Tag: 4 stars

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables – Catherine Reid

Photography – Kerry Michaels

Calling all kindred spirits! Did you know that because of the success of Anne of Green Gables the second most successful industry on Prince Edward Island is tourism? Once you look at the gorgeous landscape photography in this book you’ll want to book your trip as well.

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables has plenty of information about Anne’s creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, who preferred to be known as Maud (without an e). You’ll gain insight into her childhood and love of Prince Edward Island. The quotes from Maud’s journal are accompanied by her family photos and pages of Maud’s scrapbooks. With personal insights from Maud you’ll learn the parallels and differences between her life and Anne’s and you’ll be granted access to images of the 1908 version of Anne of Green Gables.

I felt like I’d stepped back in time while paging through this book. With photos of Prince Edward Island from the late 1800’s to today you’ll see what’s changed and what remains as if time has stood still. I particularly loved seeing the photos of Prince Edward Island throughout the seasons. My favourite comparison photos are of Teapot Rock in the 1890’s which, having eroded over time, is now known as Teacup Rock.

There’s a rustic charm to this book that would make it a lovely gift for lifelong Anne fans who will enjoy revisiting their favourite locations.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Timber Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Anne of Green Gables is a worldwide phenomenon that has sold over fifty million copies and inspired numerous films, plays, musicals, and television series. It has turned Prince Edward Island into a multimillion-dollar tourist destination visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. In The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, Catherine Reid reveals how Lucy Maud Montgomery’s deep connection to the landscape inspired her to write Anne of Green Gables. From the Lake of Shining Waters and the Haunted Wood to Lover’s Lane, readers will be immersed in the real places immortalized in the novel. Using Montgomery’s journals, archives, and scrapbooks, Reid explores the many similarities between Montgomery and her unforgettable heroine, Anne Shirley. The lush package includes Montgomery’s hand-colorized photographs, the illustrations originally used in Anne of Green Gables, and contemporary and historical photography. 

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Generations – Flavia Biondi

Translator – Carla Roncalli de Montorio

Starting this graphic novel I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was initially wary because I knew it had been translated from Italian. I always worry I’m going to miss key elements in translated works but Carla Roncalli De Montorio has done a wonderful job.

Beginning with Matteo’s train trip to his home town after three years in Milan with his boyfriend, he is certain he will not be welcomed into his father’s home. Returning with no money, job or relationship, he lands on his Nan’s doorstep, greeted by his pregnant cousin Sara. Matteo is surprised to see his aunts A, B and C are now living with his Nan. He also meets Odina, his Nan’s caregiver and Francesco, his Nan’s nurse.

Through interactions with his family, Odina and Francesco, Matteo begins to learn to deal with his problems rather than running away from them. His individual family members, some more accepting of him than others, teach him about love, support, strength and what the generations can learn from one another.

I certainly didn’t expect to cry while reading something with so few words. I guess that tells you something about how powerful this story is. Flavia Biondi, who incidentally has done a brilliant job conveying the story both in words and images, created a cast of complex characters who I came to love more because of their flaws, not despite them.

The analogy of people being apples and our family being a tree was just beautiful. Exploring themes of love, loss, grief, sexuality, homophobia and acceptance, this graphic novel’s depth pleasantly surprised me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lion Forge and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

After three years in Milan, Matteo returns home to the provincial country town where he was born and from which he had fled. Coming out as a young gay man in a provincial country town had led to ugly clashes with his conservative father, and the urban metropolis of Milan had been a welcome change from the stifling small town life of his childhood and the anger and bewilderment of some members of his family. But now, Matteo finds himself with little choice but to return home, with no money, no job, and an uncertain future, like so many other young people of his millennial generation. Afraid of encountering his estranged father, he instead takes refuge with his extended family, at a house shared by his grandmother, three aunts, and his very pregnant cousin. As he tries to rebuild his life, reconnecting with the women of his family and old hometown friends, he warily confronts a few truths about the other generations of his family – from their bigotry to their love, and tolerance, and acceptance – and a few truths about himself, including his fears of confrontation and commitment.

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Halloween Carnival Volume 3 – Brian James Freeman (editor)

Spoilers Ahead!

🎃 Horrificent Halloween Book! 🎃

N.B. Horrificent is totally a word (at least it is in my world and it’s my review so you’re in my world now whether you like it or not) and should be imagined as a unique blend of horrific and magnificent.

