The Boxing Baroness

     

The Boxing Baroness
By  Minerva Spencer

ISBN: 9781496738097
384 Pages
Available in Paperback, Audio CD, Audible Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Semi-Graphic Death, One brief attempted Suicide mention

Synopsis:

Of questionable birth, but made for greatness, the Regency-era heroines in Minerva Spencer’s thrilling new historical romance series possess both clever minds and unusual skills that enable them to go head-to-head—and heart to heart—with the best of men, including those of the ton . . .

Magnetic and educated, Marianne Simpson has the manner of a lady and the looks of a lover, not a fighter. Neither of which explains her occupation as a boxer in her uncle’s circus, Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre. Nonetheless, when St. John Powell, the exquisitely handsome Duke of Staunton, begins turning up at her shows, she finds herself dangerously distracted by the powerful peer’s mysterious presence. With her safety at stake, Marianne’s days in the ring are numbered. But how long can she fight her attraction to the man the ton calls Lord Flawless?

St. John Powell doesn’t just want Marianne Simpson, he needs her … to rescue his brother, who is being held for ransom by a treasonous English baron—the man all of Britain knows as the Rake of Rakes. No matter how little Marianne wants to see her duplicitous ex-lover, the man responsible for the humiliating nickname the Boxing Baroness, St. John must convince her. Even if it means climbing into the ring with the beautiful boxer and taking everything she’s got . . .

My Thoughts:

The Boxing Baroness is mainly the story about a young woman, Marianne Simpson, who lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her uncle at his circus. As she neared adulthood, she was trained as a boxer and became one of the circus' acts. She is known by the moniker the "Boxing Baroness" due to an ugly incident in the past that severely tarnished her reputation, where she had been tricked into marrying her lover Baron Strickland, believing the marriage to be legitimate until it was discovered that he had already secretly married another a year before her nuptials. She returned to the circus and went on with her life. Then one day after her fight, she was introduced to the Duke of Staunton, who had recently been coming to see her act. The duke sought her out because he had received a letter from Baron Strickland, who had been reported deceased in a fire a year prior. The letter offered information on his own missing brother, who had been assumed killed during a military operation. The apparently undead (but not in the supernatural way) baron demanded that Staunton bring Marianne to him in France if the duke wanted to save his brother. After much coercion and a bit of manipulation, Staunton convinces Marianne to accompany him to France to meet with the baron.

What follows is a story of romance, mystery, and suspense - with several parts well etched into history. Shortly after the protagonists arrive on the continent, Napoleon escapes his exile from Elba and marches on Paris. So mixed in with the unfolding series of storylines about the resurrected baron, Marianne's complex background, and her growing relationship with the Duke of Staunton, is a peek at what life was like for the French during that chaotic 100 days of war. This was very interesting to me, as a former study of both French and History. I don't often see historical fiction books set in this time period, and never have I read one that delved so much into Napoleon's legacy and his relationships.

The Boxing Baroness has plenty of twists and turns and isn't too predictable to be engaging, unlike many "mystery" books that I read. Yes, I was able to figure out some of the big reveals long before they happened, but other parts did surprise me a bit. Within the narration the author's scenic descriptions paint a detailed picture of several different settings, such as the circus, a dreary castle, and many different views of the French country. At its core, this book is a romance novel, and there are many "steamy" bits that are definitely NSFW,  but there is so much else going on in the pages that it doesn't feel cliché.

Marianne and Staunton are both well crafted characters, with interesting backgrounds and moments of growth. In addition to the lead roles, The Boxing Baroness features a colorful selection of side characters that are equally appealing. The friends present on their trek to the continent are funny and likable. I particularly liked Cecile, who it turns out is the protagonist in The Dueling Duchess, the second book in this series - so brb while I add that to my reading list. Even the "villain-type" characters are depicted well, in such a way to have reasonable motivations yet still be appropriately bad. According to the author, some of the characters are based on actual historical figures - though other than for Napoleon and the other members of the royalty mentioned, I would call the connections tenuous at best. For example, there was a woman known as the "Boxing Baroness" around this time period, however her actual name was different, she had no known connection to anything having to do with either boxing or a barony (though she was mistress of an Earl for a bit), and her story ended quite differently.

I opted to read The Boxing Baroness in both a physical (e-book) and audiobook formats. Which meant reading the e-book quietly at night, listening to the audio while driving in the car, and at some points following along in the book WHILE listening to the audio. I have read a lot more books via audio recently and I have to say this - the audio narration done by Clare Staniforth is superb. Her voice is clear, the accents used are well placed, and the pacing is perfect. For many audiobooks, I have to speed up the timing a little to make them easier to listen to, but that was not needed with this one.

In conclusion, if you like reading steamy romance with a good mystery included, I would absolutely recommend The Boxing Baroness. If I'm being honest, I can't remember what put this book on my radar. I think it might have been one of the suggestions on the NYPL summer reading list, or a "related title" suggestion on another book I read. But, whatever it was, I am glad that it was suggested to me, because this was a very enjoyable read.

Parent's Guide:

This is not a book for kids. There is quite a bit of violence and sexual content.

Fly with Me

 

Fly with Me
By  Andie Burke

ISBN: 9781250886378
384 Pages
Available in Paperback, Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: On Page Death of a Loved One, Lots of 0Sexism

Synopsis:

A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead?

Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she's running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride.

After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising request: Will Olive be her fake girlfriend?

