Top Ten Tuesday – My Most Anticipated Book Releases for the Second Half of 2020
/46 Comments/by Suzanne
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Most Anticipated Book Releases for the Second Half of 2020. As always, these are easy topics since I’m obsessed with those shiny new releases and love to share the ones I’m most excited about. The hardest part for me is just sharing ten, haha!
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My Most Anticipated Book Releases for the Second Half of 2020
(in no particular order)
CRAZY STUPID BROMANCE by Lyssa Kay Adams
MAGIC LESSONS by Alice Hoffman
THIS IS MY AMERICA by Kim Johnson
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY by Sandhya Menon
THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab
THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Fiona Davis
TIES THAT TETHER by Jane Igharo
WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Katherine Center
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What upcoming releases are you most excited about?
Review: MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
/32 Comments/by SuzannePublished by Del Rey on June 30, 2020
Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I don’t normally read much in the way of horror, but when I read the synopsis for Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s new novel, Mexican Gothic, and saw the comparisons to gothic classics Jane Eyre and Rebecca, I just couldn’t resist stepping out of my comfort zone and giving it a try. I’m so glad I did too because Mexican Gothic is one wild and seriously creepy ride!
Set in Mexico during the 1950’s, the story follows Noemi Taboada, a stylish debutante who spends much of her time either going to parties or studying anthropology. She’s trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life when her family receives a disturbing and cryptic letter from Noemi’s recently married cousin, Catalina. In her letter, Catalina rants and raves, makes it sound like she’s being held against her will, and begs for someone to come and save her from a mysterious doom. Noemi and her family hadn’t heard from Catalina much since she moved away with her new husband so her letter comes as a huge shock. Fearful for both her physical and mental well-being, Noemi sets out on the long journey to visit Catalina and assess the situation.
As soon as Noemi arrives at High Place, the remote mansion in the countryside where Catalina is living, she can tell that something is just off. The mansion is creepy, rundown, and there are signs of decay everywhere, and the family themselves doesn’t appear much better off. Howard Doyle, the patriarch of the household, is practically on his deathbed, and all rules of the house are set up so as not to disturb him, with the ultra-stern housekeeper Florence enforcing them. Catalina’s husband Virgil is equally creepy and has a predatory vibe about him that Noemi immediately dislikes, and she quickly begins to understand why Catalina could be distressed by her living arrangements. Speaking of Catalina, Noemi is rarely allowed to see or speak to her cousin, and is told that she is recovering from an illness. The few times Noemi does speak to her, she seems agitated and not at all like herself. The longer Noemi stays in the house, the more she starts to sense that something is very wrong and that it may be starting to affect her as well.
I really enjoyed the character of Noemi. She’s smart, resourceful, and quite brave. She went to that house wanting answers and she wasn’t leaving without them. She also refused to back down to anyone who got in her way, no matter how much they tried to intimidate or threaten her.
I don’t want to say anything else about the plot since the bulk of the book deals with Noemi trying to figure out what is going on in this house. I will say though that what Noemi finds blows her mind, and mine as well. Mexican Gothic is a dark, disturbing, utterly twisted and such a unique story that all of the big reveals kept me guessing. In addition to the uniqueness of the story itself, I also loved the gothic atmosphere of the setting, especially the rundown mansion with the creepy graveyard on the property. Everything about this story had me on the edge of my seat from the moment Noemi started poking around in the mansion. One of my favorite elements of the storytelling was that the author creates an environment where it becomes hard to distinguish what is real from what is illusion or perhaps an imagination run wild. I mention this in part because I do want to give a trigger warning for some graphic scenes involving a real or imagined sexual assault.
Circling back to touch on those comparisons to Jane Eyre and Rebecca, I think both of those are apt and I would also toss in a little V.C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic as well. If you’re craving a dark and haunting read, Mexican Gothic is sure to satisfy your appetite.
About Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Gods of Jade and Shadow. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.
Review: PARTY OF TWO by Jasmine Guillory
/30 Comments/by SuzanneAlso by this author: Royal Holiday (The Wedding Date, #4), While We Were Dating
Series: The Wedding Date #5
Published by Berkley Books on June 23, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 320
Also in this series: Royal Holiday (The Wedding Date, #4), While We Were Dating
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I don’t know if it’s the stress of the pandemic or because it’s finally summer, but I have found myself craving romantic reads lately. I seriously just can’t get enough of them. I’ve been enjoying Jasmine Guillory’s series, The Wedding Date, so when I saw she had a new installment in the series coming out this month, Party of Two, I couldn’t resist requesting it.
Olivia Monroe is smart, sexy, and savvy, and she’s also a successful attorney who has recently moved to L.A. to start her own law firm with her best friend. The last thing Olivia has time for in her life right now is romance, but a chance encounter in a hotel bar with a handsome man has her thinking a little romance might not be a bad thing. That is, until she later learns that the handsome man is none other than Senator Max Powell. Olivia has absolutely no interest in dating a politician or in the pressure of being in the spotlight. She still can’t deny that Max is gorgeous though…
I wanted to cringe as much as Olivia did when I realized Max was a politician, but I’ll freely admit that he won me over right away. Max is smart and handsome, but he’s also just flat out adorable. He wears disguises so he can have privacy while he’s out and about, he’s very passionate about causes that are important to him, and perhaps the biggest selling point for me, he tries to woo Olivia with cake! This is a guy after my own heart, haha. He’s not perfect though and I think that’s actually what I liked most about him. Max tends to be a little impulsive, especially when it comes to matters of love and romance. His heart is always in the right place, but he can sometimes make a mess of things because he acts first and thinks second.
I really adored both Max and Olivia from that first encounter in the hotel bar. Their chemistry was off the charts and their flirty banter was truly giving me life! Even though I’m not really a believer in love at first sight, I was immediately rooting for the two of them to give it a go. I also thought the author did a wonderful job of making both characters and their evolving relationship feel so authentic. As with most relationships, there are lots of fun moments, but also some more dramatic and stressful moments. I was completely invested in both Max and Olivia as if I actually knew them and found myself glued to the book, finishing it in just a couple of sittings, because I just had to know if they were going to get a happy ending together or not.
If you’re in the mood for a smart, sexy romance, I highly recommend giving Party of Two a try. As much as I have enjoyed The Wedding Date series overall, I won’t hesitate to say that Party of Two is my new favorite book in the series. To quote Mary Poppins, it’s “practically perfect in every way.”