Halloween Carnival Volume 3 is the third of five volumes of short stories being released in time for Halloween. While I promise you I know how to count I didn’t feel like reading something the length of a novella when I started Volume 2 and then got sucked into these stories.

The Way Lost by Kelley Armstrong – 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

I absolutely loved this story. It was short but grabbed me from the first sentence – “Every Halloween, one child in Franklin lost his way and never came home.” Children in Franklin know not to go near the forest on Halloween night. Dale, however, can’t help himself. He watches at the edge of the forest, hoping to solve the mystery of how Franklin’s children lose their way, a mystery no one talks about. The creepy atmosphere in this story and the enticing dread had me wanting to sit by the edge of the forest to dare myself to uncover what was really happening to the children of this town. I need to read more by this author!

La Calavera by Kate Maruyama – 🎃🎃🎃🎃

Trish works hard on her calavera for this year’s Día de los Muertos Festival at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She attended each year with her roommate of five years, Jasmine (pronounced Yasmeen). On the day of the Festival Trish receives a phone call at work from Hector, who is supposed to still be in jail. This is a tale of binge-watching, waffles, family, obsession and letting go. I worked out how this story was going to play out fairly early but I still really enjoyed it.

The Devil’s Due by Michael McBride – 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Building the initial dread into full blown panic and then hovering around desperation for the rest of the story, this one blew me away. Taking place in Pine Springs, Colorado, this town was founded in 1867 and has a long history of prosperity. Huddled in their ranch on the evening of 30 October, Thom and Tammy silently wait, hoping against hope that this isn’t their year. Their daughter and son are asleep upstairs, unaware of the danger that infiltrates their postcard perfect community this night every year. This year there’s a bloody handprint on the Martin’s door and soon the mayor and chief of police will be coming to collect Thom so he can do his duty. I’m going to be checking out this author’s other work for sure.

A Thousand Rooms of Darkness by Taylor Grant – 🎃🎃🎃🎃

Anne has phasmophobia (fear of ghosts) and samhainophobia (fear of Halloween), and with good reason. Panic attacks and phobias have contributed to the breakdown of Anne’s previous relationships so she is understandably terrified of telling the new love of her life, Evan, of her crippling fears. But this year her haunting starts early. I enjoyed the buildup to Halloween and the increased fear Anne faces. I loved the initial twist but the final wrap up felt a tad rushed.

The Last Night of October by Greg Chapman – 🎃🎃🎃

Gerald sits in his wheelchair, oxygen mask affixed trying to deliver its breath to his emphysema affected lungs, watching the front door. He keeps watch every Halloween night until dawn, waiting for it to come. It comes every Halloween without fail. This Halloween Gerald can’t avoid it. This novella started with such promise but I found a key component of the story implausible. It jarred me out of the lovely flow I was in and I never got my momentum back.

While I had no problems with the crossroads and what the boys found there I didn’t believe that Martha could so easily convince Gerald to kill his friend. They were best friends and yes, I understand they were kids and terrified, but even if that was always going to be the outcome I would have expected a longer exchange between the three characters before the murder occurred.

My favourites in this collection were The Way Lost and The Devil’s Due. I think The Devil’s Due may have won in the photo finish but both stories had me taking note of who wrote them so I can explore their work further.

The overall theme that runs through these stories is that things are not always what they seem and while I’d expect this in Halloween tales, there’s bloodshed in each of them. While I’ve only read two of the five volumes so far I much preferred this one overall than Volume 1. I loved that even after working out that all of these stories had elements where things were not as they seemed, there were still some where I didn’t pick up on the twist until after it happened.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Hydra for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Kelley Armstrong, Kate Maruyama, Michael McBride, Taylor Grant, and Greg Chapman unleash the unsettled spirits of the past in five frightening stories collected by celebrated editor, author, and horror guru Brian James Freeman.

THE WAY LOST by Kelley Armstrong
The kids in Franklin don’t ask questions. Each Halloween, one of them disappears into the forest. Dale promised his mother he’d never go into the woods alone. But the kids in Franklin also lie.

LA CALAVERA by Kate Maruyama
The Día de los Muertos Festival at the Hollywood Cemetery used to be ours. Now, without Jasmine, it’s only right that I go one last time in her honour – before I let her go for good …

THE DEVIL’S DUE by Michael McBride
Pine Springs, Colorado, has prospered for generations by honoring its traditions and its promises. Then one man refuses to do his civic duty – and the price he must pay is fatally steep.