A video of Olive saving a life has gone viral and started generating big sales for Stella's airline. Stella sees their union as the perfect opportunity to get to the boys' club executives at her company who keep overlooking her for a long-deserved promotion. Realizing this arrangement could help her too, Olive dives into memorizing Stella’s comically comprehensive three-ring-binder guide to fake dating. As the two grow closer, what’s supposed to be a ruse feels more and more real. Could this be the romantic ride of their lives, or an epic crash and burn?

My Thoughts:

Fly With Me has been on my to-read list for quite a while. I actually qualified for an ARC from NetGalley before the book was published, but I had a lot going on at the time and never got a chance to download it before it was archived in their system, making it unavailable. So I had to wait for it to be published and become available at my local library, and then sit through months of library (well, Libby really) waitlist. But I feel like it was worth the wait and I am glad that I did not give up on it.

The main character in Fly with Me is Olive, a nurse who is dealing with some serious family drama. Her brother is hospitalized in a coma after an accident and she has found herself at odds with the rest of her family about how his care is being handled. The story opens with her traveling on a plane - which she is absolutely terrified of - to attend a marathon and fulfill a promise she made with her brother before his accident. Mid-flight, another passenger suffers a medical crisis, and Olive uses her nurse training to save the man. Unfortunately, the emergency causes the flight to be diverted, and the inability to secure another flight puts her at risk of missing out on the marathon. Stella, the copilot of the redirected flight, steps in to save the day by offering to drive Olive the rest of the way to the marathon. Olive is initially hesitant, but acquiesces when she realizes that she really has no other options.

The pair hit it off and become friendly, and then return to their normal lives. Soon after, Stella reaches out to Olive with an insane proposal - to be her fake girlfriend. There had been a giant amount of media coverage over the nurse's heroic rescue on the flight, and the airline was getting a lot of media. Stella, who had been repeatedly skipped over for pilot promotions due to the industry sexism, believed that aligning herself with the moment of celebrity could play out in her benefit. Olive considers and decides that the fake relationship could benefit her as well and accepts. This is the plotline that drew me in and made me want to read the book. Fake Dating, or "fauxmance" if you will, is my absolute favorite romance trope. 

Both Olive and Stella are decently likeable characters, though I could definitely relate to Olive more. Most of the narration is from her point of view, and Stella feels a little more distant and detached at times. They both have some variant of trauma; Stella from dealing with rampant career sexism, and Olive from family drama and a loads of anxiety and self-deprecation. Olive's mental hang-ups unquestionably cause their relationship to be slower to develop, but this helps it to evolve naturally in a way that it is believable.

The secondary characters are a mixed bag. Olive's co-workers are super and help her evolve as a person. Derek is a champ. The depiction of Stella's dad is such a refreshing take on a parental role in a contemporary novel like this one, and is a bittersweet yet realistic disability representation. Those characters are all a hit. And then there are the misses. Olive's family are pretty awful. Stella's coworker is a PoS and her boss, while he has a few "maybe he is redeemable" moments, is ultimately garbage. But the worst offender has to be Olive's ex Lindsay. Not just in the "she's supposed to be the villain" way, but the character was just so extra, to an unnecessary degree. And to believe that she could do all the insane stuff that she did and face absolutely no repercussions or comeuppance? It's infuriating.

While the main focus of Fly with Me is clearly to tell a romance story, the book does not forget the non-romance side plots, and even completely throws away the romance for a brief point. There is a lot of additional drama, both family and job related. I would like to say that these side plots are adequately wrapped up at the end of the story, but honestly, some of the outcomes felt underwhelming or less than satisfactory. I don't think this diminished the story overall, but I had a higher expectation at that point.

Overall, I think that Fly with Me was a pleasant read and a nice offering for sapphic romance fans. There are maybe some points that were a little more... meh? But for an introductory book, this was a great showing.

Parent's Guide:

While there isn't anything too graphic in this book, it is a lot of adult situations and sexual banter. There are also some traumatic family situations that would probably be uncomfortable to a younger audience. I would consider this one solidly 16+ at best.

March Reading List

My March reading selections are going to begin with completing what I didn't from my January/February list. I live in upstate New York where the winters are quite cold, and my 38 year old furnace went out three times within the last two months (and always at the coldest points - go figure). It was out for an entire week in mid February, while it was ~6°F out side. When it is that cold, you can't even think, much less sit around and read, so I missed out on some time. Fortunately, after all that, we now have a new furnace. 

The books included this month are a combination of titles chosen to clear review backlogs and TBR lists, and reading challenge books. 

This is what my current reading list looks like:

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Reading 5X5 x2: Duets by B. Morris Allen (Editor)
The French Husband  by Ethel Edison Gordon
The Undoing of Lord Saville by Maria Greene
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
Back in a Spell by Lana Harper
Tae Sung's Peculiar Life: "Tae Sung and the Flattened Snake" by Elizabeth OCarroll
Curse of Cain by Theophilus Monroe
Go With the Flow by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann
Someone Else's Shoes by Aldrea Alien

and maybe
The Leap to Freedom by Aldrea Alien

I decided to shelve last month's Alice Au Pays Des Merveilles by Lewis Carroll for a bit longer because while my French vocabulary is coming along, there is still a good deal in the book that I do not know well enough.

I will be actively reviewing the other books as I finish them. I am still constantly posting past reviews that never made it up as well. I still have quite a backlog to post. I mention new posts on BlueSky as well as FB and Insta (until I find a better alternative).

Last month's Buddy Read (book club style read-along) on TheStoryGraph went well and am planning another one for April. I think I am going to aim for every other month. You can find me on there as @paperbackgoddess. When I decide on the book, I will try to make a post on social in case anyone wants to join in.

