Book #103:

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (Length: 304 pages). This psychological thriller is very well-plotted and executed and it’s smart! I didn’t see the big twist coming here, but of course, looking back all of the signs were there. The premise is a couple who has been married for coming up on ten years wins a stay at a very remote B&B in Scotland during the winter, and things get very creepy, very quickly. I had a mounting sense of dread almost the entire way through and couldn’t stop reading. I love when that happens! Because of the nature of the twist here, I’d recommend the written version of this novel over the audio. I give this a solid 4 stars!  

Book #104:

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis (Length: 413 pages). Ashlyn Greer is a young woman who owns a used bookstore and also restores old books. She happens to have a gift for psychometry and can sense the emotions of readers/owners of old books, so when she comes across a beautiful pair of books with no author’s name but with intense emotions attached, she starts to investigate the provenance of these books. This is a beautiful love story: well-written and not manipulative, which I appreciate. The storyline here is very memorable and while this was slow to start for me, I am so glad I picked this one up. 4.5 stars from me!

Book #105:

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver (Length: 372 pages).  I’ve had this book for the entire past year, having selected it from the Book of the Month club. I waited until this month to read it because I wanted to enjoy its promised seasonal vibe, and it absolutely delivered! I LOVE this book. It’s set in New York City, obviously, and the premise here is Iris, a young British chef escapes a problematic romantic relationship and comes to New York to start over. She visits a gelato shop she recognizes from her mom’s old photos, and it turns out her mom has the only existing copy of the family vanilla gelato recipe which, thanks to a somewhat unbelievable series of events, is very necessary or the business will go under. It doesn’t hurt that the shop owner’s son Gio is a total hottie! This does have more depth than most rom-coms, I adored all of the characters here and the winter in NYC setting is magical! 5 solid stars from me.

Book #106:

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton (Length: 224 pages).  This is the second book in the Queen of the Village Mystery Series featuring Agatha Raisin. I listened to this on audio (and it was delightful–so easy and fun to listen to!). I am growing to like Agatha a bit more but I’ve read one doesn’t truly get to like (and understand her) until further on in the series. This installment features a handsome new vet who tries his luck at opening his business in the village, but doesn’t seem to like animals at all. He does, however, seem to be drawn to all of the single ladies who have larger pocketbooks. Agatha solves the mystery here with the helpful of her reluctant (single and handsome) neighbor and they get into all sorts of good trouble. I enjoyed this one! The setting is just as charming, the mystery is more at the forefront in this second novel and it’s an easy read/listen. 4 stars from me.

Book #107:

The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Length:355 pages). This magical book is in the top 3 books I’ve read this year! Set in a fancy hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, which has been rented out for a $1 million wedding, Phoebe Stone (the sole guest who isn’t involved with this wedding), has arrived with the sole intention of enjoying her $800/night penthouse suite for one single night, before killing herself. Instead, Phoebe gets strong-armed into being the willful bride’s confidante and is sucked into participating in all of the drama of the week-long wedding. Spending a week with the various members of the party affects her in unexpected ways. The writing here is truly lovely, the main characters are all multi-dimensional and fantastic and the supporting characters are funny and charming. There are some laugh-out-loud lines of dialogue and while trigger warnings do abound (suicide, obviously, along with infidelity), nothing here is gratuitous in my opinion. A solid 5 stars from me!