A THOUSAND ROOMS OF DARKNESS by Taylor Grant
Samhainophobia: an irrational fear of Halloween. Phasmophobia: an irrational fear of ghosts. For Anne, these terrors are more rational than she knows.

THE LAST NIGHT OF OCTOBER by Greg Chapman
Every year, one little boy wearing a grotesque Frankenstein mask comes knocking at Gerald’s door. Gerald has always managed to avoid him … until this year. 

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Chengdu Can Do – Barney Saltzberg

🐼 This is a sweet picture book that teaches that it’s great to be able to do things for yourself but sometimes you need help and that’s okay. 🐼

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Chengdu can do many things all by himself. He can get down from his branch, and he can look for breakfast. Chengdu can jump, he can push, and he can pull. He can climb, he can stretch, and he can swing. But sometimes even the most capable young panda could use a little help. Independent-minded toddlers will love following along as the determined Chengdu reaches for his goal of some tasty leaves. The gentle text is a delight to hear read aloud, and a variety of fold-out pages add to the fun.

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Florence Frizzball – Claire Freedman

Illustrations – Jane Massey

Florence Frizzball is having a bad hair day life. Her curly, unruly hair is the bane of her existence. She longs to have straight, flat hair like her brother, who doesn’t have to worry about hair that can’t be tamed. After a trip to Lovely Locks Florence has the hair of her dreams but is she really Florence without her frizzball? Sometimes it takes a change to appreciate those qualities, physical or otherwise, that make you unique.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Florence’s curly-whirly, wild and crazy hair couldn’t be more different from her brother Ben’s sleek and shiny do. She begs her mum to let a hairdresser try and tame it, but when she gets the restyle she’s after, will Florence be happy with the outcome? 

Claire Freedman’s rhyming text and Jane Massey’s gorgeous illustrations perfectly combine to create laugh-out-loud moments and deliver an important message about being comfortable in your own skin.

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The Secret Lives of Introverts: Inside Our Hidden World – Jenn Granneman

Not to brag or anything but my platinum Introvert membership card was recently upgraded to diamond status by scoring 100% on Jenn Granneman’s signs I may be an introvert. You’re more than welcome to join our club. We meet in a quiet coffee shop that’s closed to the general public during our meeting once every blue moon when all three of the people of our offshoot of the organisation hasn’t already had too many meetings or been peopled out that week. Actually, you’re more likely to find us at home reading or Netflix and chilling (although chances are we are really binge watching and relaxing) and texting you.

Famous introverts are listed in this book and include J.K. Rowling, Felicia Day, Audrey Hepburn, Dr Seuss, Ernest Hemingway and Steve Wozniak, so if you’ve ever had introvert shame, throw it off and know you’re in excellent company. If you’re not sure if you are an introvert, some of the following may be signs that you are:

“You do your best thinking when you’re alone”

“You often feel lonelier in a crowd than when you’re alone”

“You’re better at writing your thoughts than speaking them”

“You avoid small talk whenever possible”.

If you’re not an introvert yourself then I’m sure you know one. We’re the blur you see escaping social events after our social meter maxes out. We’re the ones who will be incredibly passionate and talk with you at length if you’ve managed to navigate your way through the labyrinth, cross the disintegrating rope bridge suspended above the lava lake and scale the mountain past the dragons to reach our inner core of trust. If you’ll failed to make your way into our inner friendship sanctum then we will most likely struggle to provide a coherent one word answer to your questions. Or maybe that’s just me??

Jenn’s message to the world is that it’s okay to be an introvert. I’ve personally celebrated my introvertism introvertness superstar introvert powers for many years, despite the extrovert evangelists surrounding me telling me I wasn’t good enough, chatty enough, smiley enough, basically any kind of enough. Seriously, they were actual evangelists, pastors even, who loved to tell me in great detail how much I sucked because I didn’t fit their mould. Needless to say, they’re happily hanging out in their mould and I broke away from their abuse abuse (yep, claiming it for what it was) and I’ve never been more at peace with myself than I am now. I definitely don’t see horns on every extrovert’s head. This is just an example of what doesn’t work if you’re an extrovert trying not so subtly to convert an introvert.

In The Secret Lives of Introverts Jenn Granneman takes us on a journey into the minds of introverts everywhere and shines a light on what makes us tick; in our mind, in the workplace, as lovers and friends. We learn that we are even different to extroverts on a neurochemical level. Common misconceptions are myth busted, our strengths are celebrated, and we’re taught how to turn our weaknesses into attributes that work for, not against, us. Yet this book isn’t just aimed at introverts. There are specific sections throughout the book that explain to extroverts why we behave in ways that often baffle them and how they can champion and understand us.