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!

Tangle of Time

  

Tangle of Time
By  Gin Westcott

ISBN: 9781952435003
447 Pages
Available in Paperback, Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Gore, Death, SA

Synopsis:

When four college kids are buried alive and there’s only one way out, don’t ask questions. Just survive.

After barely escaping a torturous series of undiscovered tunnels far beneath the Sierra foothills, Mae and her friends emerge, dehydrated and nearly dead from starvation. But everything Mae knows and loves is now gone. Through some bizarre tangle in time, they’ve been reeled back into the past. To a time that, according to Mae—“is constipated with antiquated gender inequality.” With danger lurking behind every tree and no easy way home, they must begin adapting to their new surroundings before it’s too late. So, when struck with an unexpected opportunity, Mae is faced with the difficult choice of returning to her own time or living out the greatest adventure of her life and carving her own path in history. Gin Westcott’s debut novel is BOOK ONE in the unique Tangle of Time series that will take you through an exciting, historical, and romantic adventure that you won’t be able to put down.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis for Tangle of Time, I was intrigued. I typically enjoy time travel and "character out of time" style books, so the premise sounded interesting enough for me to give it a shot. Unfortunately, the reality was not what one would hope. The story is a tangle alright - it felt like the author wasn't quite sure what genre or audience they were writing for. The book is a jumble of trashy romance novel with slice of life elements and action adventure that do not flow together to make one cohesive story, making it feel fractured, and this book clocks in at a completely unnecessary 100 chapters. What do I mean by unnecessary? Let me break it down. 

The first four chapters are all, I suppose, character establishing backstory. Except none of what is revealed in them really plays much into the story later. It focuses too much on each of the four lead characters' parents/families that we will never hear about ever again, making the point to make each one of them unnecessarily quirky in some way. Apparently in their world there is no such thing as a normal family. It also establishes the not very likable leads themselves, using a plethora of clichés and what could be seen as blatant cultural stereotypes. These first chapters are also rife with out of place sexual commentary, with the men constantly objectifying women (and sometimes judging other men), a romance obsessed mother lying on dating profiles to snag a man, and multiple sexual conversations and acts between two of the leads. The next three chapters are somewhat setting up the story that is to come, by sending them to the job that is the catalyst for the time travel. This is the core "trashy romance novel with slice of life elements" part of the book.

Finally, on chapter eight, the story shifts towards the action adventure part and it reads like a completely different book. This is where you learn about the circumstance which leads into the story the synopsis is actually selling you. Almost. They still haven't experienced the time travel by the end of the chapter. In fact, the next twelve chapters are just about them traveling through the tunnels mentioned in the synopsis. What took two lines for the preview to explain took TWENTY chapters to reach in the book itself. 

Once out of the caverns, injured and greatly malnourished, the leads finally encounter other people who hopefully can help them. When they should be grateful, what they choose instead is to be arrogant, demanding, and to mock the people they encounter, further diminishing any little likability they may have had. No real person is going to go two weeks without actual food then get a bowl of stew set in front of them and go "no thanks, I'm vegetarian." I mean, really? But that's how holier-than-thou the one character was written.  At one point she scolded another character for littering - for dropping one cigarette butt in the cavern miles under the ground. 

Not only are they arrogant and demanding, but they are over the top obtuse. The next seven chapters cover their experience with the first family they encounter, who lives in a log cabin with no modern amenities, and the whole time the protagonists' commentary is about their "costumes" and "rustic living lifestyle." They get brought to a local native tribe and determine that these people are "quite diligent in embracing their Native American roots,” instead of going "yeah, maybe this is an actual native tribe." Any sane person would have by now realized that THEY were the ones out of place.

Okay, lets add one more paragraph here on the rest of the story (only 73 more chapters) or this review will end up miles long. Actually, I think I'm good for now. I just can't.

If I sat here and nitpicked everything that bothered me about Tangle of Time, I would probably be here all day. But there is one more thing I really want to address. This entire story is hyper focused on sex and steeped in flagrant sexism, to a degree that made me outright uncomfortable. The synopsis mentioned "antiquated gender inequality" so I had expectation of some reference to it, but not to the degree that it is, and in a way that is so distasteful. As previously mentioned, the early chapters are heavy with it. The book establishes its ideal of gender roles and perpetuated stereotypes right from the start, with lead guy Greg fixing his car with the patronizingly insignificant assistance of his girlfriend who is notably wearing her four inch heels, and then he calls her babe and squeezes her butt. In the following chapter another male lead both mocks a man for being out of shape (despite being unfit himself) and then ogles and objectifies his female teacher. Everything just goes downhill from there. I thought at this point that the book HAD to have been written by a man, so when I checked and saw that not only was the writer a woman, but one whose profile claims that she is "passionate about gender equality," I was absolutely floored. This book reads like something written by a hormonally charged teenage boy, all sex and swear words. This book was sold to readers as "look how bad things were in the past" but the inequality doesn't start when the characters are in the past, rather it is solidly present throughout the entire book, just masked in the modern times as being "quirky" parental behaviors or "romantic" actions (that are not at all romantic). This book is a master class on how to not portray gender equality, and fails the Bechdel-Wallace test in the most disturbing way possible.

