anabel_unker's reviews
1113 reviews

The Mountains Between Us by Imogen Martin

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The next installment of Grace and Tom's story, THE MOUNTAINS BETWEEN US opens with the couple finally reaching Grace's brother's farmstead in rural Oregon. However, despite the peaceful surroundings and promise of a good farming life, Tom is haunted by his dishonorable dismissal from the US Army and something else he's not sharing with his beloved wife; and for herself, Grace struggles with infertility and her longing for a child. The decision is made to strike out towards California, where whispers of gold-filled mountains have begun luring men to the unsettled valley from around the world. 

The promise of financial security and the thrill of adventure spurn the couple onward, but the road is long and paved with blood, sweat, and tears.

While I had not read the first book in their series, it wasn't strictly necessary to enjoy this story. I do believe, however, my enjoyment of the character development of Grace and Tom would have been deeper had I known the beginning of their stories. This book was an approachable fictionalization of the wilds and lawlessness of California during the gold rush, and while it gleaned over some of the harsher realities
such as the senseless practice of killing and scalping Native American's for reward money
, Martin took care to allude to the practices without discussing the horrors-- which would make this an appropriate choice for a reader with more delicate sensibilities. I was impressed with Martin's attention to detail in depicting life in early San Francisco and the practice of gold mining; and I also enjoyed the characters. 

Grace's character especially had a difficult line to walk; Grace was so obviously a fiercely independent and capable woman, but, as per usual during the 1800s, she held deference for her husband (even when he was making bad decisions for the couple). As a member of a more modern audience, I applaud Martin's ability to create and sustain a character than embodied these rather conflicting personality traits. Tom, while not my favorite character in the book, was memorable in the realism in which he was portrayed; a war veteran struggling with not only PTSD (not diagnosed in the book, which is historically accurate), but also the weight of caring for his family and no idea how to do so.

I was pleasantly surprised with THE MOUNTAINS BETWEEN US, and I look forward to exploring some of Martin's other books in the near future!
Change of Heart by Falon Ballard

Go to review page

lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Campbell Andrews has no time for love. As the youngest partner at her grandmother multi-million dollar firm, her time is money and money is the name of the game. However, after a disastrous blind date with a pediatric surgeon, Cam wakes up to find herself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. With her return to the real world pending on her ability to do three things, Cam will take on her biggest challenge yet-- falling in love.

This book had such a fun premise but it fell flat on the delivery; I was expecting something akin to A Novel Love Story, but was pretty consistently let down. What I thought was supposed to be fun and a tongue-in-cheek look at the Hallmark formula for romance, ended up being exactly that: a Hallmark formula for romance, cotton-candy sweet and totally unrealistic .

Cam isn't a good person, and her complete 180 change by the end of the book was difficult to subscribe to. Sure, I could believe she switched from drinking espresso to pumpkin spice lattes with extra pumpkin spice after her ordeal-- but there was nothing that remained of her original character in the last part of the book. She had gone from bad-ass boss-bitch who took on Manhattan and did it with a cut throat intensity, to someone who was willing to give up everything she worked for at the drop of a hat. Character change and growth is a hallmark for any good story, but this was a complete overhaul. 

Her love interest, Ben Loving, was as flat as a doormat. I don't think I could tell you one character flaw or interesting thing about him-- except that he's willing to give up everything he knows and loves for a person he barely knows, with little to no explanation for why. He was the traditional Hallmark main lead-- bland, boring, and devastatingly handsome-- except he was from the real world. 

Falon Ballard is a hit or miss author for me, and unfortunately this one was a miss.
America's First Daughter by Laura Kamoie, Stephanie Dray

Go to review page

informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Kristen Bird

Go to review page

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

((Don't judge this book by its cover!!))

In the eleven months since her mother's untimely death, Dakota Green has been struggling. Underneath the weight of her mother's residual medical debt, the threat of foreclosure on her familial home, the end of her dream to graduate vet school, and the unbearable loss of her beloved mother, Dakota has been drowning. So when she discovers that one of her mom's last wishes was for her to compete in the local (and nationally renowned) beauty pageant, Dakota is suddenly faced with a choice. Does she go through with the plan and swallow her pride, or does she give up on the chance to lose the substantial prize money that could pull herself (and her aunt) out of debt?

Well, there really isn't a choice, is there? 

Thrown into the world of rhinestones and makeup, Dakota has a great support system and surprises herself by making fast friends with her fellow competitors. However, things turn sideways when a crown (and a man) go missing, thrusting Dakota's aunt into the spotlight and not in the good way. Suddenly juggling learning dance choreography and trying to solve several mysteries, this cowgirl may have gotten in way over her head.

Unexpectedly fresh and heartfelt, A BEAUTY QUEEN'S GUIDE TO MURDER AND MAYHEM, placed first for me! Bird did a wonderful job of balancing the rough-and-tumble personality of her heroine with the glitz and glamor of the pageant world. Dakota, while resistant to pageantry in the classic "I'm not like other girls" way, I was pleasantly surprised by her character growth and open to change. The mystery was fun and multilayered-- and it fell together in a satisfying ending. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Motheater by Linda H. Codega

Go to review page

emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Thrown into the river and left for dead by the mining company on Mount Kire, Motheater was pulled from the waters by Bennie. A former employee and current investigator, Bennie hopes that this unidentified woman will be the lynchpin for exposing White Hills for their deadly mining practices that have killed dozens of people since the early 1990s. However, while Motheater struggles to remember her full name, her bones remember Kire and the power she pulls from the land.

Lyrical and atmospheric, MOTHEATER tackles the idea of what people are willing to sacrifice in the name of progress and who has to pay the fee. Part literary fiction, part fantasy, part eco-horror-- this book brings together the old practices and lore of Appalachia Neighbors and the continued struggle with environmentalism v. progress.

This book moves slow, but deliberate; the best parts for me were the flashbacks to Ester's life, while the modern-day plot line with Bennie began to feel monotonous by the end. The characters were well-developed and motivated, and I think Codega did a wonderful job explaining actions through character-building and dialogue. But the best part by far was the world building-- the magic system was intriguing and rooted in old practices, the Appalachian setting was an excellently executed character in and of itself, and the eldritch horror component of this world kept me on my toes.