I’m one of those people who practically hiss when labels are thrown about but in this book the introvert/extrovert labels are used to explain, not condemn, and it’s made clear that we all sit along a spectrum. No one is completely one or the other. Carl Jung is quoted in the book as saying,

“Such a person would be in a lunatic asylum.”

My main complaint with this book was that I got sick of hearing about Introvert, Dear, the author’s blog/online publishing platform. I would have much preferred for there to be a disclaimer at the beginning of the book saying that all quotes, mentions of articles and surveys were from this source unless otherwise stated.

Instead it sometimes felt like I was going to read somewhere on each page, “in an Introvert, Dear article” and it started to bug me so much that it got to a point where I wondered whether it would have been more useful for me to visit there to pick and choose articles and areas of interest rather than read the book. I got over my annoyance and decided to make it a game instead, like Where’s Wally? except it was Where’s Introvert, Dear? Perhaps I should have made a rule that allowed me to have a piece of chocolate each time I found the magic words … 🍫🍫🍫

I found there were some chapters that didn’t relate to me or no longer do and it seemed sometimes that the book was aimed at people who are working or in a serious relationship for the first time. However, even the chapters that didn’t personally apply to me still held my interest. I’m a sucker for books referenced in other books so I loved that and now have a list of follow up reads to explore.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

An introvert guide and manifesto for all the quiet ones – and the people who love them.

Is there a hidden part of you that no one else sees? Do you have a vivid inner world of thoughts and emotions that your peers and loved ones can’t seem to access? Have you ever been told you’re too “quiet,” “shy,” “boring,” or “awkward”? Are your habits and comfort zones questioned by a society that doesn’t seem to get the real you? If so, you might be an introvert.

On behalf of those who have long been misunderstood, rejected, or ignored, fellow introvert Jenn Granneman writes a compassionate vindication – exploring, discovering, and celebrating the secret inner world of introverts that, only until recently, has begun to peek out and emerge into the larger social narrative. Drawing from scientific research, in-depth interviews with experts and other introverts, and her personal story, Granneman reveals the clockwork behind the introvert’s mind – and why so many people get it wrong initially.

Whether you are a bona fide introvert, an extrovert anxious to learn how we tick, or a curious ambivert, these revelations will answer the questions you’ve always had:

• What’s going on when introverts go quiet?
• What do introvert lovers need to flourish in a relationship?
• How can introverts find their own brand of fulfillment in the workplace?
• Do introverts really have a lot to say – and how do we draw it out?
• How can introverts mine their rich inner worlds of creativity and insight?
• Why might introverts party on a Friday night but stay home alone all Saturday?
• How can introverts speak out to defend their needs?

With other myths debunked and truths revealed, The Secret Lives of Introverts is an empowering manifesto that guides you toward owning your introversion by working with your nature, rather than against it, in a world where you deserve to be heard.

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Dragons: Father and Son – Alexandre Lacroix

Illustrations – Ronan Badel

Dragons: Father and Son tells the story of a father attempting to teach his son the dragon tradition of burning down houses. Drake is not exactly proficient at fire breathing, having used his abilities for cooking snacks but nothing ever as big as burning down a house!

Drake finds that he’s not quite a chip off the old block when he flies to a nearby village the next day, ready to make his father proud. Humans don’t seem to be as ferocious as his father has taught him. Can Drake find a way to make his father proud and still stay true to himself?

I loved the expressions captured on particularly the father’s face in Ronan Badel’s illustrations. The father’s use of glasses near the end was a chuckle moment for me. The illustrations complemented the story well and I imagine children will enjoy the father’s cranky expressions at the beginning of the book and the son getting ready to burn down parts of the village in earnest to please his father. I really liked the drawings of the bats.

My favourite picture would have to be when Drake tries to go to sleep the night before he sets out for the village. The look on Drake’s face as he contemplates the next day’s activities is priceless and there was a special cute factor with him holding onto his bird’s leg while the bird sleeps peacefully.

Also, dragons!!! 🐉 😃

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – words & pictures for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Strokkur is a young dragon, whose father instructs him to act like a proper dragon – and to go out and set fire to some houses. But Strokker isn’t confident about his skills and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. How will be prove himself without upsetting his dad and everyone around him? A funny and moving story about the bonds between fathers and children, with a positive, peaceful message – and all the magic and mayhem you’d hope for in a tale about dragons.