The main (synopsis) concept of Tangle of Time had such potential, and with the help of another writer or a good editor, maybe it would have been glorious. However with the insufferable characters, unnecessarily drawn out story, and all the other questionable content mentioned above, it was such a massive letdown and I'm sad that I kept it in my reading queue for as long as I did, just to be disappointed in such a manner. All of the promotional materials designate this book as book one in a series, but in the four years since it's release, I have seen no mention of book two. The author could still be writing it, though I am more inclined to believe that the series was abandoned after the poor reception of this introductory volume. 

I won a complimentary copy of Tangle of Time from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions contained within this review are my honest thoughts.

Parent's Guide:

I definitely wouldn't recommend this book for kids. It is filled from front to back with references to sex and drugs, as well as abuse and other questionable topics. An older teen may find something enjoyable - in the way that "edgy cartoons" are, but they would probably lose interest before the actual story anyways.

Strike the Zither

    

Strike the Zither
By  Joan He

ISBN: 9781250258588
368 Pages
Available in Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, and Kindle
Trigger Warning: Violence and Death

Synopsis:

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the realm’s most powerful strategist, serving under a leader whose cause jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed.

When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, the only strategist who has ever rivaled Zephyr’s talent. But mastermind though Crow may be, he is no match for Zephyr. She will defy the heavens to win and no one―neither human nor god―can stop her.

Featuring gorgeous map art and black-and-white portraits, Strike the Zither is the first book in Joan He's riveting Kingdom of Three duology that explores human greed and ambition in a war-torn world. Don't miss the epic conclusion in Sound the Gong!

My Thoughts:

Strike the Zither is the first part of a two part fantasy story based loosely on the well known and often adapted Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (often shortened to Three Kingdoms - which is also the designation for era when the story takes place). There are omissions and distinct changes - most notably that most of the main cast is women, where in the original tale, all of the important players were men. The lead character Zephyr is based on Zhuge Liang, and her lordess Xin Ren is based on the hero Liu Bei. I've actually never had the opportunity to read Three Kingdoms, and in fact have only seen one adaptation - the Taiwanese drama K.O.3an Guo (part of the KO One franchise). And I watched that probably 10 years ago, so I don't remember the entire story. If you are familiar with the Three Kingdoms story, you will definitely see similarities in personas and certain happenings, but there are a lot of differences as well. Strike the Zither completely holds up as an independent story and will be just as enjoyable to readers who are not familiar with the Three Kingdoms story.

The main quartet of characters, like those seen in Three Kingdoms, is a trio of swornsisters and their military strategist. Each of these characters has unique personalities, are likable, and you can empathize with them and their motivations. The focal and secondary players of the story are clearly Zephyr and Xin Ren, so you get more background on them than on the other characters. Miasma, the villain of the story, is written to be perfectly detestable, though her strategist Crow is someone I couldn't decide if I loved or loathed.

The author paints a lovely picture of the scenery with her words (and provides a map in the index for context). She describes the action in vivid detail - which is sometimes quite violent, as to be expected in an epic story about war. Much of this story, however, was not what one would expect. Around halfway through, there is a bit of a twist - that I wouldn't dare spoil - and the narrative shifts drastically. As someone who dislikes when books are overly predictable, I absolutely relished the unexpected change.

I stumbled across Strike the Zither at the local library and the cover art is what drew me in first. I've been on a bit of a Xianxia drama binge lately, and this book looked like it would be right up my alley. If I'm being totally honest, the first couple of pages were a little overwhelming to me. It introduced several of characters very fast, and jumped right into the action; so it took a little while to get my bearings and remember who everyone was. It turns out that when you are reading a book instead of watching a show where you can learn faces, that much information up front can be a lot. Once I got a few more pages in, I was invested in the story and really didn't want to put it down. I finished this book in a week, but only because I was busy. This was the type of book that I could usually complete in one sitting.

Overall, Strike the Zither was a delightful read. As mentioned previously, it is the first of a two part series. It doesn't really end on a cliff hanger, but with an incomplete feeling and a bit of last minute suspense. I cannot wait to start the second half. I was really grateful that I did not discover this book before the library had both volumes.

Parent's Guide:

This book has a lot going on, but isn't too complicated. It is a war epic so there is quite a bit of violence, sometimes graphic. I wouldn't advise this for younger or sensitive readers, but it has a good deal of entertainment value for more mature teens.

Cat+Gamer Vol 1-6

  

 

Cat_Gamer Vol 1-6 (Following stats on Vol 1 only)
By  Wataru Nadatani

ISBN: 9781506727417
192 Pages
Available in Paperback and on Kindle/ComiXology
Trigger Warning: soft Mental Health mentions, cartoon violence

Synopsis:

Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat in this adorable manga series!

Her coworkers can’t quite figure her out—she never talks about her personal life, she never works overtime, and she never joins them for happy hour. Is she antisocial? Nope, she’s rushing home to play video games! One day, a stray cat is found in the office parking lot, and before Riko knows it, the cat has moved in with her! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat's worldview.

My Thoughts:

I stumbled upon the first three volumes of Cat+Gamer at one of the county libraries affiliated with mine while I was wasting time waiting for my car to be repaired. I had never heard of it, but it had a cute cat on the cover and that's usually enough to sell me. Well, let me tell you - it did not disappoint. The story is about Riko, a 29-year-old socially reclusive office worker who lives on a daily schedule that is optimized to efficiently play and clear her adored video games. Riko has no outside of work friends and passes on social gatherings so that she can go straight home and game until bedtime.

Her life changes abruptly when a cat is found in the parking lot at work. The office asks for a volunteer to take it home and nobody else volunteers, so Riko impulsively agrees. She then panics when she realizes that she knows absolutely nothing about caring for a living creature and, in doing what she does best, she starts looking at the situation as though it was one of her video games.

