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The Red Ribbon (True Colors #8)
The Red Ribbon (True Colors #8)
Pepper D. Basham | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
While this is not my first time reading a book by Pepper Basham it is one of my favorites! She combined two of my favorite things in one book (Mystery + Sweet Romance) and did it in a thoroughly enjoyable way. The True Colors crime series by Barbour has been one of my most looked forward to installments over this past year, each author bringing a different writing style and creativity to the table.

The Red Ribbon had great character build-ups, sweet moments, and mystery on every page. Ava and Jeremiah were an interesting couple that kept me engaged swept up in the story with them. The story itself was well written and a great mystery; I am glad Pepper Basham chose to write about this mystery as I had not heard of it before. I think because the story was based in her backyard that Pepper Basham was able to bring a lot of realism and vivid descriptions to town life, the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the character's actions. Fans of mysteries need to put this on their TBR pile as it will give them a very interesting story to read!

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the intriguing mystery, and for the well-developed storyline that pulled me in and would not let go.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
A Monster Calls (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
2016 | Drama, Fantasy
I hit Cineworld first thing on New Year's Day to get this month's monies worth out of my Unlimited Card. First up was A Monster Calls, based on the Patrick Ness/Siobhan Dowd book. Shame on me, I haven't read it, it never really seemed like something I would want to read. Even after seeing it I can't tell you if I enjoyed it or not. For those of you who saw My Sister's Keeper you'll be able to identify with the reaction in the cinema. There were under ten of us in there, and all you could hear was sniffing. I would imagine that if you could have seen everyone there would have been sleeves pulled down to wipe tears away.
  
The Bride Test
The Bride Test
Helen Hoang | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received The Bride Test on Saturday, a few days before today's (May 7th) release date, through Book of the Month. I've been really excited about this one, because it's another adult romance with an autistic main character, like the first book, The Kiss Quotient. (The author is also autistic.) There's actually a lot of #ownvoices representation here; Hoang has an author's note at the end talking about how much of Esme's personality and struggles are based on her own mother, who immigrated from Vietnam as a refugee at the end of the Vietnam war. I love that in writing the book, Hoang grew closer to her mother as she learned about her history. Definitely don't miss the author's note at the end of this book, if you read it!

I have mixed feelings about this one, but unfortunately the part I really have mixed feelings about is very spoilery, so I can't talk about it without ruining major plot points! Overall, I did really like the book, and Khai showed a lot of the same traits my husband does. The first book's autistic character is female, so it was nice to see a character so similar to my husband this time. The characters from The Kiss Quotient do make a token appearance in The Bride Test, and I'm hoping Hoang will finally write Quan's story next! There is an untitled third book in the series due out in 2020, so I'm crossing fingers for Quan!

I absolutely adored Esme in this book. She is hardworking and strong-willed, and knows what she's worth. I wish she'd been a little more honest with Khai, but I can understand being too afraid to be fully honest with someone who could have such control over your future. I did really enjoy this sequel, and I can't wait to hear what the plot will be for the third book.

You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com