Gwendolyn Kensinger

Thriller for beginners

Revisado: 01-05-23

Enjoyed the plotting and pacing. A bit predictable but still enjoyable. Only my second book by this author and I’m interested in trying others.

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charmingly quirky

Revisado: 05-21-22

I honestly adored this book so much! Let me forewarn you that if you’re looking for a quick rom-com this is not the book. I do think it’s a bit longer than necessary, but it also really takes its time building up the second chance narrative, the spirited coastal town of Willow Bay and its residents, as well as a bit of romance near the end. I went into it looking for the romance, but I liked that it didn’t immediately jump into things.

Annie is dealing with the end of a 26-year marriage, one in which her husband cheated on her repeatedly. At 44 years old it’s the first time Annie is truly on her own as an adult and she’s trying to come to grips with the end of her marriage and find accommodations while her and Max (her husband) figure out the division of assets. After a few hopeless days in a hotel Annie finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave the city life behind for a brand-new beginning. That’s the main focus of the novel. Annie will be watching over a secluded beach apartment and small (closed) business over the winter months. It’s an unpaid position but the rent is free. Since Max is being a bugger with the accounts and assets Annie is due this is just the thing she needs.

The community of Willow Bay was absolutely charming. Definitely the type of community I long to be a part of. What makes this such a stand out romance is there was never miscommunication, in fact the characters were quite forthcoming which was so refreshing. I also like that Annie had her weaker moments with Max as he set to woo her back. She knew he was bad news but after 26 years things are familiar and she knew in her heart of hearts what she deserved but she still showed those moments that made it all too real.

The romance doesn’t start until around the 300-page mark, so buckle in for a long meandering yet lovely tale of a season for second chances.

If you like this, check out Float Plan by Trish Doller.

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Plenty of culture, not enough romance

Revisado: 05-21-22

Plenty of culture, not enough romance.

After getting laid off from her job Niki travels to India to attend her friend’s wedding. While I can say that I learned a lot about several of the wedding ceremonies and traditions (thanks to a lot of Googling) it shied away from Diwali customs and I thought that’s what the focus of the story was about. I was wrong. In fact, Niki herself isn’t sure what Diwali is so she asks around and never gets a clear answer. Once in India, she meets the bride's friend Sam and begins a flirtatious game of will they or won't they admit their feelings for each other. Don’t worry it only takes them a week to fall in love.

Seeing as these characters knew each other for such a short period of time it was hard to feel the chemistry and therefore root for them. I also felt that the story kept straying away from the romance (what little of it there was) to criticize India and show how awful, outdated, rude, disrespectful Indian people can be. I thought this was supposed to be a celebration? Diwali, a wedding, and a romance?

I felt like so much of what happened wasn’t important to the romance. The back story about Niki’s job, her relationship with her sister, the random flashbacks from when she was a child, even the back story about Sam’s band and his relationship with his father, even the fricking wedding…. I just didn’t see the point of cramming all this into the same book. It felt much longer than the 315 pages I read. This book really could have benefitted from a glossary! I don’t mind stopping every once in awhile to look up a term here and a term there, but this was overkill. I am not familiar with these terms of endearment, items of clothing, ceremonies, recipes, etc. So having to stop and google as much as I did pulled me into and out of a story I was already feeling lukewarm about.

Ultimately, I found it to be Niki Randhawa’s personal journey mixed with a story of family, friends, culture, and a bit of love.

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painstakingly slow burn romance

Revisado: 05-21-22

Another painstakingly slow burn romance from Zapata. Shocker! From Lukov With Love is about two skaters who have always competed against each other that finally pair up and train to skate together. They’re both athletes of the sport and have known each other for a long time. However, there’s definitely some animosity there and I don’t think I quite understand it even after finishing it. I think my main problem was I didn’t like the main character, Jasmine very much. She seemed to have such a bad attitude all the time. She prejudged Lukov even though he was nothing but protective and kind to her.

I also didn’t appreciate how much negative weight talk there was. How Jasmine’s family, Lukov, and even Jasmine herself commented on her weight, shape, size, etc. so much. I understand that in figure skating, especially in pairs with lifts and jumps that weight matters, but why it was discussed the way it was and the amount it was bothered me right from the beginning. Then there was the issue and maybe I am just being picky but hear me out…. of Jasmine telling Ivan “no” and then him doing something anyway (not sexually). Most times it was done in a joking way or he was giving Jasmine what he thought she needed, but regardless no means no and the more we allow these small “playful” no, stop that, giggle, giggle, to go unnoticed the harder it becomes for some people to distinguish from a “real” no. If a woman is sick and you wanna take her out to cheer her up and she says no, leave and try again another time. If she falls on her ass and you wanna help her up and she says no take a step back and let her, do it herself. It’s pretty simple. Ultimately Jasmine and Ivan did have a talk about the way the joked around with ne another, so there was a bit of clarity there, but I would have appreciated that sooner in the story.