Nothing could go wrong here, right?

 

What follows is a hilarious mix of adorable cat stories and assorted video game comparisons. Every time the cat - now named Musubi - does something new, it is compared to a behavior that Riko recognizes from her gaming experiences. At one point she inadvertently makes a friend, in the form of the shopkeeper at the local pet supply store, whom Riko sees as a great and knowledgeable master. Around volume four, the shopkeeper comes over for a pet play date and suggests that Riko get a second cat to give Musubi a companion. So in comes Soboro, and with her a whole new set of pet experiences.

The art work in these graphic novels is cute and elements of story are relatable to cat owners. Like when Riko shares a photo of Musubi online, which goes somewhat viral, and inspires her to start a social media account for her pet - something many a pet owner is familiar with. This actually leads to funny moments, where coworkers follow the account without realizing that the cats belong to Riko. Other references may be lost on those who aren't familiar with particular games, but the writer did an awesome job of breaking down those references so they would be understood my most readers. Overall, it's a very reader friendly series of books.

I loved all six of the currently available volumes of Cat+Gamer. There are two more volumes out in Japanese, but they have yet to be released in English. Volume seven of the manga is due to be released soon. It is currently available for preorder and will be released on February 25, 2025. The final volume recently got an English release date of August 26, 2025, and is now available for preorder as well. I can't wait.

Parent's Guide:

This book is rated 11+ but is appealing to younger kids due to the fun and relatable content. Cat+Gamer was the category winner of Excelsior Award Blue 2023. The books on the Blue shortlist have been designated as suitable for children aged 11+ (or Key Stage 3 in schools). Cat+Gamer was also the Overall winner of the 2023 Award. Learn more about the Excelsior Awards here.

January/February Reading List

This month's reading list is 2 months in one, because I am posting late in the month. The books included are a combination of titles chosen to clear review backlogs and TBR lists, reading challenge books, and one that I am hosting a Buddy Read (book club style read-along) for on TheStoryGraph. (You can find me on there as @paperbackgoddess) 

This is what my current reading list looks like:

Cat+Gamer vol. 6 by Wataru Nadatani
Strike the Zither by Joan He
Sound the Gong by Joan He
As You Wish: Inconceivable Takes From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (Buddy Read book. We are starting Feb 1st if anyone wants to join!)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Remarried Empress graphic novel series by Alphatart
Reading 5X5 x2: Duets by B. Morris Allen (Editor)
Tangle of Time by Gin Westcott
Alice Au Pays Des Merveilles by Lewis Carroll

and maybe
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I will hopefully get around to posting some past reviews that never made it up as well. I still have quite a backlog to post. I was never able to get the reviews off of my lost laptop, despite recovering the harddrive. Everything I have tried will not read the data. But I am trying to rewrite what ones I can. So check back repeatedly. (I also mention new posts on FB and Insta.)

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!

Happy New Year!!

It's 2025. Time to make (and probably break) resolutions, and to see what the future holds. Many people are anxious, which I completely understand, but we can't let that anxiety stop us from being us.

My last year was a rough one. I got in a pretty bad accident in the summer, which resulted in a week long hospital stay, 5 procedures, and ongoing physical therapy on my hand and arm. But I'm ready for some normalcy. So back to the book cave. ^.^

While I have tried to post occasionally on Facebook or Instagram - mostly stories, quite a bit of time has passed since my last post on here (plus a lot has changed since this blog started in 2011), so I'm going to do a bit of a re-introduction for anyone just recently finding their way here, due to things like Threads or Bluesky.

"Who is PaperbackGoddess?" you may be wondering. I am just a normal, book loving nerd. My kids are mostly grown now, with the youngest being 16. I still enjoy sewing and crafting. I make silly things that I sell on my Etsy store. I still love anime, but now it shares screen time with assorted Asian dramas (mostly Taiwanese). I haven't gotten to do nearly as much cosplay since the move to upstate NY in 2022, but I am hoping to change that this year, because I miss it. I also miss planning and organizing events, but it's probably for the best that I stepped back from most of those due to the physical strain that caused. I am still an ordained Priestess, and I hope to start booking weddings again when I no longer look like I got punched in the face with a truck. As I have always said, there is no greater feeling than being able to unite two people who are deeply in love. 

In what spare time I have - which has been a lot lately since I have been unable to work - I read. I love reading. Reading a book is an escape, an exploration, a trip that you don't have to leave home for. I have so many books - mostly in boxes since I don't have enough shelves. I am active on PaperbackSwap and have a giant wish list. If you join there, add me as a referral and it will add you to my friends list! I am also active on Goodreads and TheStoryGraph, where I am currently hosting a Buddy Read and participating in about 11 reading challenges. You can see the challenges I am participating in on my profile. Join in with me!

My favorite genres to read are historical fiction, fantasy, and regency romance, but I read all kinds of things - from mysteries and ChickLit to new age and metaphysics books.

My reviews cover many different types of books. So if you have been looking for a new read, hopefully I can suggest something that suits your tastes. I promise to do my best to avoid spoilers.

As always, I am excited for the opportunity to share my literary experiences with others and to hear other people's opinions and have great discussions on the books that we read. So stop in any time and please feel free to interact!

