Month: March 2022

4 star, YA

ARC Review: Sense and Second-Degree Murder

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Jane Austen Murder Mystery #2

Three of Jane Austen’s classic novels receive a murder mystery makeover in this romantic and thrilling three-book series that’s perfect for fans of The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and Stalking Jack the Ripper. In Sense and Second-Degree Murder, aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood and her sister Marianne, a budding detective, work together to solve the mystery of their father’s murder.

When eighteen-year-old aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood discovers her beloved father slumped over the desk of his office study, she knows his death means dire straits for the Dashwood women. To make matters worse, an outdated will entails his estate—including Norland & Company, the private investigation firm where her younger sister Marianne worked as her father’s partner and protégé—to their half-brother and his haughty wife, who waste no time in forcing the Dashwoods out of their home and into a cramped apartment on London’s Barton Street.

But before they go, the Dashwood sisters make a startling discovery that points to foul play, and the killer might be family.

Obviously, the girls must investigate. It could be dangerous; it could ruin their reputations; and most importantly, it won’t bring back their father. But if the Dashwood sisters can combine their talents and bring their father’s murderer to justice, it may bring them all some comfort—and it might even lead to love.

**Sense and Second-Degree Murder comes out April 5, 2022**

Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tirzah Price continues to amaze me with her ability to take on a familiar Jane Austen book and add a mystery twist. Sense and Second-Degree Murder took all the beloved characters of Sense and Sensibility and really drove home a few key things: the sisterly bond, romance in its different forms, and science.

Continue reading “ARC Review: Sense and Second-Degree Murder” →
4 star, adult

Review: Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The STEMinist Novellas #1

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella….

A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis – it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn….

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.

To listen to Sadie and Hannah’s stories, look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero, coming soon, available first on audio!

Ali Hazelwood does it again with her first novella following 3 STEM ladies who are the best of friends. I had the distinct pleasure of listening to the audiobook ‘cause I couldn’t wait for the print to come out (it’s totally the only reason I’m still on Audible).

Immediately we meet Mara at the very beginning and we know feelings are there between her and Liam, or at least on her side. I’m such a sucker for the unrequited feels angst and Mara was steeping in it!

But what made the pacing excellent especially for this short format story was this little taste of the present time at the beginning and then the rewind to the first moments Mara and Liam meet. For all you enemies to lovers fans, it’s definitely chaotic at the beginning.

They’re complete opposites in every way. He loves gaming and she’s a HUGE fan of The Bachelor franchise. She tries to save the environment and he’s working for the enemy company that corrupts it. What could go wrong living together? Doesn’t that just sound like an amazing setup for a love story?

Their relationship is less hate and does quickly turn into potentially something more. I do blame the quick turn of it due to the novel length but I do love some slow burn romance. I think it’s the only reason this isn’t a 5-star rating.

If you’re a fan of Ali’s writing already, this continues to show she’s a great writer with ingenious ways of incorporating women in STEM careers at the forefront. I absolutely adore that about her writing! But if you’re new to Ali’s work, this is a great introduction to a fiery romance and amazing protagonists who aren’t afraid to stand their ground in fields dominated by men. The audiobook was narrated so well and is worth listening to if you can’t wait for the print format to publish!

Overall Recommendation:

Under One Roof shows me just how excellent an author Ali Hazelwood is. Mara is a wonderful protagonist who is both relatable as a woman striving to make her voice heard and falling for the guy who has nothing in common with her, but also personally relatable to me because of her profession in STEM. The romance was fast paced but understandably moves quickly because it’s a novella. If you love forced close proximity, enemies to lovers with a dash of unrequited love angst, this is the story for you!

discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – The Evolution of Book Blogging

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

MARCH 25: THE EVOLUTION OF BOOK BLOGGING (RUKKY)

Prompts: How long have you been blogging, and how has the book blogging community changed since you started? Do you think it’s been a positive or negative change? What do you think the future of blogging will be? Would you want to keep blogging even if blogging becomes very “old school” and isn’t really done anymore?

Welcome to Spring everyone! Though it doesn’t feel like it yet necessarily, we’re already on the last week of March LTB here at DTRH. Today’s topic is from one of our very own hosts, Rukky!

I’ve only been blogging here since around fall of 2018, if I remember correctly. Time flies though! I remember being super new, not even really knowing how WordPress works, and now a lot of things are just muscle memory. I’ll forever be grateful to Andge who brought me on board, because book blogging is something that I was always interested in, and to come onto a completed site and not have to build anything from scratch was such a blessing.

That kind of answers the next prompt, but I definitely think it’s a positive addition to my life. Sure it adds a bit of time here and there, but in a good way it also adds structure to my life, and also keeps me in communications with Andge. Building something together (or even alone) has always been an exciting challenge, and seeing the fruits of your labour is also just something that keeps me going. So extra work or not, it’s definitely a good addition to my life.

Because I’m relatively new (am I?) to the scene, I really don’t have huge predictions for the trend of how blogging is going. I think it will continue to be around. After all, it’s a community that continues to grow, or at least ebb and flow. As long as there are people interested, I think it will remain around. Even if people stop, I think they’d have to move it elsewhere (e.g. another platform/media), as I believe there will always be booklovers and a community for them online.

I think partially I do book blogging for myself. While yes we try to come up with good content for the audience here, a part of it really is also to track my own progress, and also a place for self-expression. Even if blogging becomes “old school,” unless no one is reading it, I believe we’d still be posting fairly regularly! And if not, then maybe less pressure on ourselves. In that case, I would probably want to transform the blog into something of a personal library…

What do you all think about blogging? Here to stay? Or quickly fading? Would you all keep blogging if there wasn’t as much community?