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders – Emma Woolf

In The A to Z of Eating Disorders Emma Woolf tackles the whole alphabet, including those pesky consonants Q (quinoa), X (xerophagy) and Z (zinc). Using personal experience along with recent neurological discoveries and the changes to classifications in the DSM-5, Emma’s dictionary takes a whole body approach to explaining risk factors, along with the experience of and recovery from eating disorders.

Covering topics focusing on physical, psychological, neurological, social, emotional, mental, behavioural and societal issues surrounding these disorders, this is a helpful tool for those wanting to learn more about eating disorders or those experiencing them firsthand.

E is for extremes
A is for alexythymia
T is for teeth
I is for insula
N is for neuroscience
G is for gastrointestinal complications

D is for dishonesty
I is also for impromptu
S is for selenium
O is for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
R is for recovery
D is also for deprivation
E is also for emotional eating
R is also for refeeding
S is also for set point theory

S is also for self-compassion
U is for urination
C is for carbohydrates
K is for Key’s classic study

Naturally, there is no substitute available for professional advice and supervision but this book provides useful supplementary information and guidance.

Having said that, I personally know that books can benefit someone with an eating disorder greatly. While it didn’t cure my eating disorder a young adult novel (before the genre existed) was the catalyst that stopped me vomiting after eating. It was 1993 when I read about oesophageal tears for the first time and became so terrified of them I stopped that behaviour immediately. If anyone is interested that lifesaving book was Please Don’t Go by Katherine Applegate and I originally found it at my local library. Yay libraries! I’ve since bought my own copy and will never part with it.

I’ve read many books about eating disorders since they came into my life 25 years ago (geez, that makes me feel old!) but I learned a lot personally from reading Emma’s book. I really nerded out during the explanations of how different vitamins impact on the brain’s functions. Some complex ideas are explained in ways that are accessible to those without scientific backgrounds.

I never realised that the brain uses 50% of the body’s blood sugar, even when you’re at rest and that fat makes up 60% of the dry weight of the brain. Just those two points explain so much about the behaviour and thought patterns of people with food starved brains.

I wasn’t aware of the correlation between disordered eating and hoarding tendencies, although given the similarities in traits between the two it shouldn’t have been a surprise. It also turns out there are many “rexia’s” I’d never heard of including bigorexia, drunkorexia, orthorexia and pathorexia, along with terms like Veganuary and Flexitarianism. I guess I’ve been away from social media just about the right length of time if I’m becoming out of touch with the social world.

I found this book’s no nonsense approach to be refreshing. It encourages accountability and taking steps to help yourself along with obtaining much needed support from professionals. It provides empowerment rather than condescension, hope rather than condemnation, and talks to rather than at you.

I loved the explanation of the role of control in eating disorders. Those with anorexia in particular can feel that their lives are out of control and the only thing they can control is food – what they eat, when they eat and how much they restrict, but in fact this is an illusion. Emma made a 💡 lightbulb moment 💡 point for me, that it’s actually the eating disorder that controls you, not the other way around.

I don’t personally believe the superfood hype so to read that Popeye was right made my heart sing. 🎶 Spinach is more nutritious than kale! 🎶 I detest kale!

My small gripe with this book is the lack of references. The author will say that “studies have shown…” but doesn’t back her statement up with citations which could diminish the credibility of these claims in the eyes of the reader. So unfortunately I can’t tell you the details of the studies that debunk kale, but I want to believe!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sheldon Press for the opportunity to read this book. I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Are you worried about your food intake? Do you weigh yourself most days and feel guilty if you gain half a pound? Do strict rules dominate your mealtimes and life, just so you can feel more in control?

The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a road map for anyone who wants a way out of the bewildering world of disordered eating and body-image anxiety.

From anorexia, bingeing and clean eating, to social media, yo-yo dieting and size zero, this book explores these complex conditions from a range of angles, offering valuable insights and hope.

In this inspiring, impeccably researched book, renowned writer and broadcaster Emma Woolf says, ‘Eating disorders cause untold misery and can affect anyone at any time of life. As someone who has lived through anorexia and recovery, I receive emails every day from those desperate for guidance. The A to Z of Eating Disorders helps to demystify disordered eating and sets you back on the path to a happy, healthy relationship with food.’

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The Murders of Molly Southbourne – Tade Thompson

Spoilers Ahead!

