New release....Statue of Limitations

Statue of Limitations

A Goddess of Greene Street Mystery #1

by Kate Collins

4⭐⭐⭐⭐

***I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Statue of Limitations by Kate Collins is the first book in a fun cozy mystery series. Athena has moved back home with her son to live with her big Greek family.  Case is searching for a missing Greek statue that belonged to his family. Together they get caught in a murder and have to work together to find out what really happened.

What I liked....

Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding?  I loved this family. Athena has a large and caring family. Sometimes they are too caring and too in her business. I really enjoyed reading Athena's blog posts and getting more insight into her personality. It was also funny to read the reactions from her family because they have no idea she is the author and they are the subject. This is the first book in the Goddess of Greene Street Mysteries and a spinoff from the 19 Flower Shop Mysteries which I have not read but will be reading. I enjoyed the close knit Greek community.  I would love to read more about this town and people.

What I wanted more....
My only disappointment was that the relationship with her son, Nicholas, was not a bigger part of the story.  As a single mom I had hoped that relationship would have been explored more and the reader could see that side of Athena.  With that being said, her family played a big part in helping with Nicholas and I think that is part of being in a big Greek family...no one has to do it alone.  I'm hoping to see more of Nicholas in the next book.

Will I continue this series...
Yes I will definitely be continuing this series and look forward to the next book.

Who would enjoy this cozy mystery series...
This is a fun series about a Greek family and a single mom who has to move back in with her parents.  Are you a blogger?  Athena is a blogger.  This was a great beginning to a new cozy mystery series.

More about author......
Kate Collins

Thank you to Kensington Books for my complimentary review copy.

Cozy Mystery
Release Date: January 28, 2020

January Release: The Prized Girl

The Prized Girl

By Amy K. Green

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

**Thank you for the free book @duttonbooks. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #duttonpartner

The Prized Girl is the debut novel by Amy K. Grant.  Virginia's younger half sister is found raped and murdered. At 26, Virginia knows very little about her half sister, Jenny.  To Virginia Jenny is basically perfect. She is a pageant queen and the favorite child. Virginia feels she was a terrible big sister and feels the need to find the killer.  She is not sure if she is doing this for her sister or for herself.  Can you redeem yourself after someone is gone?

The story is told in a dual timeline which alternates between Virginia in the present and Jenny in the past. As the story builds the secrets start to come to the surface. Everyone in this book seems to have at least one secret.  This family is so dysfunctional...Virginia, her dad, her stepmom, and her half sister. Every time I felt I knew the killer I would change my mind.  I love a mystery/thriller when I cannot figure out who the killer is before the book is over.  A great and believable twist is always a bonus on a mystery/thriller.

This is an amazing debut novel. I loved the build of the suspense and the web of characters that could be guilty. I look forward to reading Amy K. Green's next novel. If you like mystery/thrillers, this is a must read.

Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: January 14, 2020

Goodreads Giveaways

Let's talk about Goodreads giveaways....

Do you enter Goodreads giveaways? I have been entering the giveaways for a few years. I go through times of staying on top of the new listings and times of forgetting to check the page. Obviously, if you don't enter you will not win. I have learned a few tips and tricks that seem to have improved my odds of winning. 

Giveaway tips

1. Enter often..check the page regularly

• 2. Check "ending soon" first...These books will be gone when you come back later.  If you still have time also check the newly listed books. 

3.  # of books in the giveaway.... Chances are better if there are 100 books in the giveaway than if there are only 5 books.  You can still enter the ones with lower number and yes I have won a few of those.  The more you enter the better your chances of winning. 

4. Ebooks... I win a lot more ebooks than physical books. I think because usually there are 100 books in the ebook giveaway.  This is easy.  Enter your amazon kindle email and the book automatically show up if you win. If you cannot find the book make sure to check the books in your cloud but not actually uploaded to your kindle yet. 

5. Be patient... Sometimes I do not win anything for months and then sometimes, like this week, I win 3 in the same week

Have fun and good luck!

Favorites Friday.....Titanic

Titanic Love Stories

By Gill Paul

Can you imagine the excitement these 13 couples must have felt to spend their honeymoon on the Titanic? This is a beautiful and sad book.  The author gives you some background information on each of the couples and tells how they ended up on the Titanic.  You will also find out the fate of the couples.  It starts with first class and ends with third class passengers.  This is my favorite of my Titanic books.  You can find more about the author, Gill Paul, here. 

If you enjoy documentaries I recommend Titanic: The Aftermath on Amazon Prime. This documentary is about the recovery after the sinking. I have watched many documentaries and found this one to be different. This one is about the passengers. 

I have a little obsession with the Titanic....books, documentaries, and museums.  So far I have visited 3 of the Titanic museums and the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver....

*Las Vegas, Nevada 

*Branson, Missouri 

*Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 

Branson and Pigeon Forge are stand alone buildings that are designed to look like the Titanic. The Las Vegas exhibit is inside a casino/hotel.  Pigeon Forge was my favorite of the exhibits but they each have something different and special. Branson was my least favorite exhibit but it had an amazing display to show which lifeboat each passenger was placed into.  When you enter the exhibit you will receive a ticket with a name and information about a passenger.  At the end of the exhibit you can see if your passenger survived. Below are some photos of the outside of the exhibits.  There is no photography inside the buildings. 

The Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, Colorado is also a great place to visit. I was fortunate to visit a few years ago when my husband had a business trip to Denver. 

*Molly Brown House Museum

Molly Brown was born in Hannibal, Missouri. I'm hoping to visit her birth home someday soon.  

*Molly Brown Birthplace Museum

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Branson, Missouri

Las Vegas, Nevada

Books and boarding passes from the Las Vegas exhibit

Molly Brown House & Museum

Denver, Colorado 

Molly Brown House & Museum

Denver, Colorado 

Book mail....

Recent book mail.... 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press...

*The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

*The Dilemma by B.A. Paris 

*Frida in America by Celia Stahr

Goodreads wins...

*Meet Me in Monico by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

*A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris

Book Depository purchases...

*Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (Penguin Clothbound Classic)

*The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

#janeawesomewednesday....Persuasion & Emma

#janeawesomewednesday 

"You pierce my soul.  I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you." Captain Wentworth, Persuasion, Jane Austen

Today's prompt from @nonsense.and.sensibility (Instagram) is Captain Wentworth. I did not have anything blue or naval themed so I went with the 1995 movie. So far I haven't fallen in love with a movie version of Persuasion but this one is my favorite of the three versions I own. Persuasion is also my favorite of Jane Austen's books.

#janeawesomewednesday 

"You must be the best judge of your own happiness." -Emma

Last week's prompt from @nonsense.and.sensibility was Mr Knightley (minimal theme). Emma was my least favorite of the Austen novels on my first reading a few years ago.  I'm curious to see if my opinion changes this year during my "Year of Austen Reread".

New release today: You Were There Too

You Were There Too

By Colleen Oakley

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley was my favorite book I read in 2019. The plot is interesting and the way the author handles this story is beautiful. I loved this book.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  I voluntarily reviewed this book and all opinions are my own.

Netgalley Review:

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is an intriguing look into dreams and their possibilities.  Mia has been dreaming about a man she has never met for years. One day this man from her dreams walks into her grocery store. It's a small town and after bumping into each other a few times Mia discovers that Oliver also recognized her. He has been dreaming about her. What could this mean?  Mia is happily married and finding these dreams very confusing. Together Mia and Oliver begin to research the possible meaning behind two people dreaming about each other even though they are complete strangers. 

This book is beautiful and I absolutely loved it. Dreams and destiny are fascinating subjects. The characters are likable and realistic. I will be thinking about this thought provoking book for a while. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

Romance
Women's Fiction
Release date: January 7, 2020

Author information

This was my first book by Colleen Oakley and now I want to read from her. You can find more information about Colleen Oakley and her books here.

Favorites Friday: Historical Fiction..Leila Meacham

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genre. Leila Meacham is an amazing writer in this genre. 

Roses and it's prequel, Somerset, are both beautiful stories about an amazing and strong woman. I read these quite a few years ago and loved them enough to keep them on my shelves with plans to reread them someday. I honestly bought Roses because I loved the cover and I am so happy that I did.  I loved the story and the characters. The books are about Mary Toliver and her travels west to Texas with her husband to run a cotton farm. I have read reviews comparing Roses to Gone With the Wind.  

If you enjoy historical fiction you will love these books.

You can find more information on Leila Meacham and her books here.

Happy New Year! 2020 Reading Plans/Goals

Happy New Year! Jane Austen is a favorite of mine and she is a big part of my 2020 reading plans. This was my very first set of Jane Austen books. They are Barnes & Noble editions. 

Reading plans/goals for 2020

*Reread Jane Austen novels plus read unfinished novels for the first time

*Read more classics...Bronte, Hardy, & Gaskill are on the list. 

*War & Peace is again on my list.  It is a bit intimidating and I have not read any Russian classics. Maybe this is the year I will read it. 

*Goodreads Goal...52 books...1 book a week. (Yes I read more than 52 books a year but this is a nonstressful number for me.)

*Continue with blog & Instagram 

*Improve photography skills

*Use my book journal

What are your reading plans/goals this year?

Top 9 of 2019 and December 2019 Reading Wrap Up

Everyone on Instagram has being doing their Top 9 posts so I jumped on the bandwagon. Above are my Top 9 posts on Instagram for 2019. This was fun. When I started my blog and Instagram in March 2019 they were both intended to be for book reviews. I shared a few classics posts and realized that classics are popular on Instagram. As you can see all of my Top 9 include classics. This makes me very happy because I love classics. 

I read 8 books in December 2019...it felt like more but December is always a busy month.  I enjoyed all of the books for December.

*Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Pages & Co Tilly and the Lost Fairytales by Anna James 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*The Other Mrs by Mary Kubica 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*The God Game by Danny Tobey 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Sell Low Sweet Harriet by Sherry Harris 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

*The Wives by Tarryn Fisher 4⭐⭐⭐⭐