stephs_cozycorner's reviews
285 reviews

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

4.0

The Last Secret: A Novel by Maia Caron

3.5

I am really torn on my feelings for this book and I want to be as fair and honest as possible. 

I was very excited to read this book as historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I especially love reading different parts of history that I’m not as familiar with. 

So when I read the synopsis about Ukrainian resistance fighters, the nurses and the KGB, I was hooked. 

What I struggled with was the intertwining stories and dual POV’s.  I spent pretty much the entire time reading this book trying to figure out how the two timelines and sets of people even connected with one another.  

I also struggled with the history side of things.  I thought we would get a story of the resistance fighters and of the nurses stealing supplies, healing the wounded etc., and I felt that was a lot further from what we actually read.   

You do get a little of it here and there but this was not at all what I expected or had hoped for. 

And I love a good dual POV, especially in historical fiction stories, but the time jumps were quite sudden and had me having to go back once or twice to see if I missed something. 

I did very much appreciate the authors note at the end, and honestly, it helped a little bit to understand why the book was written the way it was.  

I still recommend picking this one up and forming your own opinion, especially if your a history and WWII buff.  

**

Thank you @penguincanada  and @tandemcollectiveglobal for a #gifted copy of the book. 

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The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Denner

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. 

This was a Bridgerton meets Phantom of the Opera, mixed with magical fantasy.  

We follow Cleo as she makes a deal to try to save her sister with the seductress Dahlia.   Dahlia gifts Cleo with a coveted talent in exchange for her help in stealing other people’s gifts. 

Cleo doesn’t realize what she is getting herself into and is soon thrust into a sinister world, one she doesn’t think she belongs in. 

From start to finish this book had intrigue, suspense, light romance and a few twists thrown in at the end. 
I really liked Cleo and Nuriel and felt very satisfied at the end as we had closure with the characters.   

This was an excellent debut by Adi Denner!  And can I point out how stunning this cover is, I just love the colours.  🩵

Definitely pick this one up if you love fantasy mixed with a little Bridgerton, opera and magical romance.  

**

Thank you @adi_denner, @penguinteenca, @tundrabooks  and @tandemcollectiveglobal for a #gifted copy of the book.   

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror by Hazel Thornton

After watching the Netflix show and documentary I went down the “Menendez rabbit hole”. 

I found this book to be very interesting to get a bit of the jury’s perspective.  

I also went back and watched some interviews and found Hazel to be very well spoken and fair.  I especially loved when she put Oprah in her place.  lol

Read it if your into true crime and recently find yourself going down the Menendez rabbit hole like I did after watching the show and documentary.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

4.0

My favourite family of characters is back!

I once again loved this story, these characters and this beautiful magical world.  

Chauncey, Lucy, Talia (and honestly all the others) had me howling with laughter.  Dare I say even more so than I did reading the first.  

I loved the introduction of David and just how warm and welcoming everyone was.    

These books have such a beautiful message beneath it all.  One that everyone really needs to hear and embrace. 

Daniel Henning was once again amazing narrating the audio.  He truly brings these characters to life.  

I was lucky to be able to immediately start 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙖 right after finishing 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘢.  I couldn’t imagine waiting as long as everyone else had too for this wonderful sequel  ☺️😉

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

5.0

Oh my goodness what an absolutely adorable, heartwarming book. 

I am kicking myself for taking so long to finally read this one.   

I really don’t know what I can say that hasn’t already been said and gushed about already.   

I absolutely LOVED these characters.   I wanted to wrap them all up in a big warm hug.  Each and everyone one of these characters stole my heart.   Arthur and Linus were the best role models and I loved how Klune used the narrative to bring up very important issues.  

I listened to this on audio and Daniel Henning was phenomenal.  The way he brought each character to life was nothing short of brilliant.  

This has truly become one of my all time favourite audio books and I would highly recommend listening to the audio.  

The only plus to waiting so long to read this is I immediately started the sequel, 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙖 that was just recently released on September 10!!!

If you haven’t read this one, don’t be like me and wait any longer, read it now ☺️☺️

The Anti-Hero by Sara Cate

3.5

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

3.5

This book was not what I expected. 

 I’ve been going back and forth since I finished on how I feel about this one.  (𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 3.5 & 4 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴).  

I did really enjoy it in the end, but it took a bit for me to get there.   

I struggled and found the first 200 ish pages slow and I really took a while to get a grasp on the characters as there are quite a lot with many different perspectives.  

But once I did get a grasp on everyone, and hit the half way point, I couldn’t get enough of this book.  

I had a completely different theory forming in my head and I loved having everything I thought turned upside down as I did not see that ending coming.  

This would make for a great fall read, especially if you love a good slow burn mystery. 

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

4.0

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

5.0

What can I say about this book, and this entire series, that could do it justice. 

I fell in love with the town of Inglewild and all these characters when I first read 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 three years ago.  And this quickly became one of my favourite romance series and I am not ready to say goodbye.  

We return to Inglewild one last time in 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 where Nova Porter is setting up her new tattoo studio in her hometown.  She’s determined not to be distracted but she can’t help it whenever Stella’s stepbrother Charlie is around. 

Nova offers a proposition of one night, with no strings, hoping to get it out of their systems.   But after one explosive night they can’t stop thinking about each other.  

I loved Charlie and Nova’s chemistry right from the beginning.  Charlie is just a fun upbeat guy with a big heart and you immediately swoon over him. 

Nova is Beckett’s younger sister and she’s got spunk.  I loved her passion for her craft and for life.  They were just perfect for each other and had intense chemistry and hilarious banter. 

Being back in this small town just had me so happy.  The phone tree did not disappoint and had me laughing out loud.  The family dinners, committee meetings.    This is what makes this adorable little town feel like home. 

Thank you BK for creating this fictional world for us to lose ourselves in and these characters for us to love. 

Luka, Stella, Beckett, Evelyn, Layla, Caleb, Charlie, Nova and the town of Inglewild have my heart.  💜

And you said it best, “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯," and I will return to these pages again and again.