Review: The Tiger Catcher (End of Forever #1)

Title: The Tiger Catcher (End of Forever #1)

Author: Paullina Simons

Publisher: 15th April 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia

Pages: 528 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: romance, time travel

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

Can true love ever die?

Julian lives a charmed life in Los Angeles. Surrounded by friends, he is young, handsome, and runs a successful business. Everything changes after he has a fateful encounter with a mysterious young woman named Josephine. Julian’s world is turned upside down by a love affair that takes him—and everyone else in his life—by storm. For the two new lovers, the City of Angels is transformed into a magical playground.

But Josephine is not what she seems and carries secrets that threaten to tear them apart—seemingly forever.

A broken man, his faith in tatters, Julian meets a mysterious stranger who tells him how to find Josephine again if he is willing to give up everything and take a death-defying trip from which no one has ever returned.

So begins Julian and Josephine’s extraordinary adventure of love, loss, and the mystical forces that bind people across time and space. It is a journey that propels Julian toward an impossible choice which will lead him to love fulfilled…or to oblivion.

The Tiger Catcher takes readers from the depths of despair to the dizzying heights of joy in the first novel of an unforgettable trilogy of love lost and found. For all fans of Outlander, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Jojo Moyes.

My Thoughts

Paullina Simons fame from ‘The Bronze Horseman’ trilogy saw her loved by many far and wide. So news of a new trilogy had fans in eager anticipation. Billed as an ‘epic romance’ was encouraging. Sadly, however, Paullina has some known misses for her equally huge hits and I found this latest instalment fell into the former category. Whilst the concept (following along similar lines to Time Traveller’s Wife) was understandable, this book regrettably fails, in my opinion, due to some really poor and unlikeable characters. 

It would be hard to describe the relationship between the two main characters as epic, as the type of love portrayed was anything but. Both leads were difficult to connect with and the first part of the book is rather drawn out with little gained. Josephine I just did not like  (at all!) and Julian lacked a backbone. For me, it wasn’t love, rather convenience and infatuation. There was just no depth to their relationship and I could not be sold on it.

The concept is credible as stated and quite unique. I cannot really elaborate as it would give away some incredible twists and turns. Yet, I feel it is important for someone venturing into this read to understand that this is no regular romance as there are unusual plot twists. I could be more accepting of this if I was invested in the two main leads, however, that was never going to happen. 

I am so disappointed that I did not like this book as I was hoping for a romance on the scale of Tatiana and Alexander (Bronze Horseman) but it was not to be. Instead I was given shallow characters where one was manipulative and the other, gullible. Two stars for Paullina’s writing and research, with credit for creative imagination.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Happiness Project

Title:  The Happiness Project

Author: Pippa James

Publisher: 12th February 2019 by Bookouture

Pages: 343 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: womens fiction, chick lit

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

Forty-year-old Alison Lund has always carefully planned everything in her well-ordered life, from colour co-ordinating her beautiful house to persuading her excitable son Alexander that sticker charts are more fun than misbehaving. But Alison’s perfect world has just fallen apart…

Her head is left spinning when her beloved larger than life mother-in-law, Maggie, passes away and Alison is left heartbroken. Every afternoon they’d talk and laugh over a pot of tea, she was the glue that kept Alison together through the first few tough years of motherhood. And now Alison is trying to figure out a future without her.

With a little help from her two best friends, Alison resolves to be more Maggie. After an emotional New Year’s Eve get together, the three women create a happiness project, challenging themselves to step outside their comfort zones and make the most of every single day.

Daring to do things differently, can Alison learn to live more spontaneously and find happiness along the way? Or will letting go be harder than she ever imagined?

My Thoughts

I was drawn to this book through the promise of making positive changes in an effort to bring more happiness into one’s life. Three friends decide to start the new year afresh with the goal of reaching greater heights of happiness - through either a job, health or new family outlook.

I felt the author tried to make the interactions between the three friends as down to earth and realistic as possible, however for me, it just did not work. Perhaps, those that read the first book (this is the second in the series but can be read as a stand-alone) may have found a greater connection to the characters, unfortunately I really struggled and found them underdeveloped on the whole.

