The Gaint's House

I got The Giant's House out of a free little library and high hopes for it. Sadly I was disappointed. I really fail to see how this can be classified as a romance.

Despite the story being about James and the fact he does not stop growing nothing is told from James point of view. The whole story is told from the local librarians point of  view who has an odd take on how James faces the world. It is just so hard to write about a book that did not feel like it was a full story more like random thoughts from Peggy and later on how her odd friendship with James gave her purpose.

Honestly if I had something else to have read at the time I would have read it.

Spook's Dark Assassin

The Spook's Dark Assassin is the final book in the Starblade Chronicles. I sort of regret reading the trilogy since it did not have the magic The Last Apprentice had.

Tom is doing his best to keep fighting the advancing threat of Kobalos who want to destroy all human males and enslave all human females. The story jumps around a lot between Tom, Alice, and Grimaklin. I got pretty bored fairly quickly since the story would get good and jump to someone else it left me frustrated and wanting answers for what was going on. The ending was a bit odd and did not really fit the story well. I just overall was not impressed with the trilogy beyond A New Darkness. I am not sure if I will read anymore of Delaney's work or not. 

Death By Digeridoo

I received a copy of Death by Didgeridoo from Mrs. Venkataraman in exchange for an honest review. Death by Didgeridoo is a delightful debut cozy mystery and I instantly fell in love with Jamie. Despite having lost her mother recently Jamie was not willing to sit down and forget to live, instead surrounding herself with her sister and nephew has helped her overcome her grief. However all that changes when Adam, Jamie's nephew, is accused of murder. One of my absolute favorite things about Jamie is that she is an attorney so it makes sense for her to get involved in murder investigations. I do hope to get to see more of Jamie's personalty and development as the series continues. While I did see a couple typos and grammar issues it did not deter from the interest I had in the story. The plot line was clear and the mystery made sense. Nothing went in circles which is a problem I often encounter with cozy mysteries. Nor where any of the characters cookie cutter in any way, each held their own and were unique to the story. I also love the title it is fun and has a nice ring to it.

Haunted is Always in Fashion

Haunted is Always in Fashion is the fourth book in the Haunt Vintage Mystery Series.

Once again a ghost has attached herself to Cookie Channel. While on her way to meet with a young woman who is writing about vintage clothing Cookie sees the police surrounding a car. Shockingly the woman, Juliana, has been shot and wants her murder solved. Urged on by the ever faithful Charlotte Cookie once again finds herself in over her head as she attempts to catch a dangerous murderer.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much Rose Pressey's writing has evolved it reads far smoother and the mystery fit together better then previous ones.  It is always entertaining to have Cookie explain why she is talking to herself since no one else can see the ghosts around her. The teaser for If the Haunting Fits, Wear It has me wanting to continue on with the series.

Explosive Alliance

Explosive Alliance was passed to me by a friend who said it was alright. Normally I like the Love Inspired Suspense stories since they are a fast read with a fun mystery. Sadly this was the weakest of the few I have read over the years.

Krista just wants to forget everything bad that happened and having spend four years away from her beloved Opa who is fighting cancer. Hoping changing her name will be enough Krista decides to return home. While at a sporting event with her Opa Krista notices that a man in a hoodie leaves behind a backpack. Fear fills her when she finds a bomb inside. With the bomber knowing who Krista is she has to look over her shoulder constantly to make sure she will not be the next victim.

The story was just okay, I was able to put the book down which has not happened with others in this genre before. I did not figure out the mystery but I also feel like no evidence was really given to let you figure out the mystery which was a let down. It is a fast read though and kept me occupied for a couple hours.

Ten Days in a Mad-House

Ten Days in a Madhouse was a free book I found through the Nook app. I was in the mood for something historical that I had not read before.

The year is 1887 and Nellie Bly is accepting a task from a publisher who wants to know what it is really like inside an insane asylum. The rumors of the horrors of Blackwell's Island cruelty were not exaggerated. Given inedible food, forced to deal with extreme cold in the building and ice bathes along with nurses who did not care if patients lived or died Nellie faced true horror for ten days.

Ten Days in a Mad-House is a short read and to the point. No fluff is provided nor is it an easy read emotionally. Nellie left out no details of the treatment of the patients nor did she stop trying to get the poor women help.

The One-in-a-Million Boy

The One in a Million Boy was in a box of books from a friend and I liked the cover. It sounded interesting and different from other stories I have read. The story moved super slow and jumped around a lot. I did get bored with parts and skim a few areas.

This is not an easy review to write since the story is different from what I have ever read before. I knew right away the boy was different (he is never named) and that he had some sort of un-diagnosed medical disorder but I could not help but like the kid. Ona was an awesome character full of life despite her age and I loved how she was having things her way. The boys father, Quinn, has no idea how to deal with the death of his son nor did he know how to deal with the child when he was alive. Belle, the boy's mother, is just broke and seems to not exist. Even though she was not a focus of the story she did come across as overly believable to me. I am not sure I would seek out another book by Monica Wood since the writing style is so unique and I did not overly care for it.