I really wanted this to be dual POV because Ivan seemed like such a nuanced and interesting character from the little bit we got to know him. I also hoped we would see a bit more of the big skating competition they were training for, and we did get to see some of it but I could have read another chapter of that to flesh it out a bit. I was already in 500 pages. The epilogue was a mixture of all the feelings. I had to read it twice.

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cute but unbelievable

Revisado: 05-21-22

I loved the setting of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, I enjoyed hearing Grayson tell his story to Sabrina. However, I don’t think Sabrina or Ian should have withheld the truth for so long. I realize they made their own assumptions, but they went along with it too and that’s just as bad imo. I also really wanted more of Grayson’s story and for it to feel a bit more complete. I feel like that was such a big part of the story – him sharing his time as a butler for Kay Thompson, the author of the Eloise books. It shifted to another part of Grayson’s story which was also super endearing and that’s the portion that did get a satisfying ending.

More of Sabrina and Ian…somehow, I thought they were 27-35 years old, but they weren’t. They were 19 or something like that and that’s so unbelievable to me. They did not act their age at all. While Sabrina never outright lied to Ian, she wasn’t very forthcoming with her situation, although at what point do you start opening up to a stranger? I guess when feelings start getting involved, but it’s a gray area for sure. Ian on the other hand should have said something sooner for sure. He tried several times, or couldn’t find the right time, at least that’s what we’re made to think, but when it comes to something like that how easy would it have been to knock on Sabrina’s door and say, “hey, before we head out…” When he finally does spill the beans and Sabrina is understandably upset and forgives him too quickly it’s a bit of a unbelievable factor.

I guess the real kick to the gut was Sabrina and Ian both spent the entire book saying how they could never afford to stay at the Plaza on their own, how they were just regular people with normal lives and then it all wrapped up in a magical little bow for them at the end. I would have much preferred to see them return to Sabrina’s apartment and the heat to not work and they are on the couch eating Ramen and watching rom-coms. Just me?

It was cute though and if you can suspend your disbelief and go into it knowing you’re there to get swept away into a fantasy of sorts then it’s time well spent.

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splendid debut!

Revisado: 05-21-22

The Maid is a captivating and quirky mystery about the death of a prominent hotel guest and the maid who finds his body.

The Maid felt reminiscent of a cozy mystery, but offered some unique twists to keep the reader on their toes. For starters the protagonist of the story, Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Molly’s gran used to help her interpret the world, but since her death Molly has relied on the wisdom her gran instilled in her to get by. Then one day Molly discovers a VIP of the Regency Grand Hotel dead in his hotel room and her orderly life is upended. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception that she is unable to properly understand. The point of the story isn’t to figure out who the killer is, that will seem obvious to some readers. Rather it’s about Molly figuring it out.

Splendid debut!

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dark web + drugs + manhunt

Revisado: 05-21-22

How have I lived this long and never heard of the Silk Road until now? This true crime novel tells the unbelievable story of a young man named Ross Ulbricht who built a website on the dark web that allowed people to openly trade whatever they wanted. What started as Ross creating a space to allow people to purchase drugs without a middle man morphed into a billion-dollar empire. From drugs and weapons to forged passports and counterfeit cash, even human organs, the Silk Road had it all.

I didn’t judge the writing at all because I was too engrossed with the story, but technically speaking it definitely feels more fictionalized than some might enjoy. It worked for me in spades though. I appreciated that it didn’t get too technical and that I felt like I was learning right along with Ulbricht.

I will be shocked if this doesn't end up on my fav reads of 2022.

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Not what I expected

Revisado: 05-21-22

A woman straight outta prison returns to her hometown in the hopes of seeing her daughter who she never had the chance to meet.

I have mixed feelings about this one honestly. While I appreciate Kenna’s need to reunite with her daughter, that motherly pull, and I don’t think she was expecting too much since she didn’t wanna take back that “mother” title per say, I still feel like the events that lead up to the end were unbelievable at times. Imagine returning to the town where “the accident” happened walking into a bar and immediately being attracted to the 1st guy you come across. Not only that but that guy is the ticket to seeing your daughter, and not only that but he’s your old boyfriend’s best friend who you happen to have never met. Yeah, it starts like that.

Through the story the “tragic mistake” that Kenna made is revealed and I’m not sure how I feel about it. While anyone can make a stupid decision, some of those decisions affect other people, sometimes in the worst way possible. Without spoiling what the “tragic mistake” was that’s all I can really say. As a result of what Kenna did, she ended up in prison for 5 years, gave birth while she was in prison, but never got to see her daughter so all she’s been thinking about is “I wanna see my daughter”. Upon her release she takes what money she has returns to the town where her daughter is, gets a place to live, a job, a kitten, and of course meets Ledger, previously mentioned man from the bar. Ledger also happens to be an ex-NFL player, now bar owner, key to Kenna being reunited with her daughter. When they first meet neither one knows who the other is, but as it is revealed Kenna realizes she has an uphill battle because NO ONE wants her anywhere near her daughter. In the process Ledger and Kenna start developing feelings for one another. The story becomes a mix of everyone shutting Kenna out of her daughter’s life and the connection that starts happening between Kenna and Ledger.

I liked the mother/daughter focus of the story. I even liked the romance part, but the “tragic mistake” and the ending just didn’t pull everything together for me like I hoped it would.

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This could have happened anywhere

Revisado: 05-21-22

Other than the same French phrases being repeated constantly, and the mention of croissants & coffee I’d literally have no idea this story was set in Paris. Even the croissants & coffee is a bit clique, no?

Sister is having a rough go so decides to head to Paris to stay with her brother for a bit yet when she shows up at his place he’s no where to be found. Yes, he was expecting her and yes, he left her a voice message right before she arrived. So where could he be? That’s what you spend the entire novel trying to find out. In classic Foley stye there’s multiple POVs and while I think in these mysterious circumstances multiple POVS can be quite fun, they weren’t in The Paris Apartment because all of the characters felt the same. Other than the chapters be titled with the character’s name and what floor they live on you’d have no idea who is who. They all read exactly the same. The women in the story were described physically several times so I guess if they were standing next to one another I could tell them apart but that’s about it. All of them felt like caricatures. Jess, the main character was probably the most boring of all.

The majority of the time Jess is wandering around going floor to floor asking the same 4 people, “Have you seen Ben?” “Do you know where Ben is?” “I’m worried something happened to Ben.” Literally over and over again. There’s no edge of your seat feeling, no creepy vibes, literally nothing to pull you in and keep you turning the pages at all. The chapters were short I’ll give it that, but they felt repetitive, which made them drag. Every single perspective was the same, “I have a secret, and it’s all Ben’s fault and…” switch perspective. Over and over again.

There were so many things that seemed like they were added at the last minute to beef up the plot, but they served no purpose. Some examples, the story about why Jess left London and went to stay with her brother Ben in the first place, what happened in Amsterdam, the random sex scene, etc. Overall, I was bored and uninterested throughout.

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true crime + ghost story

Revisado: 05-21-22

I’ve read The Broken Girls, The Sundown Motel and now The Book of Cold Cases and I can confidently say that The Book of Cold Cases has been my favorite Simone St. James book yet.

Part 1 blew me away. I was loving the atmosphere and the creepy vibes. It’s a mixture of haunted house and a true crime mystery. Shea Collins, a receptionist by day and blogger by night, runs a website called The Book of Cold Cases, where she digs into old crimes. Then one day Beth Greer stumbles into the doctor’s office where she works. Shea can’t believe her luck and starts trailing Beth once she leaves the office, but Beth spots her and confronts Shea, asking her what she wants. Apparently, Shea makes a decent impression because Beth agrees to be interviewed. Beth, also known as the Lady Killer from the 70s allegedly shot and killed 2 men leaving them on the side of the road with a cryptic note that taunted the police. Later she was acquitted, but people in a small town never forget.

Once Shea meets up with Beth at her house that’s when things get creepy. I loved every second of it. I also appreciated how I felt like bits of Beth’s story were being revealed to me as if I was the person interviewing her and piecing together the clues. Beth never comes out and says it, she makes Beth work for it. Luckily Shea is well versed in true crime and she obsessed over this case so she has a good head on her shoulders and her mind is in the game. There was no fluff, no pretense, the story just layer by layer started revealing all the clues and secrets it held and I was along for the ride.

Then Part 2 happened and the supernatural elements started playing a bigger role and it sort of lost me a bit. I didn’t think it leaned into the supernatural enough to be believable. It felt unbalanced against the murder investigation and overall, the story would have been better had there been a better balance or just kept the supernatural out of it altogether, but Simone St. James seems to like writing about it because it’s been in all 3 books I’ve read now.

I am finding it difficult to rate this story because there were parts that I really did like a lot, but the definitive yet unsuccessful lean towards the supernatural is just making me roll my eyes. Yet it was immersive and kept me guessing until the end. I was hooked enough that I finished it within a day, so for now 4-stars but might bump down to 3 stars depending how I feel about it in a few months.

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