Tag: smalltown

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#BookReview: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

For The Xennials. Yes, we are a tighter demographic than most others, but we – those born roughly 1978 to 1983 – are still mighty, and this book hits us pretty directly. While directly pulling from a hidden-just-enough-to-prevent-copyright-claims version of Dawson’s Creek, there are also *several* other TV shows and movies of our teen generation (specifically that late 90s/ early 2000s period) referenced here. Pleasantville being not even that arguably the second most obvious, but also The Notebook and Miss Congeniality, among others. So for us + those just older or younger than us who grew up/ became “new adults” watching these things, this was a great nostalgic trip into an interesting romcom premise that I, despite reading roughly 200 books per year, had never come across something *quite* like this.

And yes, it also “draws inspiration from” others of the same period of different forms, such as The Family Man in particular, and it is truly this combination of The Family Man + Pleasantville where the romance side of this truly comes home and works quite well.

As a side note for those who clearly feel opposite from how I do, please stop rating a book 1* if you DNF’d it. I understand Goodreads and their corporate overlords at Amazon don’t allow you to have a direct DNF option, but other alternatives such as Hardcover.app *do* allow you to explicitly note a DNF without giving a star rating – and you can still review the book. It just doesn’t plummet the ratings average the way a 1* is when you didn’t even finish the book, and at least to me, rating a book you didn’t finish feels dishonest – though clearly, you do you.

With that aside out of the way, again, I truly enjoyed this book and its premise really hit home as exactly that age group that it was very clearly targeting, but clearly there are a wide variety of views on this particular book. You, dear reader of this review, should absolutely read it for yourself and make your own call there. (And, remember, if you DNF it, please review it on Goodreads alternatives like Hardcover.app and use their explicit “DNF” option. :D)

Very much recommended.

This review of Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb was originally written on September 7, 2024.

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#BookReview: Hello Little Girl by Kay Bratt

Orange Is The New Black Meets Deliverance. With this series in particular, Bratt has been making it a point of spinning a fictional world around all-too-real cases… and in this case, we get a version of the book form of Orange Is The New Black (ie, a far more serious take than the dark comedy that was the Netflix show) along with a harrowing tale of wilderness survival somewhat akin to Deliverance, but with Bratt’s own wilderness survival style she developed with Dancing With The Sun. Both parts of the tale are well done, though it does seem that perhaps the Orange Is The New Black part was perhaps a bit rushed in the ending, perhaps because of the zinger Bratt wanted to leave in the epilogue?

Yet again, another solid story in this world, and yet again another one that will leave the reader breathless for the next.

Very much recommended.

This review of Hello Little Girl by Kay Bratt was originally written on July 31, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Lighthouse Cafe by Bebe Reed

Short Cozy Family Drama Sets Up Series Well. This is one of those barely 200 page books that packs quite a bit in it – but is also one of those books where everyone is lying to someone about something, which is where much of the drama comes in. Meant to be more of a cozy coastal foodie vibe primarily, it actually does work as that down the stretch… it just takes a bit to get there. The titular Lighthouse Cafe really comes into its own eventually – kinda sorta ala settlement building in Fallout 4. Yes, the pieces are there and broken when you first encounter them, but this is where a lot of the beauty for a lot of people comes in, seeing just how these people mend themselves as they mend the building and business.

Overall a breezy book with perhaps more drama than many would want on a “beach read”, but also great for those cold winter nights when you need to be transported to a more tropical location in your mind.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Lighthouse Cafe by Bebe Reed was originally written on June 5, 2024.

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#BookReview: Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen

More Dusty Rooms Than Usual. This is one of those romcoms where guys are going to encounter more dusty rooms than usual, and women may outright cry more than usual. Because Dineen does one character in particular so unbelievably well, we truly *feel* this character’s motivations – and hesitations.

Which, perhaps, makes up for what for at least some readers will be a cancellable offense for Dineen, who has this character make a joke that… well, there are many out there today who won’t find the joke funny and yes, will probably/ likely call for her cancellation over it. Me, apparently I’m going to Hell right there with Dineen, because I thought it was one of the more hilarious moments of the book, and there was enough contrition later (indeed, bordering on preachiness, which is perhaps a step *too* far) that it *should* mollify most critics of it.

Overall though, another solid entry in this series that technically *can* be read as a standalone, though significant events play out in the book immediately before this one in this series that directly impact the story here, and are referenced frequently in this story. But for those who don’t mind mild spoilers of other books, eh, this one could truly work standalone.

