. These aren’t women from chaebol families. Like most of us, they are working-class women, trying to succeed in a harsh world. Physical beauty will fade, but novels showcasing universal human challenges like this will not.

"Unforgotten" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Unforgotten (Nov. 5, 2024) by Shelley Shepard Gray.*

<This is the second book in a series.>

Seven years after an attempted assault and the accidental death of attacker Peter Miller, Bethanne Hostetler is taking steps forward. She’s no longer hiding in her room, and she’s leaving her parents’ home on her own. She watches as her Englischer cousin, Candace Evans, is crowned Miss Crittenden County and pops up unexpectedly at Jay Byler’s workplace. Jay was once Peter’s best friend, and Bethanne avoids him because of that connection, though it’s Jay who has always adored Bethanne and feels guilty that he didn’t know what Peter was capable of. Bethanne is slowly opening up her heart to his kindness and gentle caring, but when Candace reveals that she has a stalker, old fears come rushing in.

            Officer Ryan Mulaney is new to Marion and Crittenden County, Kentucky. A Northerner from Connecticut, his position on the police force isn’t permanent. While it seems like grunt work to be assigned to accompany Candace to her appearances around the county, Ryan finds that he would loathe any other officer accompanying her, though he tries to maintain professionalism. When Candace’s stalker endangers both Candace and Bethanne, Ryan, Jay, local law enforcement and both families race against time to save them.

            This Christian, contemporary, romantic suspense novel is also part Amish fiction. It’s a story of learning to trust and love after past trauma and holding onto faith when despair wants to set in. It’s a clean love story. It is easy to root for sweet Bethanne and considerate Jay, as Bethanne gets back on her feet, for they’ve known each other since they were kids. I did not connect with Candace’s and Ryan’s whirlwind spin to falling in love. I believe that kind of love can happen, but the way it’s written felt rushed and not genuine. The plot is fairly propulsive, and fans of the author’s work won’t want to miss this one. For me, though, it’s a 3.5/5.

            Book 1: Unforgiven

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Lies and Weddings" by Kevin Kwan

 Lies and Weddings (May 21, 2024) by Kevin Kwan.

<This is a standalone novel.>

The legendary Gresham Trust has been so depleted by decades of profligate spending that the trust is almost a legend. The gargantuan mountain of debt is presently increasing by the millions due to all the money that the Countess of Greshamsbury, Arabella Leung Gresham, has had Francis, the Earl of Greshamsbury and her husband, dump into all of her resorts, including the one on the Big Island of Hawaii. Which erupted volcanically. For real. It’s during Augie’s decadent tropical wedding to a Scandinavian prince. Arabella’s scheming solution is to make their only son, Rufus, the Viscount St. Ives, marry a woman who’s at least a billionaire. His mom wants him to seduce Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond hair and a royal bloodline. Or Martha Dung, a tattooed venture capitalist genius “who passes out billions like lollipops” and is the “right kind of Chinese.” But Rufus, despite his chiseled jaw and washboard abs, doesn’t obsess over what he’s wearing, and the only woman outside his family that he’s comfortable talking to is Dr. Eden Tong (and he’s never actually comfortable talking to his mother; she’s always hyper-critical). Eden’s father, Dr. Thomas Tong, is the Gresham family doctor, and they’ve resided on Greshamsbury lands since Eden was a small girl. She’s the literal girl-next-door, humble and beautiful. Rufus proposed marriage to her when he was 14 years old. She declined. What schemes and downright nasty rumors will Lady Arabella cook up? Can the earldom be saved or will it fall into ruin?

            The newest globe-trotting novel from Kwan is ridiculously lavish and laugh-out-loud funny with an audacious plot, mega money thrown around like pocket change, an entertaining cast of characters and bustling settings everywhere from Hong Kong to Hawaii to London, Marrakech, Beverly Hills and Venice and other locales throughout. That people can and do live like this, in “an orgy of excess,” is unbelievable and also sickening, when, like Eden, I think of all the poverty in the world. Still, I devoured this novel with its wit, sarcasm and drama. It’s classic Kwan writing, cheeky as ever. So, hop on that private jet with your designer labels and fizzy drinks on your way to some luscious location and enjoy this escapist tale that’s a delectable diversion from daily, mundane lifestyles. Words to the wise: beware those lofty, meddling mothers and gossiping aunties. It is all too much, but it’s also never enough!

