Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel

by James Markert

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He’d been staring at her in awe but was afraid to say it—in awe because of her pretty face he wanted to touch but somehow couldn’t or shouldn’t, in awe because of those blue eyes that still looked as bright as liquid paint, in awe because of who she still was, that comforting soul, even as a child, who had always seemed to be a bandage for things in need of bandaging.

Time can be a tenuous dancing partner, Mr. Gandy. And memory the devil. Sometimes the wounds we can’t see leave the worst scars, unless they’re tended to.

Her demeanor immediately relaxed them, her smile a deep breath, her gait showing a grace no Tinseltown set could ever muster.

Juba was a vault stuck inside of a vault and he’d swallowed the key long ago.

 My Review:

This was only my second time reading James Markert’s masterful storytelling and I was once again wonderstruck by his intricate texturing and craftsmanship. This man can deftly weave a captivating and sophisticated yet circuitous tale that is not fully comprehended until reaching that last thoughtfully written page.   The story was slowly and stealthily crafted with threads of Greek mythology, history, and creative magic while deploying a narrative densely populated with elusive and eccentric characters who navigate interesting twists and turns that appeared ancillary until it was apparent they weren’t. Didn’t I mention he was clever and sneaky?

 I’ll Be Watching You

by Courtney Evan Tate

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

The Lieutenant’s Nurse

by Sara Ackerman

Paperback: 352 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (March 5, 2019)

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Eva had been shown a Pro-kit— sulfa ointment, directions, and a soaped-up cloth— and told to hand them out to every soldier who left the hospital. A Good Soldier Will Not Get Venereal Disease was stamped across the front.

Murmurs erupted and the room cleared faster than if someone had let loose a bagful of snakes.

He felt as though he were watching a war movie, his eyes unable to believe what he saw. He kept thinking about that first Zero and how close it had been. The bastard had actually waved. That face, he would never forget.

I swear to you, that morgue right there is enough to turn anyone against a war. Even the most hardened general. You ask me, it ought to be required visiting for those folks.

 My Review:

This was an engaging and poignantly written tale which combined fact and fiction, although, there were more surprising factual events than I was ever aware of or would have expected. The premise was unique and entertaining, with writing that squeezed my heart while continually plucking at my curiosity. I enjoyed the well-crafted mystery as well as the interplays between characters as much as I appreciated the historical significance of the story. Ms. Ackerman’s characters were complicated, smart, disarmingly endearing, and well fleshed out. Her scenes were lushly described and well textured to involve and employ all the senses. And despite the traumatic backdrop of the carnage of war, the emotional tone was generally well-balanced with surprising twists and unexpected bursts of wit tucked in.

I live in Hawaii and though I wasn’t around during the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am old but not that old, it was several levels beyond cool to read a book that mentioned quintessential local landmarks that were familiar and special to me. Some are no longer standing such as the iconic Dole Cannery water tower, which was shaped and painted like a pineapple; where else in the world would you ever see one of those? Having trod many of the same steps, it was supremely pleasing to be able to read of the locales they frequented and know exactly where they were and what it looked like. I’ve also sucked back drinks at sunset at the illustrious Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which is still lovely and still pink. And I could hear the crunch and taste the pleasant crispness as the nurses snacked on Saloon Pilot crackers, which are the absolute best and still baked fresh in Honolulu. Reading that scene had me cheating on my diet while digging my own tin out of the pantry and grabbing the guava jelly for an afternoon treat. That extra pound on the scale tomorrow will be blamed on Sara Ackerman’s charismatic storytelling.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Marched to the beat of a different drum, did she?” “She marched to the beat of an entirely different band. One you’ve never heard of and under no circumstances ever expected to like.”

Whenever I think of Annika, my mind returns to the way we left things and the same unanswered question. It’s like a pebble in my shoe, uncomfortable but not unbearable. But it’s always there.

He had the whitest teeth I’d ever seen, which made me think his kisses would taste like Pep O Mint Life Savers. Joe’s kisses probably tasted like pot and Funyuns. And failure.

All my life, I’d been waiting for someone I could be myself with. It had never occurred to me that I could be that person for someone else.

It’s a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt… My best friend bought me a book of them. ‘Do one thing every day that scares you’ is what got me through my twenties.

My Review:

This is my favorite book so far this year, it was highly engaging, keenly insightful, and hit all the feels. The storylines were ingeniously crafted and flawlessly populated with an intriguing and captivating cast of characters. Ms. Graves’ writing was emotive and perfectly pitched; she bruised my cold heart, held me transfixed to my Kindle, and stung my eyes more than once.

The story was cleverly woven between two timelines and told from the equally mesmerizing POVs of the two compelling and intriguing main characters. This was my inaugural outing with the stunningly talented Tracey Garvis Graves and I am at a total loss as to why I have never availed myself of this clever scribe’s works before as it was nothing short of brilliant.   I covet all her lovely words and am greedy to amass her entire listing.

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Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-one languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, and The Girl He Used to Know. She is hard at work on her next book.

Marigold Doyle’s life was perfect, with a successful career and a wonderful marriage. But when her husband, Julian, passes away, her life is thrown into turmoil as she discovers a trail of secrets Julian was hiding in the months prior to his death. Struggling with her grief, she knows she needs to find out Julian’s actions to help her move on.

Finn Schröder, a former police officer and now a private security consultant, is focused on an uncomplicated, unattached life and growing his business. He agrees to help Marigold find out the truth about Julian, but as they become closer, he realizes his feelings for her may be developing beyond simply professional.

As Marigold and Finn work through the web of Julian’s deception, will they learn to face the reality that things aren’t always exactly as they seem?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She’d end up running D-Line one day after her father retired, or she’d become the Prime Minister. They seemed like the only two jobs worthy of her.

Why was life so unfair? She’d lost her husband, she’d discovered he’d been keeping an entire, furnished apartment secret from her, she’d been barred from her work, and now she was going to have to spend all afternoon with her mother.

They’d host dinner parties, but the friends were always couples. They’d enter the property, two-by-two, like some form of well-heeled, impeccably-dressed human recreation of Noah’s Ark.

Perfectly imperfect. She’d take that. Perfect, after all, was totally and completely over-rated.

My Review:

I adored this cleverly penned book from beginning to end. The premise and writing were intriguing and original with a well-crafted mystery running through the center that kept my curiosity primed, although the complex characters were just as intriguing and unpredictable. The storylines were highly engaging and cunningly paced with a fair balance of humor, angst, and intrigue.

What sealed the deal for me was the wily Ms. Mayfair’s expert character development, as she has filled her tale with an authentic and uniquely complicated cast of characters who were not genuinely appealing or always likable, yet never failed to hold my interest. The observantly insightful and detailed manner in which characters’ emotional tones were narrated were an important part of the journey and frequently shifted with surprise revelations, humbling epiphanies, staggering stressors, irritations and annoyance, flashes of anger, relaxed amusement, and ultimately ending with a satisfying and sigh-inducing HEA. And as this is only her third published book within less than a year, I am quite eager to see what this crafty new talent comes up with next.