There also appeared to be much unresolved, for example, rather strange that it is a year’s resolution yet the book ends within the first few months of the year. As mentioned, I found some of the characters - main and secondary - behaviour at times, to not quite gel and I didn’t really empathise with them. So all up, a well written story that will definitely appeal to some with its classic chick lit approach in both character and story - for me, however, it just fell a little flat which is disappointing as the premise was a worthy one.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Review: The Once and Future Camelot

Title: The Once and Future Camelot

Author: Felicity Pulman

Publisher: 26 May 2016 by Momentum

Pages: 276 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fantasy, historical fiction, mythology

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

They would do anything to be reunited with those they love, even if it means traveling beyond the boundaries of the world as we know it.

Two women, living almost a thousand years apart, are experiencing the same catastrophic visions of the future. But these are not two ordinary women. They are descended from Morgana le Fay, and they have access to a magic that can stop this future from coming to pass – if they can trust it, and trust themselves.

Marie, troubadour at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Morgan, a 21st century botanist, are two very different women. When their lives collide in a garden in Glastonbury, they must overcome the secrets that surround them and work together to save not only the world, but each other.

Both of these women have known true love but lost it – and both must overcome their prejudice as well as their fear of the harmful power of magic in order to be healed.

An astounding historical fantasy turning the King Arthur legend on its head, in the tradition of Mary Stewart and T.H. White.

My Thoughts

I love Arthurian legend, so when I saw this book, I jumped at the chance to read it. What an absurd book! This author tried to do it all and failed in my opinion. There was little engagement, with next to no character interaction. Pages and pages of descriptive thoughts and places - just plain boring. It was as if the author used the Arthurian myth and legends as a medium to just info dump. 

This was a story of time-travel, and ultimately the end of the world - but not in a good, compelling/interesting way! The end is just ridiculous.  Throughout the book, it read as if the author was unsure of which path to take - a retelling of the myth? a historical fiction adaptation? young adult fantasy? time travel? Choose please! I don't think the author really knows and therein lies its failure - disappointing as the potential was there but the execution was severely lacking. 

At no stage was my attention grabbed and I really did try but the writing was hard to get through and there was just so much monologue. WOW!  I finished it but I’ll honestly admit that there was a lot of skimming involved. There was no real substance to it, the characters were poorly written which was heartbreaking given the epic status of some. 

I don't really know what to say about this book. The plot was interesting but overall this book was very slow and I found it almost a chore to read. I was disappointed as it didn't live up to my expectations at all.

"And so I lay and listened to the stories unfolding in my mind, rejecting some while embellishing others."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

Title: Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

Author: Agnes Martin-Lugan

Publisher: 10 May 2016 by Weinstein Books

Pages: 256 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary, womens fiction, romance

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

Diane seems to have the perfect life. She is a wife, a mother, and the owner of Happy People Read and Drink Coffee, a cozy literary cafe in Paris. But when she suddenly loses her beloved husband and daughter in a tragic car accident, the world as she knows it instantly vanishes. Trapped and haunted by her memories, Diane retreats from friends and family, unable and unwilling to move forward. 
But one year later, Diane shocks her loved ones and makes the surprising decision to move to a small town on the Irish coast, finally determined to heal and rebuild her life alone—until she meets Edward, the attractive yet taciturn Irish photographer who lives next door. At first abrasive and unwelcoming, Edward initially resents Diane’s intrusion into his life of solitude . . . until he can no longer keep her at arm’s length, and they fall into a surprising and tumultuous romance. But will it last when Diane leaves Ireland, and Edward, for the home she once ran away from in Paris? At once heartbreaking and uplifting, Diane’s story is deeply felt, reminding us that love remembered is love enduring.

My Thoughts

I was drawn in by the title of this book, "Happy People Read and Drink Coffee" - what book lover wouldn't be. Unfortunately, the title proved way more inviting that the actual story. So consider yourself warned. This is not a book about reading, it's not even really about coffee and it certainly is not about happy people. How ironic. 

It's a short read, more like a novella but everything about it was sadly caricatured and stereotypical. It was simplistic and adopted the overused storyline of: woman loses everything, moves to another country to find herself, meets handsome but moody neighbour and eventually they link up.

The only thing that was not thankfully predictable was the ending. It is not what you would have expected. However I did not feel any connection with the one-dimensional characters and very quickly tired of their constant smoking, and then another smoke and then, let's just have another. 