"Unforgiven" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Unforgiven (May 21, 2024) by Shelley Shepard Gray.*

<This is the first book in a series.>

Two former Amish live in the Amish community they grew up in. Seth Zimmerman is an ex-con, having served time for a death most know was an accident, in which he was fighting off Bethanne Hostetler’s attacker. These three years later, Bethanne is withdrawn from others due to the trauma. Tabitha Yoder, while not excommunicated from the church, was still shunned by many for divorcing Leon, even though her ex was so horribly abusive that she landed in the hospital with critical injuries. Their unborn baby didn’t make it. Seth has been helping Tabitha. Three years her junior, he had a crush on her as a 14-year-old schoolboy when Tabitha was their school teacher. He chops wood, drops off food and clears her driveway. He helps take care of her where others won’t. Slowly, Tabitha opens up to Seth, and an uneasy friendship emerges. Around this time, gifts begin appearing on her porch, and it’s obvious that they’re from her abusive ex. She’s fought through fire and has worked hard to maintain her freedom, and she intends to keep that freedom to live her best life.
        This is only the second story I’ve read by Gray, but I’ve already found that it’s easy to get swept up in her stories. I rooted for Tabitha and Seth right away, reading as they found happiness, redemption and forgiveness. I enjoyed the suspense element in this Amish contemporary romance novel. There is a refreshing blend of idyll and danger with the hesitancy of opening one’s heart to another and the power of faith and hopefulness. Her writing is charming and magnetic. Gray excels at her storytelling craft, and I look forward to reading more of her stories, including those in this new series set in Crittenden County, Kentucky.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Never Fall Again" by Lynn H. Blackburn

Never Fall Again (Mar. 12, 2024) by Lynn H. Blackburn.*

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Three years have passed since Landry Hutton moved to Gossamer Falls, North Carolina, with her daughter, Eliza, now five years old. Landry’s been the artist-in-residence at The Haven, where her best friend, Bronwyn Pierce, is the CEO. Landry’s in a good place in her life and is ready to build her own home with artist’s workspace. She meets with Callum (Cal) Shaw, former Marine and youngest Shaw brother, of SPQ Construction, and, by extension, Maisy, his golden retriever. When a suspicious fire occurs at Favors on The Haven property, Landry is heartbroken. She sells her pottery there, which is a major source of her income. Without it, she won’t be able to build her home on the three acres of land she bought from Bronwyn. It’s situated across from Cal and two of his cousins: Montgomery (Mo) Quinn, a forensic accountant, and Meredith Quinn, the town’s dentist. Suddenly, the safety net that she’s been enmeshed in has been ripped apart. She doesn’t think her late husband’s family knows where to find her, but who else would target her? They’ll have to look closely at The Haven’s guests. Now that Landry and Eliza have met the Quinn/Shaw families, they’re automatically considered family. Both Cal and Landry have been hurt by past relationships, but there’s definitely more than friendship brewing between them. Now, if only they can figure out who’s set Landry as his bullseye.
        Previously, I’d only read a short story by Blackburn, and I’m glad that I finally read one of her full-length novels; this one is the first in the Gossamer Falls series. It’s easy to root for the lead characters, and it’d be spectacular fun to find oneself immersed into the Quinn/Shaw families by having “met a Quinn this morning.” I like the way in which Blackburn addresses Landry’s faith crisis. She’s a believer and knows Jesus died for her. She knows “all the Christianese” and could expound on doctrine at length. Her faith in God is great. Her faith in her fellow Christians is not: “On an intellectual level, she knew she couldn’t lump all church-going followers of Christ into one cesspool of hypocrisy and deceit.”
        “Never Fall Again” is a Christian romantic suspense novel with a focus on family (both found and by blood), faith and trusting others. While suspicious events provide drama here and there, the edge-of-your-seat climax doesn’t occur until the end chapters. And then, the race is on to save ... multiple people in two different locales (you didn’t think I’d name names, did you?). This story will have readers cheering, laughing, cringing and even gasping for breath. I look forward to upcoming installments.
        Notable lines: “Secrets bring despair. Surprises bring delight.” (p. 296)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Her Only Wish" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Her Only Wish (June 6, 2023) by Shelley Shepard Gray.*

<This is the second novel in a series.>

Because of her lungs, Betsy Detweiler has led a more sheltered life than others, but she has an adventurous spirit. When the Kentucky-raised woman travels to Pinecraft, Florida, she’s got her “life list” compiled and is ready to learn new things. She’s not only going to learn about golf, she’s going to play 18 holes. She’s going to learn how to swim and master putting her head under the water. When she steps onto the Snow Bird Golf Course, she almost gets struck by a golf ball, but that’s when she meets the golf course’s manager, August Troyer. He’s never been a golf instructor, but Betsy quickly becomes his first student. From the first, August is mesmerized by her. He sees that she’s outgoing, eager and determined, but also sometimes unsure and not golf-coordinated. Like, at all. But she brings joy to his life that his missionary parents, always so judgmental, have not.

