Book Review: "Old Ham" by Seraphina Nova Glass

This was absolutely unhinged!! It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Seraphina Nova Glass’ books and I had forgotten how talented she is at creating memorable characters. And Junie is definitely memorable!

At first glance, Junie Oldham appears to be an eccentric middle-aged woman. She doesn’t pay much attention to her appearance, she knits hats and sweaters for cats and mice, her childhood home has turned into an hoarder’s nest, and she doesn’t quite pick up on social cues.

But Junie is far more complex than she appears. At an AA meeting (she doesn’t drink; she’s heard the meetings are great for making new friends), she sees Blake, her high school crush, who used to torment her along with his buddies, calling her “Old Ham” and “Hammy.”

Blake was part of a scheme that changed Junie’s life forever. While she’s excited to see him at the meeting, she’s crestfallen that he doesn’t remember her. But she’s willing to give him a second chance. She finagles her way into getting hired as his daughter’s math tutor, and Blake’s wife Dessa befriends her. But Junie starts making Blake uncomfortable and he demands that Dessa fire her. And that’s before he realizes who she is.

When Dessa finds out what her husband and his friends did to Junie back in high school, she’s horrified. Dessa has barely been holding it together since dealing with her own family tragedy, so she wants to make Junie her pet project. But no one has any idea how far Junie will go to get her revenge and what wreckage she’ll leave behind.

Junie is a fascinating and twisted character. You don’t know whether to pity her or fear her. Glass created so much tension and suspense, I found myself racing through the book to see how the story would get tied up. Wow!

Book Review: "Do You See What I See?" by Peter Swanson

Despite the title and the Christmasy cover, this isn’t really a Christmas story, although it does take place during the holiday. I’ve been a big fan of Peter Swanson since his first book, so I couldn’t resist this.

Nicholas Child is a writer. His first mystery didn’t make a huge splash in the publishing world, and his second book, a sequel, was lackluster at best. His publisher dropped him but he keeps hoping inspiration will strike and he’ll be able to create a real hit.

While he is worried his agent will drop him at any time, he’s surprised when she approaches him with a proposal instead. Another of her clients, Marco Tavares, is having trouble writing the follow-up to his huge bestseller. She asks Nicholas to help Marco determine whether anything he has written can be salvaged, and perhaps help him find his focus.

The plan is for Nicholas to spend the Christmas holidays at Marco’s Cape Cod mansion. Marco and his artist wife, Maeve, live there, along with Marco’s sister and grandmother. And then the house fills with other guests—Marco’s ex and her jealous husband, Marco’s childhood best friend Billy, and James Beers, who at one point accused Marco of stealing his story idea, which he then turned into his massive bestseller.

Marco isn’t a particularly likable person, and while he agreed to have Nicholas help him, he’s not all that eager to listen to him. Nicholas feels like the gathering is the setup to a murder mystery—everyone in the house, including Maeve, has a reason to want to kill Marco. The next morning, two bodies are found, but what happened the previous evening? And who is to blame?

This was pretty twisty and I had no idea what was fact and what was fiction. Little by little, Swanson reveals interesting details that aren’t mentioned earlier, and it ratchets up the suspense. I thought the story worked really well as a novella.

Book Review: "Fit for a King" by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank

Oh, my heart!! I just love a happy ending that leaves me smiling and teary-eyed. This was a swoony romance I just loved!

Prince Nicholas of Valoria has spent his whole life preparing to become king. But he was hoping his father would stick around another 20 years or so before he had to assume the throne. Yet here he is, stepping into his destiny and dreading it.

The royal machine keeps moving, however, not leaving him a second to grieve for his father. The one thing that seems to brighten his days is his handsome new footman, Noah. Noah sees him for the man he is, not the crown he wears.

Noah knows the opportunity to serve as the king’s footman is an honor and it enables him to fully support his parents. He can’t stop noticing just how handsome King Nicholas is—and the fiery chemistry between them. But even if something were to happen, a king and a footman do not belong together.

Nicholas becomes engaged to a prince from a neighboring kingdom. It’s a strategic match that will benefit Valoria. But how can he marry someone who isn’t Noah? Is he supposed to sacrifice his own happiness for his kingdom?

I loved these characters, as well as Nicholas’ twin brother and one of the maids whom Noah befriends. There’s some great banter, some hot steam, and lots to swoon over. This was a great find, and I’m ready to dive into the next book!

Book Review: "Salty, Not Sweet: A Life in the Food World" by Florence Fabricant

“Over those many decades of my career I have witnessed a revolution. And I have also participated in it, often not from the front lines but rather from a privileged perch overlooking the barricades, armed with pen and notebook. Governments haven’t fallen during this ongoing upheaval, but restaurant empires have, and just about every aspect of food, dining, and drinking across the globe has undergone enormous changes in my lifetime, much of which I am documenting in these pages.”

You know I can’t resist a book like this!

Florence Fabricant may not be a familiar name to you. But as a food writer for the New York Times for more than 50 years, she’s well known by chefs, restaurateurs, food purveyors, and foodies all over the world. While she’s written 13 cookbooks, she’s never been motivated to be the focus of her writing. But this is an extraordinarily fascinating look at a career spent studying and understanding food trends, chefs, restaurants, and how we eat.