The Dish Dog

     

The Dish Dog

By  Peter Davidson

ISBN: 9798351893662
324 Pages
Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Synopsis:

Someone is operating the largest stock market insider trading scheme in the history of the United States, that is making millions of dollars in illegal profits. Whoever it is has access to secret information about numerous major corporations before the information is made available to the general public. Perhaps it is a nationally-known radio or TV host of a financial program, a financial journalist, or maybe even a Pulitzer Prize winner.

The perpetrator of the insider trading scheme has hidden their identity and covered their tracks through layers of elusive actions that all seem to lead nowhere. But, the perpetrator may not have planned on a brilliant FBI forensic accountant, Dr. Kimberly King, doggedly leading the investigation to uncover their identity and to put them out of business.

My Thoughts:

The Dish Dog is a whirlwind tale told from a few different perspectives. It opens with a thirty-something busboy, Harley Ross, receiving a letter from the mysterious "Emerald Investment Strategies" with a hot tip on a stock to buy to make loads of money. These missives come sporadically and nobody knows who is behind the elusive investment newsletter, but they always pay out. Another narrator is the secretive stock tip sender. However the highlight character of this book is Dr. Kimberly King, known as K.K. to her peers. K.K. is a forensic accountant for the FBI, and has been tasked with investigating this case of potential insider trading and market manipulation. 

And so we get to follow K.K. on her first major investigation, as she follows leads to try to suss out who exactly is behind Emerald Investment Strategies. She has to struggle to get information from participants like Harley, who are reminded with every newsletter that "loose lips sink ships." At the same time, we get to learn more about the EIS prodigy, including how they have operated for so long without being caught, and why they are doing what they do. The adversaries travel around the country (sometimes further) trying to stay ahead of each other and intrigue abounds. Will K.K. crack the case and become a successful forensic accountant? Will EIS get their happily every after? Will Harley be stuck as a busboy forever?

When I started reading The Dish Dog, I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to feel about it. First of all, the setting and topic was something that I am mostly unfamiliar with. I've traded penny/partial stocks here and there, but pretty much everything I learned about the stock market was from playing Wall Street Kid on the Nintendo as a youth.  That's actually the first video game I ever beat, which probably says a lot about how boring I was as a child. But I digress. As expected of a book focused on the stock market and financial crime, there were a lot of numbers. And I mean a LOT. At some points, my dyslexic brain had to take a pause, or re-read a portion multiple times.

Another reason I was unsure about this book is that while I have read other books that I would consider light thrillers and enjoyed them, mystery and thriller are not my go-to genres. Mostly because I always figure out the twist or surprise reveal before it happens. (And indeed I did.) So the non-favored genre choice combined with the unfamiliar setting - not to mention the abundance of numbers - could have been a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised. It did not take too long for the story to pull me in and it kept me invested - pun intended. ^.^

Overall, The Dish Dog was an enjoyable read. Despite figuring out the reveal before it happened, the story that gets you to that point was entertaining, and the characters were mostly likable. (I'm still on the fence about the dentist...)

The Dish Dog was released on January 30, 2023 and is available at Amazon. I received a complimentary copy from the author Peter Davidson in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Parent's Guide:

This book is complex, but the story is interesting. There isn't any real questionable violence, or any adult themes that would be seen as controversial - other than in the crime sense - but it is a mature topic. The setting could be seen as real world relatable for much older kids, especially those interested in finance or criminal investigation. I would consider this book as upper teen friendly in complexity and entertainment value.

December Reading Goals

Ren Faire season is wrapped up, and after the Norwegian festival this coming weekend I will finally be headed home! I'm on track to meet my reading challenge goal by the end of the year, so yay. This month's reading list will mostly be catch up review requests, but I want to find some holiday themed reads too. My priority is to finish the Lost Lords series - and the Wallflower's Christmas book.

This is what my December reading list looks like:

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
Tangle of Time by Gin Westcott
Not Quite a Wife by Mary Jo Putney
Not Always a Saint by Mary Jo Putney
Druidess by Theophilus Monroe 
Hypersomnolence by Stanley Michelsen
The Other Side of Magic by Ester Manzini
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll by Lenny Kaye 
Bedtime Stories for Cats by Amy Neftzger
Graceling: the graphic novel by Kristin Cashore
The Complete ElfQuest Volume 2 by Windy Pini

Review posting will be dependent on if my old laptop cooperates since I have yet to replace the good one. I still have quite a backlog to post. I am *this* close to trying to make the posts from my phone - which looks complicated. But I will get them all posted as soon as I can. Please be patient and check back.

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!  

The Anatomy of Ghosts

    

The Anatomy of Ghosts
By  Andrew Taylor

ISBN: 9781401302870
412 Pages
Available in Paperback, Hardcover, Audible Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Violence, Death, Suicide, SA/R, Ethnic Slurs

Synopsis:

1786, Jerusalem College, Cambridge

The ghost of Sylvia Whichcote is rumored to be haunting Jerusalem ever since student Frank Oldershaw claimed to have seen the dead woman prowling the grounds and was locked up because of his violent reaction to these disturbed visions.

Desperate to salvage her son's reputation, Lady Anne Oldershaw employs John Holdsworth, author of The Anatomy of Ghosts -- a stinging account of why ghosts are mere delusion--to investigate. But his arrival in Cambridge disrupts an uneasy status quo as he glimpses a world of privilege and abuse, where the sinister Holy Ghost Club governs life at Jerusalem more effectively than the Master, Dr. Carbury, ever could.

And when Holdsworth finds himself haunted--not only by the ghost of his dead wife, Maria, but also by Elinor, the very-much-alive Master's wife--his fate is sealed. He must find Sylvia's murderer, or else the hauntings will continue. And not one of this troubled group will leave the claustrophobic confines of Jerusalem unchanged.