💉 Halloween Haemorrhage Book! 💉

Molly Southbourne’s parents teach her four very important rules:

“If you see yourself, run. Don’t bleed. Blot, burn, bleach. Find a hole, find your parents.“

Sorry, but that’s about all you’re getting from me about The Murders of Molly Southbourne. If I tell you any more than what you read in the book’s blurb I’m going to spoil the story for you.

This novella is a quick read and I needed to keep reading to find out how it was all going to be resolved. There’s a nice twist and potential for another book. I’m usually a fan of endings that don’t form question marks above my head but for Molly I really feel the ambiguity of what happens after the final sentence works in its favour. Having said that, should there be another Molly/molly book I would be interested.

Despite rule #2, there is a fair bit of bloodshed in this book so if you’ve got a case of haemophobia and an overactive imagination, buyer beware. It’s in context with the storyline and I didn’t feel it was gratuitous at all.

There was one section that really annoyed me because it didn’t feel like it belonged in or added any value to the story. I didn’t see why there had to be a threesome with Molly, the professor and a molly. Call me a prude if you want but I just don’t see why you’d be interested in having sex with your doppelgänger and if for some reason you were, why you would when you know you’re going to kill them in a few hours time.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The rule is simple: don’t bleed.

For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she’s been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.

Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she’ll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?

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Rogue Justice #1: Twisted Truth – Melinda Leigh

Having never heard of Melinda Leigh (I know … shame on me!) this novella seemed like a perfect taste test of her writing. A double homicide with a surprise find, a child chained in the basement, this sounded like my kind of book. So I ignored the fact that it’s listed as a romance (ARGH! Get it away from me!) and instead focused on the mystery and thriller categorisation (WOOHOO!) and dived in. This was fun!

I don’t know about you but I innately trust a book that has a sentence like “Small Town Rule #1: There’s always room for pie.” If an author understands dessert, then they’ve gotta be OK.

Twisted Truth is told in alternating chapters by Rogue County Detective Seth Harding and his county social worker wife, Carly. Seth and Carly have an eight year old daughter, Brianna, who has a pygmy goat called Prince Eric and a pony called Maximus.

Now, it seems to me that this town would be lost without Carly’s family as they practically run the whole show. Are you ready???

  • Carly’s mother, Patsy, is an emergency foster carer and the family farm also takes on the overflow from the county animal shelter. Patsy has an Irish Setter called Trina.
  • Carly’s late father had been the police chief of Solitude, their hometown.
  • Carly’s younger brother, Bruce, is the new rookie in the sheriff’s department and is adorable!
  • Carly’s older brother, James, is the mayor of Solitude.
  • Carly’s sister, Stevie, is a Solitude patrol officer and is married to Zane Duncan, Solitude’s police chief.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt like the words were flowing around me and I could imagine it as a great beach read. There was always something happening to move the story forward. There was enough information about the characters to make you care about them and hope they didn’t get killed. There was a close family but they still had problems so you could relate to them and admire their closeness without them coming across as idealistic.

I really liked that Carly was haunted by a previous case as that gave her character more depth and gave me something to chew on while I was digesting the details of the main story. My only niggle was that there were a few loose ends about the baddie/s that weren’t neatly wrapped in a bow for me. However, book 2 is coming soon so I expect my questions may be answered in time.

Favourite Character: Prince Eric. This little pygmy goat escape artist has horns and knows how to use them. A close second was Patsy. A woman adept at pie making and knows her way around a shotgun? What a cool grandma!

You know that classic Raiders of the Lost Ark scene when Indy goes up against the swordsman?

Remember that when you’re reading and you’ll understand why I cheered towards the end of this book.

Oh, and naturally the FBI rock up after the action’s all over. Yay FBI guys!

So, the biggest negative of this book? The fact that I have discovered Melinda Leigh so late in the game, so I have about a bazillion of her books to catch up on. Ha! Like reading has ever been a chore! 😜

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When Detective Seth Harding responds to shots being fired, he faces a familiar sight: a double homicide. However, he is shocked to find a young boy chained in the basement. The terrified child refuses to speak, but Seth knows he is the key to something sinister.

Reluctantly, Seth calls the only social worker he trusts with the traumatised boy — his wife. Carly is recovering from her own trauma suffered on the job, but she can’t turn away from this case, not from another child in trouble. With torrential rain bearing down, threatening to isolate their little town in a killer flood, Seth and Carly know the best way to keep the boy safe from danger is to take him back to their farm.

But danger is as relentless as the storm. And it’s following them all the way home.

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