Live in Love

This kind of book is definitely outside of my comfort zone.

I've literally had friends tell me they never imagined I would enjoy a book like this and were genuinely surprised when they saw me with it. But I loved it.

I'm a little biased because I absolutely love Thomas Rhett's music. I, like most people, met his wife Lauren through his music. I quickly followed her on Instagram and Facebook and watched with delight as she chronicled their family life.

So when she announced her book, I knew I had to have it.

What I love most about this book is that she doesn't shy away from anything.

She talks about her childhood, her relationship with God, her struggles to accept the life of a musician's wife, everything. Growing up in a small town in Tennessee, she never expected to be living the life of stardom. It just really struck me how REAL she is.

 

She and Thomas Rhett had real struggles to work through that I think are true of any marriage. But she's honest about it. Thomas Rhett even makes a few appearances in the book to tell his side of the story. Which I think, just talking these things through probably brought them closer together as a couple.

 

Live in Love: Growing Together through Life's Changes was a breezy, relaxing read for me.

In the very beginning, Lauren says she hopes this book will be whatever you need it to be, "a self-help book, a romantic escape, a marriage book, a family guide, a beacon of faith, a behind-the-curtain peek at a country music couple, an inside look at the trails of the international adoption process, or just a light-and-love-filled distraction of the darkness that seems to fill up the news these days."

She did that, all in 300 beautifully written pages.

Capturing the Devil

This is it.

This is the end.

 

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have one last demon to catch before they can finally settle down. One last madman who might have come to America on the very same ship.

 

Like the rest of this YA historical fiction series, Capturing the Devil is loosely based on America's first serial killer, H. H. Holmes. For those who don't know, H. H. Holmes was a dubbed "Devil in the White City." He created a hotel that covered an entire city block. But this hotel really his torture palace. He spent many years torturing and murdering women inside these walls. There was also mass hysteria surrounding the idea that Jack the Ripper was stalking the streets of Chicago. Could it be that Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes are the same person?

Alright, let's talk about Cressworth.

I love them.

 

Most of the book surrounded their relationship and their undying love for each other, which kind of made me want to gag but I definitely caught myself grinning like a teenager reading about their love. It's just so raw and intense. After everything they've been through together, and all the twists and turns in this book, they deserve the ending they got. It was magical, honestly.

This really was a perfect ending.

Looking for other books by Kerri Maniscalco?

Stalking Jack the Ripper (SJTR #1)

Hunting Prince Dracula (SJTR #2)

Escaping from Houdini (SJTR #3)

Becoming the Dark Prince (SJTR #3.5)

Kingdom of the Wicked (KOTW #1)

Kingdom of the Cursed (KOTW #2)

Kingdom of the Feared (KOTW #3)

Becoming the Dark Prince

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell are my favorite YA lit couple.

 If Kerri Maniscalco would write more books from Thomas's perspective, I would literally read them all. His energy is fun, but mysterious. It's like he's a perfect gentleman but has no problem teasing Audrey Rose to the very edge. It's a fantastic dynamic.

So Becoming the Dark Prince is a short novella, about a hundred pages.

It's set on the carnival cruise ship from Escaping from Houdini, specifically the scene where Audrey Rose takes a knife to the leg. I read it between Escaping from Houdini (book 3) and Capturing the Devil (book 4). It's definitely a lighthearted read between all the macabre we're used to reading when dealing with these characters. It felt like a reminder that they were still only 17 years old.

 

There's not much to be said plot wise because we already know what happens in the end. But reading it through Thomas's eyes and feeling all the emotions he was feeling was an absolute treat.

 I'll be starting Capturing the Devil soon!

 

Looking for other books by Kerri Maniscalco?

Stalking Jack the Ripper (SJTR #1)

Hunting Prince Dracula (SJTR #2)

Escaping from Houdini (SJTR #3)

Capturing the Devil (SJTR #4)

Kingdom of the Wicked (KOTW #1)

Kingdom of the Cursed (KOTW #2)

Kingdom of the Feared (KOTW #3)

The Last Story of Mina Lee

A few weeks ago I started seeing this book everywhere.

 So when I snagged an arc from NetGalley, I was ECSTATIC.

The Last Story of Mina Lee is told in alternating viewpoints between Mina and her daughter, Margot. Most of Mina's story is told in the past, leading up to her death in 2014. Which is where Margot's story picks up, finding her mother face down in her apartment.

This book tackles a multitude of topics; such as immigration, depression, mortality, motherhood, friendship, and love. I originally picked this book up because I just moved back to America from Korea about a year ago. Now, I will never understand the exact nature of Mina moving to LA from Seoul. But I do understand some of the things she went through. That culture shock moving between countries is something you will never completely understand, until you're living it yourself.

All of the women in this book show such great strength. Mina left Korea for a better life in LA, she never expected to feel like such an outsider. Mrs. Baek left her abusive husband, only to be stuck in a similar situation millions of miles away. Margot moved out, ashamed of her mothers rundown apartment and small shop that was barely getting by. But in the end, she learned more about her mothers history than she could have ever expected. But she had to learn it without her mother, knowing some of these stories will never be told.

 

Absolutely phenomenal debut book by Nancy Jooyoun Kim!

 

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Park Row Books for sending me an advanced copy.

 

The Last Story of Mina Lee hits shelves September 1, 2020!!

Midnight Sun

It's here, it's finally here.

I have been waiting for this book for 12 YEARS.

At this particular moment, that would mean I have spent half of my life waiting for Midnight Sun.

 

So we all remember Twilight, obviously. We know Midnight Sun is supposed to just be Twilight but from Edward's perspective. It's safe to say we were all beyond ready to get inside Edward's head.

But my god, for a 100+ year old vampire, he sure as hell has the mindset of a possessive 17 year old boy.

But all toxicity aside, this was everything I could have ever hoped for.

This was a direct insight into the Cullen family. We got to see how they all worked together, the squabbles they had, and the amount of love they all had for themselves and specifically for Bella....well not Rosalie, but the rest of the Cullen Clan loved her. This felt like I was experiencing my first love all over again. The raw emotions were radiating off the pages and I was soaking it all in.

It was comical too.

I don't think it was meant to be, but sometimes listening to Edward's inner voice made me laugh hysterically. He's sitting there thinking Bella is absolutely terrified by him and repulsed by his skin and she's literally just sitting there like, "Dude, you're so pretty."

But the funniest Edward moment by far was when he calls Alice and says "Make sure Bella remembers to eat three times a day." Which I mean, cmon that's hilarious. She's been surviving as a human for the last 17 years, I think she can remember to feed herself. 

Anyway, I'm beyond content now that I have filled my teenage dream of reading Midnight Sun.

Looking for the rest of the series?

The Twilight Saga

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner