Peruse box: Can't Look Away

Good Afternoon!!

I have one more Peruse Mystery book box to share with you.  No really, I'm pretty sure I actually have managed to cancel this box for now! haha

So far all the books that I've received in my Peruse box have been really great books so I'm hoping we continue with another great read in this box.

Let's see what came in the box shall we?  The book is Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering

Opening the box we find the brochure on the top.   

In the past, I think I've failed to share this feature with you.  There are always questions for your book club.  Since I'm not participating in a book club at this time, I've found reading the questions after I finish the book is sometimes thought-provoking and helps me see things clearer or differently than I originally felt when I read the book.   There are usually some recipes related to the book as well, but I can't say that I've ever really used those.   

Let's stop here and show you the googled synopsis of the book:

"Lovering delivers another winner...a propulsive page-turner about young love and second chances. You won’t be able to put this down." —Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

"Fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins will enjoy this one." —Publishers Weekly

In 2013, twenty-three-year-old Molly Diamond is a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer. One night at a concert in East Williamsburg, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner, and can’t look away. Molly and Jake fall quickly and deeply in love, especially after he writes a hit song about her that puts his band on the map.

Nearly a decade later, Molly has given up writing and is living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her young daughter and her husband Hunter—who is decidedly not Jake Danner. Their life looks picture-perfect, but Molly is lonely; she feels out of place with the other women in their wealthy suburb and is struggling to conceive their second child. When Sabrina, a newcomer in town, walks into the yoga studio where Molly teaches and confesses her own fertility struggles, Molly believes she's finally found a friend.

But Sabrina has her own reasons for moving to Flynn Cove and befriending Molly. And as Sabrina’s secrets are slowly unspooled, her connection to Molly becomes clearer––as do secrets of Molly's own, which she’s worked hard to keep buried.

Meanwhile, a new version of Jake's hit song is on the radio, forcing Molly to confront her past and ask the ultimate questions: What happens when life turns out nothing like we thought it would when we were young and dreaming big? Does growing up mean choosing with your head, rather than your heart? And do we ever truly get over our first love?

a quick peak once we peel back the tissue paper

Yoga Poses Deck of cards

At first glance, I was super excited about these.  I thought what a cute idea but literally, all you see above is all there is on the card.   Why not some brief instructions of how to get in the pose, and what body parts this pose fires upon (maybe highlight those)-  I don't know, it just felt like a cool idea that fell short of the theory.  Because of that, I'll probably never use them.

I saw these in the snack basket this morning and forgot about them.  I need to try them because they seem like I'd really like them. 

A Turkish beach towel

It's rolled nicely and tired with a pretty ribbon but really....do we need ANOTHER beach towel??

Here it is unrolled and it's a nice enough towel but it seems so early 2000s for me.  The extra items in this box were kind of a letdown for me and totally do not justify the almost $50 price of the box.  

Here's the book.  It's a nice hardcover book but still not worth the price tag. 

Amazon currently has this with a 4.2 rating out of 471 reviews so that's encouraging.  While I've never read any of the author's other publications she seems to have a serious fan base that adores anything she writes.  I'm finishing up a quick little cozy mystery right now so I'll be starting this within the week so time will tell what we think!

I took a quick peek at this month's pick over on the Peruse site and Stay Awak by Megan Goldin is the mystery book choice.  I almost pulled the trigger and restarted my account.  It doesn't debut until tomorrow so maybe I'll just add it to my wishlist.  

Stay tuned for more antics with Samma and her book box dramas.  

                                                                      

Last Call at the Nightingale

Good Afternoon my Book Peeps!!

I'm popping in quick today to tell you about a wonderful book I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for review.

Minotaur Publishing, GoodReads, and author, Katharine Schellman are all to thank for this delightful read.

First up let's give you the googled synopsis of the book:

First in a captivating Jazz age mystery series from author Katharine Schellman, Last Call at the Nightingale beckons readers into a darkly glamorous speakeasy where music, liquor, and secrets flow.

"Schellman is at the top of her craft and delivers a murder mystery with clever twists and turns and memorable personalities."—Denny S. Bryce, Bestselling Author of Wild Women and the Blues

New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly's days are filled with drudgery, from the tenement lodging she shares with her sister to the dress shop where she sews for hours every day.

But at night, she escapes to The Nightingale, an underground dance hall where illegal liquor flows and the band plays the Charleston with reckless excitement. With a bartender willing to slip her a free glass of champagne and friends who know the owner, Vivian can lose herself in the music. No one asks where she came from or how much money she has. No one bats an eye if she flirts with men or women as long as she can keep up on the dance floor. At The Nightingale, Vivian forgets the dangers of Prohibition-era New York and finds a place that feels like home.

But then she discovers a body behind the club, and those dangers come knocking.

Caught in a police raid at the Nightingale, Vivian discovers that the dead man wasn't the nameless bootlegger he first appeared. With too many people assuming she knows more about the crime than she does, Vivian finds herself caught between the dangers of the New York's underground and the world of the city's wealthy and careless, where money can hide any sin and the lives of the poor are considered disposable...including Vivian's own.

Doesn't this sound a little Boardwalk Empire'ish??!!!  I was pretty excited to read this and even more excited to think that I might have a new series to read.

Let me say I'll start with my rating and give it a 4-Star review!  If you happen to be new around here then you know I RARELY dispense a 5-star review so 4 stars is a great review from me.   

Vivian feels, at times, dangerous and annoying but while she wasn't my favorite main character I am excited for the series to continue and to keep reading about NYC in the 20's.   I'm truly hoping that the author explores Bea a bit more as she might have been my actual favorite of the book.  I also am really intrigued by Danny and hope we hear lots more from him.  I'm also hoping the Nightingale still is the place where Vivian, Kelly, Bea and Honor continue to let loose and forget their cares. Who knows, maybe Florence will actually join them one day! 

Coming in at 312 pages, the book gives enough details of the story without feeling dragged down.  I did feel it was a bit sluggish in the beginning third of the book but it's important to set the characters base story down in a new series and I'm ok with that slow part knowing there's more to come.

All in all a very delightful book and all you Guys and Dolls should give it a whirl!  

Peace, Love & Mysteries!