            Betsy and August will have a month to get to know each other. Betsy will also meet new friends, like August’s best friend, Nate Beachy, and Annie Jackson and her newly divorced, older sister, Danielle. Life’s a beach until Betsy has a health scare that lands her in the hospital. Despite that scare and what her parents think, she knows she wants a full life, which includes falling in love.

            My first story by Shelley Shepard Gray, I enjoyed this Amish fiction novel featuring distinct characters, the pull of wanting to grow forward even when others seem to be holding one back, and the strain of duty to family versus doing what one’s good at in the life one already has. My favorite Amish fiction author is Beverly Lewis, but these are a breath of fresh air. Where Lewis’ are typically historical and Old Order Amish, this one was contemporary and New Order. It’s a delight from start to finish.

            A Season in Pinecraft Book 1: Her Heart’s Desire

            A Season in Pinecraft Book 3: Her Secret Hope (coming Nov. 7, 2023)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rutabaga's Reads 2023: Part 5

Time for the first YA compilation post of 2023! This set contains two familiar authors and one that’s new-to-me. Are you familiar with any or all of them? What have you been reading?

Blade Breaker (June 28, 2022) by Victoria Aveyard.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

Allward is a world divided. The Companions^ have just won their first battle, forcing the kraken back to its monstrous world, but they’re far from winning the war. They travel over Allward from the vast desert of Ibal to the wine-laden prince of Trec and back to Galland. They encounter the Tempestborn, Hell Mel’s vessel. Meliz an-Amarat. Corayne’s mother. They’re angling to close another Spindle, but they’re waylaid by time, monsters and assassins. Allies are needed, but who can the Companions trust when they’re the most wanted individuals in the entire Ward? Because anyone out there could take Corayne - dead or alive, according to the posters plastered around - to the power-hungry Queen Erida of Galland (out to conquer all of the realms of the Ward) and her prince consort, Prince of Old Cor Taristan. Taristan is seemingly invincible with power granted to him by What Waits, the Torn King of Asunder who waits to be free of Asunder, hence the reason Taristan and Ronin, the wizard priest, are looking for more Spindles to tear open. Conquering the entire Ward looks easily possible for Erida and Taristan with the Ashlanders of Asunder, an army of skeletons and rotting corpses. It should also be easy to track down Corayne and/or Konegin, her scheming cousin, yet they both continue to elude them. The Companions and their allies, including Dom’s Vederan cousin, Ridha, a princess of Iona and daughter of the Monarch (Isibel), must rally the world against a common enemy with their wickedly unstoppable army. The fate of Allward rests on the edge of a blade.

            Reading this epic fantasy is to read chaos. It’s not that it’s disjointed; there is simply so much going on all the time. Aveyard volleys amongst multiple character perspectives, and even though each voice is distinct, there are too many perspectives (six). My heart wasn’t really into reading this 578-page YA novel, and I know this affected my attitude toward it. Still, it is a masterpiece of fantastical proportions that schemes with realm takeover and brims with violence, survival and treacherous journeying. It is easy to feel hatred toward the evil antagonists of the story and want to rally allies for the Companions. The world is richly-imagined, the plot busy and complex, the characters deeply flawed but also doggedly resistant. The diversity of skin tones and inclusion of queer and nonbinary characters is casually represented and easily accepted. The pace of this middle novel in the Realm Breaker trilogy is relentless, the adventure unceasing.

            Book 1: Realm Breaker

            ^The Companions

            +Corayne an-Amarat: Teenager, the daughter of a pirate and a Corblood heir she never knew, with the world on her shoulders

            +Andry Trelland: Formerly a Gallish squire, now a fugitive as much as Corayne, has an honest face

            +Domacridhan: Of the Vedera, an immortal of Iona, who grieves

            +Sorasa Sarn: An Amhara Guild assassin, outcast, who will face her past, and it will be ugly

            +Sigaalbeta Bhur Bhar a.k.a. Sigil: A bounty hunter of the Temurijon, a broad woman whose resting face is also fierce

            +Charlon “Charlie” Armont: A fugitive priest with a remarkable talent for forgery

            +Valtik: An old sorceress with mighty power who sings to herself a lot, usually in Jydi, talks in rhyme

Girls of Fate and Fury (Nov. 30, 2021) by Natasha Ngan.

