nerdyholler's reviews
73 reviews

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites: Flirting with Fangs Edition by Joy Demorra

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I've previously read The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews and after finishing went looking for other books by her. I found this one for free and decided to give it a shot. Overall I enjoyed the two leads and was cheering them on throughout the book but unfortunately many of the other pieces just didn't come together for me. I almost wish The Collector plot had been completely ended after first part of the book and the rest had focused on a slower transition from marriage of convenience to love between the two leads. There were moments in the last third of the book where the otherwise likeable leads started trending towards annoying or off putting and my patience for their drama was starting to wear thin. In addition, the final resolution of the threats happening through the book seemed to come out of left field and I found myself rolling my eyes the situation and the FMC during what should have been the exciting climatic scene. I'm still interested in checking out other works by the author but this isn't one I'll be revisiting in the future.

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freeman

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne Freeman

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A Coup of Tea by Casey Blair

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A nice entry into the cozy fantasy genre but one that doesn't follow the Legends and Lattes formula. I found this to be a quick enjoyable read about a character finding her place and her voice in the world. I liked the way magic works in this settling. I enjoy when small, quiet things (like tea service and studying together) end up feeling special and being important. Overall I enjoyed all of the characters and how their stories linked together as a found family. The things keeping this from being a 5 star for me were that the FMC could get a little annoying and repetitive towards the end and the racial/oppression story lines seem to hit you over the head at times. Still a read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy though and I'll be checking out the rest of the series.

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was recommended to me by a family member and it sounded like it was going to tick a lot of boxes for the kind of easy relaxing books I like. Sadly I didn't click with this one.

I enjoyed the twist on the paranormal aspect of the series where communicating with spirits isn't really a good thing and I thought her job as a graveyard restorer was fascination. In fact, I would have liked more information about that. I also enjoyed the mystery even it was too dark to be cozy but it also wasn't dark enough to be thriller/horror.

Where things fell apart for me were the FMCs personality and the the chemistry with the MMC. First person isn't my favorite POV to read and there seems to be a certain kind of female character that goes along with it that I don't gel with. I really don't need to know about every outfit she wears, how tall dark and handsome she thinks the MMC is or how he's so bad for her every single time she sees him again. The rest the series seems even more focused on their relationship and less on the other aspects so I'm giving up here which is disappointing because I was really absorbed in the mystery focused sections.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

I learned about the Galveston Hurricane in school growing up and have read a few of Larson's other books so this has been on my TBR list for many years. While it was an informative read, sadly it didn't grab my attention the way some of his other works have. I just couldn't get into the background of the weather service although it did pick up once the focus shifted to the day of the hurricane. Not a bad read, just might not be as gripping for people who don't already have an interest in the event.