It wasn't terrible but it just wasn't any good. It had such potential with such an inviting title, but it didn't deliver at all. I think the major flaw of the book is its shortness. With such a sweeping array of emotions, its difficult in such a short span to find them believable! The author portrayed desperate grief to new found resolutions in the intake of a breath. It is a tall order to ask the reader to take that on board in the space of less that 300 pages. 

The bickering between the lead characters was juvenile and mundane, bordering on rude. A sign to me of the amateurish writing. I found the main character just so unlikeable - she was drama filled, depressed and depressing.

"Who'd want anything to do with you you? There's nothing interesting about you."

The later actions are unbelievable because of the vehement dislike openly spoken and acted upon between the two leads. All up, a majorly disappointing read. 

"Before going inside, I glanced at the sign. Happy people ... " and it was anything but!

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Edge of the Fall

Title: The Edge of the Fall

Author: Kate Williams

Publisher: 12 January 2016 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 432 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

For fans of DOWNTON ABBEY, ATONEMENT and Kate Morton - a compelling historical saga from the bestselling author of THE STORMS OF WAR.
In the aftermath of the Great War, the de Witt family are struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives.

Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don't know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep.

Celia, the de Witt's youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.

My Thoughts

I'll make this short. Reading the synopsis: Downton Abby! Kate Morton! Sounds perfect, however, in retrospect I guess too perfect. Sadly, it was neither. 

"It was as if the war had aged everything, dirtied it all, however much you hid things away."

Where did it go wrong for me? (and I'll say 'me' because this might just be right for others). Firstly, The Edge of the Fall is the second in a planned trilogy from historian Kate Williams. That I only learned upon closer inspection (not highlighted obviously anywhere), so I was behind from the get-go. Having picked this book up and not realising this fact, I was a little lost, and most likely, did not appreciate certain character developments. As an addendum, this book gets you ready for book three, so some answers you will not receive.

Given this, I don't believe it can really be viewed as a standalone due to the plot of the book. Maybe this book was suffering from middle trilogy syndrome? To my mind, the plot jumped around, everything from the narrative (two characters, first person), to the timeline itself. At times, the alternating viewpoints of Celia and Louisa are difficult to reconcile. In fact I found them in the extreme and bordering on major exaggeration. How could two people see the one event SO differently. 

At the heart of the book is Celia and, sad to say, I just did not like her. She is a sulky character and you never really feel like being on her side. She just whines way too much: 

"She's no fun. Always feeling sorry for herself, wandering around under a cloud."

Then there is her brother Arthur, and he is even worse. What a cad! Meant to be of course, however, I was most unhappy with the predictable outcome. In my humble opinion there was some much needed editing required as topics of conversation were repeated over and over, even events restated time and time again. We get it! Move on!

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Better editing would have cut much of the repetition and had an increased impact. For example, the inclusion of Jonathan visiting Emmeline's children: why include this? In fact I struggled with much of the plot structure/timeline: Celia's personal drama, suddenly switched to brother's drama (her's totally forgotten), switched to this Jonathan (old beau) on the scene - one hot potato dropped for another with no depth or relevance. 

I was bordering on a two and a half star rating, however, by the end, I had 'fallen off the edge' (pun intended) and she didn't care and neither did I!

"She didn't care. She hoped it poured down on her and everyone else for the rest of their lives."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Adventuress

Author: Tasha Alexander

Publisher: 13 October 2015 by Minotaur Books/St Martins Press

Pages: 304 pages

How I Read It: ARC ebook

Genre: historical fiction, mystery

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion - the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily must employ all of her investigative skills to discover the truth and avert another tragedy.

My Thoughts

This was my first book by Tasha Alexander: knowing her to be an author of light historical fiction I had eagerly anticipated delving into this genre once more. I am unsure of what the other titles were like in the series, but this instalment I found to be predictable and the plot unconvincing. At times it was engaging but overall, a rather disappointing read.

Lady Emily and friends travel to Nice to celebrate the engagement of one of her closest friends whereupon,  murder and the ensuing investigation follow. As stated it was very disappointing that the identity of the murderer was fairly obvious so soon into the book. Therefore I felt it lacked any real mystery, even where the 'why' and 'how' were concerned. It would appear from reading other reviews, that many deducted who, how and why fairly quickly as well. But this provides me with two dilemmas: 1. the only incentive to continue reading, therefore, is from the enjoyment of traveling throughout the French Riviera in the Victorian era (something that was written about reasonably well); and, 2. if I, and countless others, figured it out so early on in the piece, why didn't the clever Lady Emily?

