Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Cover Reveal for Trace of Darkness by RB Hilliard
Review for The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
Paperback, 336 pages
Publication: August 31st 2021 by Berkley Books
Genre:
Chick Lit, Books About Books, Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
From Goodreads: June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.
Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.
Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.
To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she's determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.
My Thoughts: Imagine that your whole world is being
threatened to be taken from you. That
is exactly what June Jones is feeling.
The library that her mother worked at and that she now works at is
possibly being closed. She tries to stay out of it but her heart
steps in and she knows that she must step up and do what she can to help.
I liked most
seeing June step up. She was a mousy
librarian when the story started. As the
story continues, she finds her voice, her strength, and uses them for the good
of the library and the community. She
finds that the visitors of the library see her as more than just a librarian,
but as their friend also. The library
has multiple meanings for each visitor and as the fight to save the library
goes on each person shares their story.
I loved hearing about the visitors, their need for the library, and how
it affects their lives. It is true that
a library is not just a place to get books to read, it is a place to make
friends, a place to find warmth, a place to escape from their homes, and a
place to be safe.
Freya Sampson
did a great job of taking a diverse set of characters and pulling their lives
together. Weaving their stories to make
one larger picture that was beautiful.
I loved seeing each character come into their own, seeing them come
together for each other, and seeing a wonderful library become the center of a
community.
**Thank you Tara O'Connor at Penguin Random House for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Add to your
MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your
own copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
Meet Freya Sampson: Freya Sampson works in TV as an executive producer. Her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British Royal Family, and a number of factual and entertainment series.
She studied
History at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter
Novel Prize.
She lives in
London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat. The Last
Library is her debut novel.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Cover Reveal for #Fraser by Even Monroe
I look like hell.
There’s no denying it.
The mirror reflects tired gray eyes and bone-deep weariness. The last few days, there’s been a gritty feeling I can’t quite blink away. Shadows below tell the tale of long days and nights chained to the desk. The bathroom light is stark and unforgiving, and my weary face stares back at me, joyless. Shaking my head, I pick up the razor. I don’t have all day to brood.
Carefully maneuvering the sharp blades along my jawline, it deftly cuts through yesterday’s growth. Every individual hair cut to skin level, the precision of these German-made blades is ruthless. I admire an instrument that carries out its job to perfection.
The parallel of this razor with my life isn’t lost on me. So much of my time is spent deployed by others to gracefully deliver the death blow and cut my opponents off at the knees. My battlefield is the courtroom, and there’s no break from the relentless pressure and the switch from being on the attack to being on the defensive in the blink of an eye.
It’s stress and argument and persuasion.
All.
Day.
Long.
Toweling off the last of the lather from my face, I try a grin on for size, really giving it a good hard go. I get halfway before I admit defeat. My shoulders slump. How is it that I can muster up so little inner joy? The face in the reflection falls back into neutral, the emotionless mask that comes so easily these days.
Determined not to dwell, I roll my shoulders, stand tall, and run my hands through my hair with some product to keep it in place. Feeling a twinge in my bicep, I remind myself that I need to slow down on the arm work at the gym. I’ve been training too hard, punishing the punching bag.
Despite my sun-deprived face, I do keep myself in fighting shape. Not that anyone sees me naked. God knows why, it’s been embarrassingly long since my sex life was anything to boast about.
For years now, it’s been work, work, work—all my attention has been on my career. But for me, work is more than just a job. It’s a calling, and for the longest time, it has been everything. My work is important, not only to me but for its wide-reaching impact, and I feel the weight of responsibility that goes along with it. I mentally note to get outside for some fresh air today and maybe speak to someone about something other than one of my cases.
The problem is, I have no idea where I’d even find someone to speak to about something normal. I have a close group of friends, but the four of us are all separated right now, and our jobs have taken us in strange directions. All of us working our asses off with no time for anything else.
And where the hell do you think you’re ever going to find a girlfriend? I groan, tightening the towel around my hips and turning to leave the bathroom. Somehow, I’ve ended up in a routine that has me a slave to the office, and honestly, I can’t remember the last time I looked at a woman and felt even a stir of interest.
Fuck, I need to get out more.
New Release from Ivy Fox, Author of Fearless