My Thoughts:

Anatomy of Ghosts, the book that took twelve years to read. No, seriously. This book was the first ARC that I ever won from the LibraryThing early reviewers platform when I started reviewing books in 2010. I won a physical ARC and I was so excited to read it. It came in the mail right before we left on a trip to go visit my parents for the holidays, so I brought it with me to give me something to do on the 3 and a half hour drive. Sometime during the next few days, the book disappeared. I was pretty sure that I left it in my mom's car, but she insisted that she couldn't find it. Mind you, this was before the book was even published, so I could not easily get another copy. So I shelved the review, sure that the book would resurface eventually. Time went on, my youngest ended up being way more hands on than expected, my mental health took a nosedive, I dealt with nightmare house situations, I lost my home to a hurricane flood, the covid pandemic hit - you know, life happened. The book was forgotten. Then in early 2022, I was visiting my sister and I spotted the ARC on her bookshelf. My mom found it at some point and sent it home with her assuming it was one of her books (which it obviously wasn't, but nobody in my family will turn away a free book...). I have no idea how long she had it. But I finally was able to reclaim it. At which point I attempted to read it, but gave up very fast. I was not in the same headspace that I was when I first received it, and the content was really dark. I feared that this book would become my second official DNF. But after some reflection, I refused to let that happen. So back in September, on a whim, I checked out the audiobook from my library, and FINALLY completed the read.

Now, as for the content of the book itself - the premise was interesting, but I struggled getting into it each time I attempted the read. The writing is good, but the pace starts out very slow.

The driving plot of The Anatomy of Ghosts is an attempt at personal redemption for the main character, John Holdsworth, who experiences financial struggles and then loses his wife. He is hired by Lady Anne Oldershaw, who learned of him from knowledge of his book "The Anatomy of Ghosts", to attend to her son Frank. Frank has seemingly lost his wits after seeing what he claims is the ghost of a friend's wife. Lady Anne hires Holdsworth to both counsel her son and convince him that ghosts aren't real, and also to organize her late husband's library. With nothing else going on, and no other place to go, Holdsworth accepts her offer and travels off to the fictional setting of Jerusalem College in Cambridge, to investigate the ghost matter.

What follows is a story of conspiracy, intrigue, upper class secret societies, and murder. The narration is done in such a way to create lots of suspense, and there are plenty of twists and turns - which I appreciated because I'm disappointed when books are predictable. At points, Holdsworth finds himself questioning his own reality and wondering if the ghosts are, in fact, really there. The gothic imagery used to describe the college helps to support the overall feel of the story, reinforcing the dark vibes. This works well because the events occurring within the story are also very dark, and in some instances psychologically disturbing. This book has descriptive depictions of murder, sexual assault, and other questionable content; and is not for the faint of heart. 

Despite the mystery, and the abundance of lore, the book still fell flat. None of the characters were really likable, and honestly, in this day and age with how the world is going around us, hearing more tales of rich white men abusing their power with no repercussions is just mentally exhausting.

Overall, The Anatomy of Ghosts was an interesting read, but it takes time to get into and because of the slower pace you may have to really like the genre or have a connection to the setting to maintain interest. It wasn't so bad that I wanted to abandon the read, but some days I just wasn't eager to pick it up and continue.

Parent's Guide:

This is not a book for kids. Much older teens, maybe. The content is dark and at times quite disturbing.

November Reading List

I'm in the midst of Ren Faire season, so that means traveling light and sleeping on couches. Just me, my clothes, and my Nook tablet. I think I've caught up on my reading goal, but since I don't have a car to do other things, I will just read a lot and clear my TBR backlog. It will still be all audio books and e-books. I'm sure my library misses me by now. They had gotten used to seeing me so much. My priorities for the month are to finish the Wallflowers series (except the final Christmas themed book - I'm saving that one for next month for some holiday cheer), the Feminine Pursuits series, and maybe the Lost Lords series by MJ Putney.

This is what my November reading list looks like:

The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waite
Out of Body Universe by Martin Chu Shui
Truthsight and Winter's Mage by Miriam Greystone
The Librarian: Little Boy Lost By Eric Hobbs
Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter 
Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
One Velvet Glove by Dave Duncan
No Longer a Gentleman by Mary Jo Putney
Sometimes a Rogue by Mary Jo Putney

Review posting will still be dependent on laptop cooperation. And yes, I still have quite a backlog to post. But I feel like I am covering a lot of ground. Not being able to go anywhere means I have the time. So check back repeatedly. (I also mention new posts on FB and Insta.)

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!

That Thing in the Sky

 

That Thing In the Sky
By  Christopher Francis

ISBN: 9798624706729
152 Pages
Available in Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Mentions Cancer, Death of a loved one

Synopsis:

There's nothing in the sky, except that.

Kidnapped by an alien, fifth-graders, Margaret and Bailey fear for their lives and the fate of the world.

Thinking the world is coming to an end, Bailey and Margaret watch a strange object hurtle from the sky. The two nervously investigate the mysterious crash and discover an alien has landed on earth. A teenage farm boy named Sheldon joins them as they try to help the lost creature return to its home. However, they soon realize this alien is not alone.

My Thoughts:

In That Thing In the Sky, childhood friends Bailey and Margaret get the adventure of a lifetime when they face an active alien invasion. What starts out as a normal day quickly unravels when they witness an unknown object crash land on a local farm, discover that the crashing object was an alien craft, and then work with a teenager from the farm to attempt to return the alien to his home.