"the obvious solution is not always the correct one." 

Sadly, this red herring was not enough and yes! it was that obvious. You could not help but pine for more suspense and mystery; for even if it were a character based study, some of the secondary characters were lacking charm. Amity, in fact her entire family inclusive of strange brother, were unlikeable. I found the ending to be most unsatisfactory, in fact to my mind, it bordered on ridiculous at times. Strange, weird, rather neatly and clinically wrapped up. 

Having read other Victorian era based murder mysteries, I found this to be rather the poor cousin.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Broken Hearts Book Club

Title: The Broken Hearts Book Club
Author: Lynsey James

Publisher: 12 October 2015 by Carina UK

Pages: 242 pages

How I Read It: ARC ebook

Genre: contemporary, chick lit

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

Lucy Harper has always been good at one thing: running from her past. But when her beloved Nana Lily passes away she has no choice except to return to the one place in the world she most wants to avoid...

Luna Bay hasn't changed much in the eight years she has spent in London. The little Yorkshire village is still just as beautiful, but the new pub landlord is a gorgeous addition to the scenery!

Lucy only intended to stay for a day, yet when she discovers that Nana Lily has not only left her a cottage but also 'The Broken Hearts Book Club', Lucy is intrigued. Her Nana never mentioned the club and Lucy can't wait to get started, but walking into her first meeting she is more aware than ever that her past is finally catching up with her. 

One way or another, Lucy must finally face the secret she's kept buried for so long - or spend the rest of her life on the run...

My Thoughts

"I had the chance to live in the house I'd loved so much growing up.....to do that, I'd have to confront everything that made me leave Luna Bay behind. I wasn't sure I was ready to do that just yet."

As ratings go for chick lit genre, this book fell a little short. I felt all of the ingredients were there, but were not mixed together correctly for a satisfying read. I love the cover of the book and the title is what drew me in.  There were some positives: there is romance, great location and of course, the compulsory happy ending. I particularly liked the use of well read favourites such as, 'The Book Thief' or 'The Rosie Project', and how the author attempted to tie to lessons/morals from the book club read to the issues they were dealing with:

"It had become a source of comfort and support when they'd needed it most. I loved the thought of ... finding strength in books and using them to escape from troubled times."

Unfortunately, however, as easy as the book is to read, it is predictable and often repetitive. Lucy's narration throughout grew rather tiresome. I particularly found issue with the 'the terrible tragedy of eight years ago' that coloured Lucy's outlook since high school and made her a supposed outcast of the town. The big reveal of that event was too long in coming and in the end I just didn't care that much for it. The suspense was well and truly worn out and you just knew it wouldn't be 'that' big to begin with. 

You also have to be up for some good ol' fashioned British writing. By this I mean the 'snogging' and the use of language that it most circumstances would be unacceptable. I also found Lucy to be somewhat of a drama queen and would be high maintenance to have a relationship with. Her narration, at times, could only really be described as juvenile.

"Not that he deserved any of my help or experience, especially after being so rude to me."

I was also not comfortable with the character of Jake. I doubted his maturity as well. His actions, particularly in regard to his ex partner, left me in doubt as to his sincerity. Likewise, when together with Lucy, things were trivialised: 

"What have we got to lose?" Jake squeezed me tight and kissed me on the lips. "Absolutely everything, but who gives a stuff."

So, as stated at the outset, there was potential, that was just not fulfilled. Lucy started with: 

"I'd gone from being a lost soul floating round London to someone with roots and connections and a chance at a future in a beautiful place."

But deteriorated to:

"its been nothing but complications from the start."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri

Title: The Witch of Bourbon Street
Author: Suzanne Palmieri
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin (June 30, 2015)
ISBN: 9781250056191

Pages: 336 pages

How I Read It: eARC

Genre: fiction, magical realism
My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis: 

Situated deep in the Louisiana bayou is the formerly opulent Sorrow Estate. Once home to a magical family-the Sorrows-it now sits in ruins, ever since a series of murders in 1902 shocked the entire community. Now the ghosts of girls in white dresses shift in and out of view, stuck in time as they live out the past on repeat.

