The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd is the first in the Madman’s Daughter trilogy. The jacket claims this Gothic thriller was inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells and that statement rings true. Shepherd spins a dark and beautiful tale wrapped in horror. Mini review: Disturbing with a strong heroine and unsettling occurrences that kept me enthralled. Beautifully crafted and compelling.
The Bride Says No is the first book in the Brides of Wishmore series by Cathy Maxwell. I have read a few of Maxwell’s earlier works and enjoyed them. The Bride Says No is the story of two sisters and while it visits some familiar tropes I consumed this in a single afternoon and rather enjoyed the escape. Mini review: a heartwarming forbidden romance, with growth, love and lessons set against a small Scotland village during the Regency Era.
I was drawn to What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin based on the synopsis and mention of Nora Ephrom’s movies. This was a humorous look at love and relationships as our snarky protagonist, Molly, a thirty-nine year old divorced writer begins a column for Eye Spy. Mini review: humor, quirky characters and realistic look at love, romance and relationships in the big apple.
I actually received the ARC of Uninvited by Sophie Jordan last year and set it aside for review closer to the release date. Then in October I reviewed a wonderful NA contemporary romance called Foreplay by new to me author Sophie Jordan who also writes historical romances for Avon, HarperCollins. When I realized they were the same author I was both nervous and excited. I knew she could write breathtakingly beautiful contemporary romances but could she wow this lover of dystopians? The answer, my friends, is yes! She gave me an intense, bone-chillingly realistic future world with interesting characters. Mini-review: Thought-provoking, eerily plausible and exciting beginning to this duology.
Red Rising is a brilliant dystopian and the first in the Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown. From the depths below Mar’s surface to the hills of Olympus; Brown melded science-fiction, complex characters and outstanding world-building in this tale that left me spent and begging for more. Mini review: Epic world-building, brutal, and enthralling with whiffs of a darker Hunger Games.