This story is presented as a fun E.T.-esque children's read, but it is written like an action packed thriller, or a horror story. There are literary jump-scares. One of the children is injured with the mention of blood. During the invasion, they believe that friends and loved ones have been killed. There are several moments where they are clearly afraid for their own lives and safety. The underlying theme is panic and terror.

This children's book also covers the heavy topics of parental illness and loss. One of the children has a parent dealing with cancer. Combined with the stressful situation of the invasion and its associated concerns, that's a lot for little kids. That Thing In the Sky is supposedly targeted at ages 6-11, but I don't know that I would have let my kids read a story like this at that age. When I read this, my first thought was that any child out there who deals with childhood anxiety (which is a very real and valid thing) would definitely not have a good time with this book. For older kids, like 12 and up, some will probably find it quite enjoyable. But I have to question it's place at the targeted age group.

I read this book in e-book format, so I am only able to comment on the book that was presented to me. Which sadly, had several typos and grammatical errors in the form of such things as unnecessary apostrophes and one-sided quotations - basic editing failures. Hopefully these things were addressed before it went to print.

I have not seen the actual book in print, but according to the promotional materials I have seen, the print edition of the book is very dyslexia friendly, with a larger font and cream colored paper. I find this significant to note, because lot of books don't take this into consideration and, as a dyslexic reader myself, I would have loved to have more books like that as a child.

I received an advanced review copy of this book via StoryOrigin in exchange for a fair and honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Parent's Guide:

This story is intended for children, but consider the information in the above review and use parental discretion. 

October Reading List

Ren Faire season is coming up fast, and that means that October needs to be light on reads. Unfortunately, I'm still just a little behind on my reading goal, so I have to try to catch up still. What that means is that this month's reading list includes several audio books, plus a few shorter catch up review requests in e-book format so they can go with me on the road. My priority is to finish Curse of Cain and That Thing in the Sky, which I started months ago but was not in the right headspace to finish.

This is what my October reading list looks like:

The Curse of Cain by Theophilus Monroe
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite
Reading 5X5 x2: Duets by B. Morris Allen
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney
Out of Body Universe by Martin Chu Shui
Roam by Alan Lazar
That Thing in the Sky by Christopher Francis
Tae Sung's Peculiar Life; Tae Sung and the Flattened Snake by Elizabeth OCarroll
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
Someone Else's Shoes by Aldrea Alien
The Taming of Viscount Perth by Maria Greene
The Undoing of Lord Saville by Maria Greene

Review posting will be dependent on if my old laptop cooperates since I have yet to replace the good one. I still have quite a backlog to post. I am *this* close to trying to make the posts from my phone - which looks complicated. But I will get them all posted as soon as I can. Please be patient and check back.

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!

September Reading Goals

I'm behind on my reading goal, so I have an ambitious list for the month as I try to catch up. This month's reading list includes mostly books picked up from a trip to the local library, plus a few catch up review requests.  My priority is to finish Enchanted Ever After. Finishing the Enchanted, Inc. series has been a task because the last book was impossible to find! I finally found a copy, thanks to my new library's Hoopla account, but when I got 80% finished reading it, the checkout expired and I had exceeded my allowance for the month. So I have been waiting 2 weeks to finish the last few pages. So frustrating! Once I finish that, there are a few more old reads to finish that I hope to finally complete, and then several new library finds.

This is what my September reading list looks like:

Enchanted Ever After by Shanna Swendson (FINALLY)
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
Vic Boyo Doofus Detective: Double Murders are Twice as Bad by Milo James Fowler
The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor
Never Less Than a Lady by Mary Jo Putney
A Storybook Hero by Shanna Swendson
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
The Curse of Cain by Theophilus Monroe

And if I get to it, this further volume from another series that I have started:

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

There are still reviews incoming for my August reads as well. Still; getting situated in the new house and trying to get everything for my business established in a new state (plus prepping for a festival at the end of the month) means that I have quite a backlog to post. I will get them all posted as soon as I can. I had ambitiously set up a goal of 2-3 posts a week before the move, and once things get balanced out, I hope to get back to that. Which means that there are a lot of posts coming! Please be patient and check back.

And, as always, I am open to and love discussion, so I invite you to grab a book and read along!

July/August Reading Selections

This month's reading list is 2 months in one, because I am posting late in the month. The books included are the result of my finally getting a card at the local library and going wild with it. I now have access to Libby AND Hoopla! And Hoopla had Enchanted Ever After, a book that I had been struggling to get my hands on, so it's on the top of the list. After that there is a slew of other books I grabbed when I went to explore. A lot of them are graphic novels. No reason in particular - I just love graphic novels and they had a really good selection. ^.^

This is what my August reading list looks like:

Enchanted Ever After by Shanna Swendson
The Complete ElfQuest Volume 1 by Windy Pini
Star Trek: The Manga Volume 1: Shinsei/Shinsei by Chris Dows
Heartstopper Vol 1-4 by Alice Oseman
Check, Please! Book 1 & 2 by Ngozi Ukazu
Bloom by Kevin Panetta
Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney
Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
The Bride was a Boy by Chii
Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astra by Kevin Panetta
Spinning by Tillie Walden

I actually got my library card at the very end of June, so there were two late June reads that will covered as well - both short stories in the Enchanted, Inc. series that I didn't even know existed until I found them whilst searching for EEA.

June Reads:
Paint the Town Red and Criminal Enchantment by Shanna Swendson