*This is the final novel in a trilogy.*

*There is a trigger warning.*

Papers (Paper caste) are fully human and are unadorned with no animal-demon features. Of all the castes, they’re the most mistreated. Paper Girls are nothing more than pieces for the king to use and discard, to be “good little cut-out girls with nothing but reams of blank pages in place of hearts.” Lei has been forcibly returned to the Hidden Palace, a place with opulent walls that house the scars of trauma and tragedy and is ruled by the sadistic Demon King of Ikhara. While allies work to figure out how to get her out of the palace, Lei determines to stay until she can free the other Paper Girls, save the Demon Queen (Shala), figure out how to remove the magic cuff and its counterpart or at least nullify it, and kill the Demon King. The last time Lei and Wren saw each other was amidst a furious battle, and they’d had a heavy conversation in which painful things were said and a divide was rent. But the thing about being apart, both in significant peril, means they miss each other like a piece of them is actually missing. The showdown is coming. How many allies will give their lives to bring down a Demon King? “Fire in. Fear out.”

            I don’t recall if each book contains a trigger warning, but this one does and is right to. It states: “Please be aware that this book contains scenes of violence and self-harm, and references to sexual abuse and trauma recovery.”

            The final novel in the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy is epic and reading it brings a near-constant rush of adrenaline. Ikhara is a world of magic, but also one of the Sickness, Qi draining, meaning magic is ebbing. It’s glittering and elegant, but also brutal and blood-soaked. The world-building is lush, but the world is toxic. There is wonder and violence, the action sequences so frequent that it can be hard to catch one’s breath. It is a trilogy with a strong LGBTQIA+ pairing. The story can unfold as tenderly as new love, but usually cuts as sharp as a blade or a demon’s talon. Ngan’s writing is impressive, but be aware that it’s a brutal story and is not a walk-in-the-park to read. The battles are climactic and heavy, the story full of fire, but themes of overcoming trauma and the fierceness of love – friendship, too – run satisfyingly deep.

            P.S. My favorite throughout the trilogy has been Kenzo. Moon caste. He’s a wolf demon. Young Lill is a close second. She’s a doe-eared demon.

            Book One: Girls of Paper and Fire

            Book Two: Girls of Storm and Shadow

When You Wish Upon a Lantern (Feb. 14, 2023) by Gloria Chao.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Chicago teens Liya Huang and Kai Jiang are Taiwanese Americans living in Chinatown. Their families are feuding, like the Capulets and Montagues or the Hatfields and McCoys. No. Wait. They’re like Cowherd and Weaver Girl¹ – Niúláng and Zhīnǚ – and the magpie bridge. Liya and Kai have been friends since they were children with their parents’ businesses next door to each other (Liya: When You Wish Upon a Lantern; Kai: Once Upon a Mooncake). They share an alley, much to the anger and chagrin of Mr. Huang, who is very vocal about what he thinks of those Jiangs! Kai is not like his father or his older brother, not that Mr. Huang can be convinced. Liya’s avoided Kai for months, ever since the boba incident, in which she vomited all over their shared table. So. Humiliating. It’s when Liya discovers that her family’s lantern store is struggling that she goes to Kai and shares a secret: she and Nǎinai are the ones that secretly fulfilled the wishes people wrote on their sky lanterns. Her grandmother has since passed away from cancer. Liya wants to return to the wish-granting that her Nǎinai started, which Liya stopped once she passed away, and put plans into action to save the store. With Liya and Kai working together and rekindling their friendship, might something more bloom? Or will their feuding families make the way impossible, ruining any wishes they have for one another?

            In this culturally rich YA story with alternating points-of-view, cringe moments, laugh-out-loud dialogue and insecurities to navigate, my first novel from Chao is as luminous as a floating lantern and as golden as a mooncake. It’s easy to ship Liya and Kai, for they’re so obviously meant for each other. Duty to family is a present, natural theme, though Kai’s brother’s treatment of him and referring to him as “Poop Son” had the mama bear in me roaring (though I’m not a mom, nor a bear). There are barbed words, but mostly this narrative pulses with warmth and the magic of first love. It’s charming and heartfelt with a deep connection to their community. To read this is to be seamlessly immersed in traditions and folktales that are folded into the narrative just so. “May your wishes find the light!”

            Sugary sweet lines that made me chuckle: “...Kai is a hot baker. He’s a cinnamon roll who can make cinnamon rolls.” (--Stephanie Lee to Liya, p. 213)

            ¹ The mythology is significant to me, because Cowherd and Cloud Weaver (a.k.a. Weaver Girl) are included in “Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies,” which is the book I finished right before this one.