Danita Reads

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

By Catherine Mack

(3.5 / 5)

On a book tour in Italy, Eleanor is planning her next book in her popular book series. She’s hoping to end the series by killing off one of the main characters, who is based on her ex, Connor, and happens to also be on the tour. But it appears that someone on the tour is trying to kill Connor for real…

This book is written in the format of Eleanor’s personal account of the events that happened. Honestly, I never completely felt a connection to her character, she just felt a bit scattered and unreliable. Part of her “style” was the use of numerous footnotes (over 200 over the course of the book). While they provided insight and some of the “real dirt” in the story, I found them a bit distracting and kept losing my spot. Things felt a bit slow in the beginning, and I think I ended up missing some of the clues to what was really going on along the way. There’s several “suspect” characters, so it could get hard to keep track of everyone’s details, and most of the characters weren’t particularly likeable. The actual solution to the mystery was something I had considered multiple aspects of along the way, but the story was twisty enough that I was never quite sure which of my theories was right until it was finally revealed. I enjoyed the various settings around Italy, so it had the feel of a vacation mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Love Algorithm

By Camilla Isley

Coming soon on April 26, 2024

(4 / 5)

Reese Campbell is a robotics engineer who has worked hard to have a successful career at Mercer Robotics. Thomas Mercer is the billionaire son of the head of the company and soon going to be the new CEO of Mercer Robotics. To learn more about the company, Thomas is assigned to follow Reese, but she considers it to be more of a “babysitting a billionaire” situation. When they meet, sparks fly, but with Thomas on track to become Reese’s boss, it makes for a complicated situation.

The Love Algorithm is the 3rd book in Camilla Isley’s True Love series. It could easily be read as a standalone, but it runs parallel to the other two books, so we get to see some previous characters along the way.

I’ve already read and enjoyed several of Camilla Isley’s books, and The Love Algorithm did not disappoint. This book follows the points of view of both main characters, and I found them to be very likeable. I love seeing successful women in engineering, and Reese was a great representative. Thomas was very down-to-Earth despite his billionaire background. I loved the interactions between Reese and Thomas. A special gem in this book was K-2P, a droid that Reese designed and had so much personality and sass, giving some literal laugh-out-loud moments. This was an overall enjoyable story that was a quick read and hard to put down!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Love Algorithm! The opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

April 13, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Extinction

By Douglas Preston

Coming soon on April 23, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

At a resort in the mountains of Colorado, multiple prehistoric animals have been de-extincted. When a newlywed couple on their honeymoon go missing while camping at the resort, law enforcement is brought in to investigate.

Extinction is the first book I’ve read by Douglas Preston, but it definitely left me wanting to read more by the author. The story was complicated and told from the perspectives of several characters, so we could see it develop from multiple angles. I really loved all the descriptions of the scenes and characters, bringing the story to life. The book takes some really wild turns along the way and was full of action, excitement and mystery. While it mostly follows law enforcement and at its core is a crime thriller, the scientific premise of de-extinction was interesting and something that could be a reality in the near future.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Forge Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Extinction! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

April 11, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Thriller 0

Icon and Inferno

By Marie Lu

Coming June 11, 2024

(4 / 5)

Icon and Inferno is the 2nd book in the Stars and Smoke series. Pop superstar-turned-spy Winter Young and agent Sydney Cossette team back up a year later for another mission for the Panacea Group, this time in Singapore.

Icon and Inferno had a similar feel to the first book, with action, mystery, romance and thrills. I read the books together, but enough background information is given catch you up if it’s been a bit. Once again, I enjoyed the complicated relationship between Winter and Sydney, and the addition of their exes added extra tension. There are surprises along the way, though I’ll admit to having my suspicions about some of the things that happened beforehand. There’s a lot of action, and while sometimes it feels a little unrealistic, it gives it the kind of excitement you feel while watching a movie. It was definitely a quick read that was hard to put down. I’m not sure if there will be another book in this series, but I’d love to read more by the author, Marie Lu.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the free review copy of Icon and Inferno! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

April 3, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Romance Thriller Young Adult 0

Stars and Smoke

By Marie Lu

Paperback edition releases tomorrow!

(4 / 5)

19-year-old Winter Young is a huge global pop star, but he still yearns for something more in his life. Unexpectedly, he is approached by a secret agency with a mission to get intel on a crime boss while performing at a private birthday concert. He is paired with Sydney Cossette, a young but effective recruit of the agency.

I had the opportunity to get an early copy of the new paperback edition of Stars and Smoke, which includes new artwork and a bonus scene. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst; all opinions in my review are solely my own.

I really enjoyed reading Stars and Smoke. I thought both of the main characters were interesting and felt relatable in their own ways, with complicated pasts. The banter between Winter and Sydney was fun and I enjoyed the development of their relationship along the way. The “pop star turned spy” concept was interesting and done well. There was a lot of action, and parts of the story even had a cinematic feel to them. I was expecting some kind of twist along the way and thought I had it all figured out, but it turns out the book was still able to provide surprises. This was one of those books where, once I started getting close to the end, I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and reading more by this author!

I received a free review copy of the book. All opinions are completely my own.