When Frances Green Sorrow is born carrying the "signs" of the so-called chosen one, it is believed she will bring her family back from the brink of obscurity, finally resurrecting the glory of what it once was and setting the Sorrows ghosts free.

But Frances is no savior.

Fleeing from heartbreak, she seeks solace in the seductive chaos of New Orleans, only to end up married too young in an attempt to live an ordinary life. When her marriage falls apart shortly after having a son, she returns home again-alone-just out of reach from the prying eyes of her family. But when her son disappears, she is forced to rejoin the world she left behind, exposing her darkest secret in order to find him and discovering the truth of what really happened that fateful year in the process.

Set amidst the colorful charm of The French Quarter and remote bayous of Tivoli Parish, Louisiana, Suzanne Palmieri's The Witch of Bourbon Street is a story of family, redemption, and forgiveness. Because sometimes, the most important person you have to forgive.... is yourself.

My Thoughts:

"Serafina’s Bayou is my safe haven, a warm, private place layered with magic and held together by tangled vines of crazy. It’s soft like the quilts we sew and sour like the pickled things we put away for the off-seasons. It echoes sweetly with shouts and screams of strange that make it the most wonderful place on earth."

I have to be honest, this book was not what I expected and left me very disappointed. Having previously read and enjoyed The Witch of Little Italy, I looked forward to opening up Suzanne Palmieri's newest release, The Witch of Bourbon Street, for some magical escapism. It started off well with the intriguing 'confession' of Sister-Nurse Vesta Grace regarding the deaths of nearly an entire family of Sorrows from Serafina's Bayou in 1901. This first chapter was wonderfully enigmatic and immediately sparked my interest; I was eager to learn more.

However, immediately following that tantalizing first chapter, we are thrust into the less appealing contemporary storyline where we spend most of the remainder of the book. Much of this portion of the book is written in a very different style, and while the author admirably seeks to capture the atmosphere and dialects of the setting, some readers may find it a little distracting and unwieldy to read. It certainly took me a few chapters or more to settle into. There are also numerous POV changes which make the narrative feel somewhat disjointed and can be confusing at times.

The modern day Sorrows are a rather dysfunctional lot with plenty of family drama, secrets, and underlying tensions - and lots and lots of bickering (too much, in my opinion). The threads of this tale are interesting but take such a long time to develop and finally intertwine that I found the first part of the book a struggle to get through. I actually considered abandoning this book more than once and did set it aside a few times because it just didn't hold my interest and felt as though the plot was lost somewhere out in the swamp.

Thankfully, things begin to pick up roughly 2/3 of the way through when we start to learn more about the mystery hinted at in the opening pages. I enjoyed discovering the history of that earlier generation of Sorrows and found this aspect of the tale much more engaging. Ultimately, however, I was disappointed with the resolution of this family's tragic end. Having been built up as such a longstanding unsolved puzzle, the eventual answers regarding the suspected murders seemed quite flat to me. And after taking almost the entire book to get back to the mystery, it was dealt with so quickly and summarily that I felt little satisfaction in the solution.

The various characters are unique and quirky, but I felt that many could have been fleshed out more to add greater depth. Palmieri's descriptions of the bayou are lush and evocative, though, and give the reader a great sense of place. Most of the 'magic' here is not particularly overt, although there are several ghosts and many references to the mystical Book of Sorrows, which serves as a sort of combination family Bible/grimoire to the Sorrows. There are plenty of family dynamics which are delved into, however, and some poignant words of wisdom about life, love, choices, and redemption.

 

"You think mistakes are lessons or just mistakes, Frances?"
"I think it depends...Because a lesson stays a mistake unless you learn something from it."

"It's important you understand the difference between the words fix and heal. You hear me, child? You can't fix anything, but you can heal it. Broken things are better when they're healed. But once a thing is broken, it never goes back to bein' all nice and new. The trick is to fix it up and make it useful again."

"Sometimes we lost things for a reason. We lost them because we wouldn't ever know their true value otherwise."

Sadly, these sage insights and rich descriptions were not enough, and I found this novel lacking overall. It may resonate more with other readers, but it was not the book for me. I do still look forward to reading more from Palmieri in the future, however, and hope her next book will be more my cup of tea.

"But everything has an end. You get the choice on makin' it happy or sad. Endings are just doorways, Sippie."

 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.