Truly a fun, shortish (at under 300 pages) romcom, perfect for a breezy summer afternoon relaxing… just watch out for the dust. Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen was originally written on May 31, 2024.

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#BookReview: Summers At The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Not A Casual “Beach Read”. With the cover and even a common understanding of the description, one might think going into this tale that it is a breezy easy beach read. Well, I’m of the belief that any book you read at a beach is a beach read, but this book takes some effort. If you’re looking for a simple tale… this aint that.

What this *is* though is a solid tale of survival on so many different levels. Yes, you have the tale of the struggle to save the resort that the description points out. But there is also *so much more* here, and the problems at the resort go *so much deeper* than is initially believed.

At first, this seems to be a tale of the resort manager building her team, Nick Fury building the Avengers style. As this slow burn story continues though, we see that not everything is as it seems, and Nick may have found Loki posing as Thor rather than the actual Thor…

Ultimately, all of the separate characters and threads do come together in a wonderful tapestry, but it takes a while to see the full picture of all that is happening and why, but for those that demand books that wrap up everything… this *is* one of those tales, at least.

Very much recommended.

This review of Summers At The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews was originally written on May 8, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan

For this blog tour, we’re looking at . For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Slow, Character Driven Coastal Tale Featuring Flawed Yet Understandable Characters. Yes, to an extent if you’ve read one Sarah Morgan non-Christmas tale, you’ve read every Sarah Morgan non-Christmas tale. (And her Christmas tales are simply a variant on the non-Christmas ones, featuring some extra Christmas emphasis of some form.) This noted, what Sarah Morgan does, she does solidly and has clearly built a fan base for a reason, and this is yet another example of why her formula works so well.

Here, yet again, we get three generations of female leads, with the guys mostly playing romantic foils of some form or another, and each of our female leads has her own dramas and insecurities and, yes, mistakes. Of course, in typical Sarah Morgan fashion… well, let’s not give away her endings in this review, shall we? Let’s instead say that the Hallmarkie type crowd will generally enjoy these books, even though the Sarah Morgan formula is at least *slightly* different than that one.

Overall a solid tale solidly written, and a perfectly fine, inoffensive, casual “summer” / “beach” read (that, to be clear, can truly be enjoyed any time). Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan”

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#BookReview: Blackbird by Kay Bratt

Kay Bratt Goes “North Ga Dark”. Ok, so what the hell do you mean by “North Ga Dark”, Sexton? Well, growing up even “in the country” in North Ga, specifically the Atlanta exurbs (then, now northern suburbs), even on a pitch black, moonless night… you still had the glow of Atlanta and its suburbs over the horizon. Thus, even at nature’s absolute darkest… there was still *some* light, if well over the horizon and very faint.

And that is what Bratt has introduced here, with both our longer term story and one of the active cases in this story now focusing on themes of abuse in various forms. To be clear, this is one of those stories that will be quite difficult for some, perhaps many, readers – but as usual, Bratt manages to handle even these themes with a care not every other writer decides to put into their story, for any number of reasons. So while the evil is very present and menacing *in story*, it is more like a shark menacing – if you’re in its domain (ie, a character in this book, for the book evil, or pretty much anything in most any body of salt water, for the shark), you’re going to feel its presence and you should probably take appropriate precautions. The easiest of which for most of us is simply… stepping away from its domain for a bit. In which case, sitting on the beach with a good book is probably a solid idea for both. (With your beverage of choice, for when you need to step away from the book if it gets too menacing for you… as you ponder the water and the menaces within it. :D)

As with a few other reviewers, I noticed the lack of direct family involvement in this book, which had previously been a long-running staple of the series. And am I just forgetting (it has been 75+ books for me between Book 8 of this series, Starting Over, and this one), or did a certain sequence that was (somewhat briefly at that) explained as happening before the events of this book not actually happen in the previous book? Because I don’t remember that particular scene in that book, and I think I would have commented on at least its presence – even if somewhat obliquely to avoid any outright spoilers. If this is indeed the case, this was likely the most egregious miss of this entire series. While the series didn’t need a full on “Return Of The King” massive *event* for this particular scene… it still would have been great to see it “in real time”. (Note: While writing this review, I did go back to my copy of Starting Over and confirm that it did not include this particular scene. It included a blatant setup for the scene, but not the scene itself. So I stand behind my comment that this was a major miss, and a glaring hole from an author not generally known for such obvious misses.)