Fabricant was raised by parents who liked to go out to eat (and a mother who loved to cook and entertain), so her palate was shaped at an early age. She and her husband Richard had two children, and she started looking for a job to occupy her time after the children started school. She became a writer for a local paper in the Hamptons, where she chronicled farms and other purveyors of food, along with recipes. This gig led to her getting hired by the New York Times.

When she started writing in the 1970s, the culinary world, particularly in New York, was vastly different. She traces the trends, the chefs, the travels, and the memorable meals she has experienced through the years. It’s a fascinating look at the food world and one I couldn’t get enough of.

Even though she’s lived a life that I honestly dream of, Fabricant’s writing is so accessible, informative, and even funny at times. She also shares a few recipes, a number of which I’ll be making! I really enjoyed this look at her incredible career.

Book Review: "Three Reasons for Revenge" by Dervla McTiernan

Wow, my heart is still racing a bit! This was a really twisty, compelling thriller that kept me guessing. I’ve been a fan of Dervla McTiernan for a few years now, and she definitely hit another home run with her newest book!

A young woman comes into a police station and requests to speak with Detective Sergeant Judith Lee. She tells the detective that she was sexually assaulted and wants the man to be held responsible. But when Judith reaches out to the young woman again, it appears she vanished into thin air—or at least wasn’t who she said she was.

At the same time, three people—a popular television host, a single father devoted to his young son, and a fashion designer—receive a package on their doorstep. Each box is beautifully wrapped and addressed to them, but the contents of each box serves a distinct purpose: to destroy the lives of the recipients.

While all signs point to a particular suspect, Judith quickly realizes there’s a much larger and more complicated plot afoot. She has to not only convince her boss to look in a different direction, but she also discovers she’s also a target. She needs to outsmart a person who will stop at nothing to hurt those she feels are deserving.

There’s so much more to this book but it’s always tough to summarize a plot when reviewing thrillers. I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book, and as it headed toward its conclusion, I was so tense!! I thought this was great, and look forward to McTiernan’s next book!

Book Review: "The Twin Clause" by C.G. Macington

Earlier this year, I discovered C.G. Macington’s St. Jude’s Medical series. I fell in love with these books about two brothers and doctors who were raised in privilege (and tremendous dysfunction) and the men they fell in love with. The characters were flawed but beautiful people who dealt with crises both medical and emotional.

When I finished Book 3 in July, I thought the series was ending, so I was thrilled when I saw Book 4 was coming. Now that I read it on the day it was released, I was excited to see there will be a fifth book coming out at some point.

Dr. Preston York and his husband, Dr. Luke Silva, are both well-versed in their fields and exceptional in a crisis. But when it comes to planning their future, Preston pushes too hard and Luke goes silent. And in their tiny New York apartment, a little silence goes a long way.

When both of their mothers start pressuring them for grandchildren (each in different but complementary ways), they try to deflect the subject. Luke’s father left the family when he was young, while Preston was raised by warring factions who threw money at everything. Not the best role models, but the idea of fatherhood is both enticing and terrifying.

When Preston’s mother offers to pay a surrogate $1 million, Luke’s sister offers to carry the baby. And when they find more than they were bargaining for, the York and Silva families rally around Preston and Luke to support them. Fatherhood looks great on them.

While Macington brought some of his signature humor and steam to this book, it’s definitely a little more serious than the previous books. After the craziness of their love story and their wedding as well as all the York family madness, this book explored what it’s like to build a life together, and how you try not to let your past scare you from your future. Can’t wait for Book 5!

Book Review: "The Chain House" by J.H. Markert

Well, damn, this book was crazy good! All of the praise I’ve seen from Bookstagram friends was tremendously accurate. This was my first book by J.H. Markert, but I assure you, it won’t be my last!

Sal Batise, known as the Breaker of Chains, was an enigmatic cult leader who modeled himself after Charles Manson. After three of his followers went on a brutal murder spree, Sal was arrested and sentenced to death. But each time his execution neared, he was able to get a stay.

Now, it appears all of his last-ditch efforts have failed, and he’s scheduled to be executed in just a few days. He orchestrates a contest for him to grant a final interview; all of the major news networks and outlets enter. But Sal selects Sam Harper, a young filmmaker who has been working on a documentary about Sal.

Sam knows this interview will make or break his career. Right away, however, it appears Sal is in control. He announces that he has written a series of bestselling thrillers under the name Mallard Malone. He has allegedly hidden the last book with another murder victim’s body. He figures he’ll be able to wrangle another stay out of this information.

It’s up to the popular governor of Kentucky. When his wife is kidnapped, his first instinct is to grant the stay. Yet the ransom note he gets tells him the execution must go as planned or his wife will die. And nothing is quite what it seems.

This was such a tense thriller. It was a bit creepy and gory, but there were so many surprises that I couldn’t catch my breath at one point. There was a lot going on, and the book is narrated by several different characters, but I loved the way it all came together.