Marta Is Reading

This for me should be in its own book category, fantasy-lite perhaps? The Water Witch is fantastical, has good world building, mystical characters, lore, but it is all done quite simply - and I mean that as a complement! This was easy and fun to read, with great storytelling and a quick pace. All of the characters were interesting, I think the villains (maybe a bit too villainous?) and the story ties up very tidy at the end, perhaps too quickly which would be my only criticism. Otherwise this is a great read! 

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the free ARC. All opinions are my own. The Water Witch is available everywhere August 5th, 2022.

Jamie Brenner has written another really wonderful family drama. The novel focuses on the the sisters of the Pavlin family jewelry empire, and one of their daughters. It has some slight mystery, some romance, lots of sisterly drama and wonderful descriptions of New York City, Provincetown and jewelry.

The author does a wonderful job of weaving past and present together, with multiple storylines intertwining together. I really enjoyed the writing for this reason especially; it is a dynamic type of story with lots going on but everything clearly coming together. Brenner does a great job of weaving in flashbacks. Those glimpses move the story forward and get you to really know and understand our main characters, without taking you away from the present moment. I also enjoyed the jewelry discussions! I loved hearing about the different advertising campaigns.

All the main characters were somehow likeable while also being flawed, making them quite real. The ending for me came together almost too tidy but it was a great read overall. This is a great book to pick up for a summer read - light while still being deep, drama without too much dramatics. Recommend!  Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gilt comes out on June 21st, 2022.

Cathy Maxwell hits another solid home run for me with her newest release His Lessons on Love. This book is the third in her series The Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women and it releases January 25th, 2022. I have not read the first two books in the series, however this book can be read as a standalone. I will be going back and reading the others! A quick thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a historical romance with a baby present right out of the gate, but baby Dora is such a sweet, happy presence throughout the book. I love how Maxwell describes her facial expressions and her temperament, it added a lovely depth to the story. The conflict between our characters is a bit enemies to lovers, but it flows pretty naturally. It was a lovely romance overall.

Both our hero and heroine, Mars and Clarissa, are instantly lovable from the get-go. Their relationship builds slowly and sweetly, and I came to love Mars even more as the book went on. There are some gentle twists and turns and the plot unfolds quickly, making it a quick and engaging read. I did take issue with the general treatment of Dora’s biological mother by Maxwell – I personally do not enjoy when authors use such black and white “bad” behavior when describing a character, and wish there was some more nuance or respect shown for this character. However overall, the side cast was lovely and a nice addition to the story. Overall, totally enjoyed and will continue to read whatever Cathy Maxwell writes!