April 1, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Mystery Paperback Thriller Young Adult 0

The Husbands

By Holly Gramazio

Coming soon on April 2, 2024

(3 / 5)

Imagine coming home one night, where you live alone, only to be greeted by a strange man who turns out to be your husband. It’s a different reality, and with the mysterious husband come other small differences. When the husband goes into the attic, a different husband appears, with a different reality…

I wanted to love this book, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I didn’t really feel a connection to Lauren, the main character, so I think that was a lot of it. The beginning of the book was a bit too impersonal for my taste, since I knew very little about Lauren and the husbands were rapidly changing. We do end up getting to know Lauren a lot better as the story progresses, but I just never felt a real connection. The premise was definitely a unique and interesting investigation into “what if,” with the paranormal twist of the magic attic, seeing how ending up with different spouses changed Lauren’s life in different ways. I think I was secretly hoping for something that was more comedic or romantic, so this book just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It wasn’t a bad read, just not quite the right book for me.

Thank you to Doubleday Books | Doubleday and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Husbands. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 25, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Literary Fiction Women's Fiction 0

This Book Is Cheaper Than Therapy

By Liz Kelly, LICSW

Released today!

(4 / 5)

I’m not a big nonfiction reader, but I was drawn to the cheeky title and potential for a more lighthearted take on self-help. This book isn’t necessarily comedic, but it feels less clinical than a lot of self-help books out there and managed to get me to chuckle a few times. To me, this book felt like a toolbox filled with a variety of methods and suggestions one could pick and choose from, based on preference. A lot of the information wasn’t necessarily new to me, but this book puts it all in one place and describes things in a way that’s easy to understand. I especially liked the numerous real-world examples given throughout the book, helping me understand the concepts the author was trying to convey. There’s a lot of great information here, and I made lot of bookmarks and highlights throughout so I could refer back to those sections. It’s obvious that this book isn’t meant to completely replace therapy, but it provides a great reference to the types of skills one would work on in a therapy environment.

Thank you to PESI Publishing, Bridge City Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of This Book Is Cheaper Than Therapy! All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

March 19, 2024 by danimae1981 Kindle Nonfiction Self-help 0

The Last Bloodcarver

By Vanessa Le

Coming March 19th!

After reading a 2nd time, I’ve decided to up my rating to (5 / 5).

In the city of Theumas, 18-year-old Nhika has been completely on her own for the past 6 years. She must hide the fact that she’s a heartsooth, with the ability to heal by direct touch, but also feared because the ability can be used to hurt or kill. Her people have essentially been wiped out, and she may just be the last of her kind. When she is captured and sold by black market “butchers,” she is introduced into a different part of society with its own dark secrets.

I really enjoyed reading The Last Bloodcarver, which is the first book in a duology. This book was written so well, it’s hard to believe that it’s the author’s debut novel! Nhika, the main character, was interesting and felt relatable. Her abilities as a heartsooth/bloodcarver were unique yet explained in a way that felt intuitive and understandable. I was easily pulled into this world, which has both a fantasy and technological feel to it. Bonus points for the map included at the beginning at the book, which helped visualize the city and how it was laid out. I really enjoyed the various side characters with their own stories and quirks. With a possible murder to solve, it gives this book a bit of a whodunit feel, and while some things were easy enough to guess, others came as a surprise. This is a book I would read again, and I definitely plan to read the 2nd book when it becomes available!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst for the free copy of The Last Bloodcarver! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 18, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

Falling for Fury

By Brittany Rianne

Released today!

(4 / 5)

Addison: 25-year-old law student who struggles with mental health and the expectations set by her dad. Noah: 29-year-old businessman who is determined to succeed to support his family but has sworn off love after the grief of losing his father. The two meet by chance and sparks fly, but is a relationship possible?

This book begins with a trigger warning, which I appreciated since I have had my own struggles with mental health. I’ll admit, in the beginning I had a hard time completely understanding the two main characters, but as I got to know them better, they both grew on me. On the surface, this is a romance story with good amount of spice, but it digs so much deeper with topics about mental health, family issues and personal growth. I liked the relationship between Addison and Noah, especially with how Noah embraced Addison as she was, instead of walking on eggshells like everyone else around her. I thought the book playlist (a song for each chapter) was a nice touch, even if I didn’t always listen to it while reading the book. This book is impressive for a self-published debut author – I would have never suspected this just from reading the book.

Thank you to Brittany Rianne for the free review copy of Falling for Fury! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 10, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Ex in the City

By Portia MacIntosh

Coming February 27, 2024

(3 / 5)

Nicole once lived an exciting life, touring with bands as a magazine journalist. But these days, she’s living the suburban mom life, in a relationship that is essentially over. Then rockstar Dylan, Nicole’s former best friend, shows up, and her past and present lives come crashing together.

This was one of those books that I wished I loved, but in the end I just didn’t feel the connection to the characters and story that I was hoping to. Don’t get me wrong, the story is written well, flowed well, had character growth, and was a quick read. I think I was partially put off by Nicole sticking around with Rowan (her ex) even though the relationship was over, and it took a bit to learn exactly where things went wrong with them. Plus I think I would’ve liked to see Dylan arrive in the story sooner and more of a relationship with him and Nicole. While this wasn’t quite the right book for me, it’s something I think other readers may enjoy, so definitely don’t write it off just based on my feelings about it.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Ex in the City! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 16, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0