Showing posts with label #shesquadbookclub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #shesquadbookclub. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The Devil Downtown by Joanna Schupe

I picked up this book because it was my book club's January selection. I have heard many great things about Joanna Shupe's writing so I was happy to have a push to read one of her books. This is a historical romance as you can see from the swoony cover. 

NOTE: I don't mind the cartoony romance covers that are currently popular, but as someone raised on Johanna Lindsey, this cover worked for me. 

This book is the third book in the Uptown Girls series, in it we get some scenes with Justine (our MC) and her sisters who were the main characters in the other two books. You don't need to have read any other books to enjoy this one, but if you like Romance or Historical Romance, you will most likely enjoy the other two books.

This is my first time reading Joanna Shupe's work and I get why she is award-winning.  This book takes place in the 1890s in New York City. Justine comes from a wealthy family but she is an advocate for women and children. A Feminist in the best sense of the word. She tracks down deadbeat dads and tries to get them to support their families. She does this in a system that doesn't think men should have to take care of their own children and who don't see women as equals.  She is a force to be reckoned with in this story.  The male lead is Jack Mulligan, a top-tier rough-around-the-edges character. The main conflict to their becoming a couple is that Jack is a gang leader in NYC. 

I'm not one for gang-related romance, but in the context of late 19th Century New York, it's more tolerable. It's clear throughout the book that if Justine and Jack are to find a HEA together one of them needs to give up their current livelihood. It is obvious which one of them needs to make better choices, the tension throughout the book lies in how we get to the right conclusion, and this is done very well.  

Joanna Schupe makes sure that Justine clearly consents as the romance unfolds, and I loved that while Justine was a virgin, she wasn't ignorant about sex or about pleasuring herself. 

5 Stars



 

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

 This was the April book pick for my book club.  The theme for this month's book was a book that takes place outside the United States.  Previous to reading this book, I knew very little about Cuba's history. Now having read Next Year in Havana, I know a little bit more about the long, rich history of Cuba. I appreciate this method of learning history! 




This book is obviously well researched and it flows between the two timelines seamlessly.  You will notice that Marisol is very much like her grandmother Elisa and the Cuban men they fall in love with are also very similar.  I enjoyed the mirror story of their love. 

I don't want to spoil anything in the story so I will say that this is a lovely book, you feel immersed in Cuba, I think there is enough romance and mystery to make it appealing to those who love reading romance and/or mystery books. Plus if you enjoy it, there is a follow-up book featuring Elisa's sister Beatriz.  

This is a good 4-star book to take on a vacation or if you need a virtual vacation! 

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Candy Slain Murder -- A Cozy Review- Deep in the Series

I read Candy Slain Murder because it was picked as our book club read for December.  As you can tell by the title and the cover, this is a Christmas-themed cozy mystery. As you know from reading my blog, I really enjoy seasonal-themed cozy mysteries.  This book delivers on the Christmas vibes.  There is tree lighting, shopping, as well as cocoa sipping, and a Christmas surprise. 



The book also has a lot, and I mean a lot of day-to-day at the cafe scenes and this became boring reading for me. This might be in part because I plopped into a series on book eight, maybe if I was invested in the series I'd have enjoyed the daily specials at the cafe more. 

The mystery in this series is decent and the story has a nice Hallmark-ish ending.  I noticed that on Amazon this book got some very poor reviews because some readers were mad the book included some people who were Muslim and especially because one character dealt with some prejudice as a result of being Muslim. I felt that those reviews were unfair.  

What I didn't enjoy in the book was the over-the-top "country" dialect, especially the way the Mayor in this book spoke, it seemed absurd. 

The Mayor of the town




Overall, I didn't connect with our sleuth Robbie, so this isn't a series I'll be reading, but it is a popular series so if you are looking for a cozy series set in a cafe in Southern Indiana, and you like food talk with your mystery, this may very well be one for you! 

3 Stars for Candy Slain Murder