All of this noted, this *was* a supremely enjoyable and fast read, and it absolutely sets up for Bratt to either conclude the series (as was originally intended with Starting Over) with Book 10 – Hello Little Girl, out Summer 2024 – or possibly extend it again. It will be interesting to see which direction Bratt takes, particularly given that she seems to be actively writing that book at the time of me writing this review. Very much recommended.

This review of Blackbird by Kay Bratt was originally written on May 1, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Mountain Mystic by Russell W. Johnson

Solid Second Book In Series. This is one of those tales where both the author and the reader are going on an adventure- ok, the first book was *awesome*, but I had all the time in the world to write the thing and now I need to produce a sequel in a timely manner since my name isn’t GRR Martin… so what do I do?

Johnson’s answer here is a thrilling ride that perhaps doesn’t have the same level of social commentary from the first book – though to be clear, there is still *some* here – yet manages to keep up with the action and even introduces some wrinkles not seen in the first book, going in a direction not often seen, but which makes perfect sense within this world.

And then… just when you think everything is all said and done… Thanos appears. No, not really. But there *is* that stinger scene at the end that reveals the storm clouds on the horizon… storm clouds that portend one *intense* battle coming up. Will we see that battle in Book 3, or will we simply edge closer to the storm? Yet again, I for one can’t wait to find out.

Very much recommended.
https://bookhype.com/book/show/9be6306a-9c62-4c43-a4fa-4d96ad2c4264/mountain-mystic” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>The Mountain Mystic by Russell W. Johnson was originally written on April 29, 2024.

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#BookReview: Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh

Solid Slow Burn Mystery Will Be Jarring For Some. While never a fan of content/ trigger warnings printed in books (I prefer them on the author’s website or in reviews like this, either way separate from the book at hand and easily findable with a modicum of research), let me say up front that if you have severe issues with child sexual abuse or child neglect… this may not be the best book for you. Same with violence against women generally, addiction, stripping, etc.

That dispensed with, this was a remarkable tale of generations of women trying to leave a dying small rural town… and failing miserably, only for the cycle to repeat with their own daughters ad nauseum. It is a slow burn missing woman tale where we do get both the current timeline of one of the women being missing and the older timeline of what her life was up to the very moment she became missing. Both parts of the tale carry the same dull, dismal, depressing stylings throughout, even as both sets of women actively rebel against their situations and try their damnedest to be the women that break the cycle.

For anyone who has ever spent time in a run down house or trailer, you know this life quite well. You’ve probably lived a version of it – hopefully *without* the abuse, though this is admittedly far more common than it should be in such situations. Which makes the story that much more “real”… and yet also that much more depressing, to a point, as many read fiction as a way to *escape* their current “real” world bonds.

The time switches could be a bit jarring – they are labeled, but the label is somewhat easily missed – and the inconclusive ending, with several questions still lingering, could put some off. Personally, I felt this particular ending made the tale that much more “real” and worked for the story told to that point, particularly in the final build up to the reveal. So it is absolutely a “your mileage may vary”, and unless you are just 100% opposed to such endings… do yourself a favor and read this book and see what you think of it yourself.

Overall truly a great and all-too-real (sadly) story, and very well told. Very much recommended. With the warnings noted in this review.

This review of Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh was originally written on April 13, 2024.

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#BookReview: Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird

Small Town Southern Mystery Reminiscent of Malibu Rising. As I begin to think about this book and my experience with it, Malibu Rising keeps coming to mind – which, given that *that* book was a bestseller, tends to be a favorable comparison for this book – or so Ms. Bird likely hopes. Up front, this book does have several different POVs, which is clearly something some readers don’t enjoy. So if you’re one of those, know this book probably isn’t for you. That noted, Ms. Bird actually uses those POVs quite effectively, with the grandma character very much feeling like an old school small town Southern grandma, particularly of the “knows everybody and their business” variety. On some other aspects, at times the tale gets perhaps a bit *too* blatant in its commentary, seemingly coming millimeters from using the actual names (NXVIM, Allison Mack, etc) it is referring to. At other points, it is perhaps a touch too *obtuse*, at times using a few dozen words when a single word or short phrase would have worked just as well.

But ultimately this was a fun book that managed to keep the pacing and mystery solid enough to be entertaining without being so serious and deep as to be dragging. The surprises were done well and the villains were sufficiently creepy, and the humor was just enough to keep everything refreshing. Very much recommended.

This review of Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird was originally written on March 14, 2024.