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The Art of Always by Patricia Friedrich
Stacey Irving • November 1, 2022
Interesting historical fiction
I just finished The Art of Always by Patricia Friedrich
So close to graduating, art history Major Darcey Mendes needs a topic to write her thesis on to be able to graduate with her class and help her family not lose their home. Being in such gratitude to her parents as they watch her daughter when she is in school, a daughter no one knows about.
Archie, her friend from a rich and influential family, reappears in her life, bringing with him the salvation of a topic for her thesis and the underlying feelings she harbors for him. His great-grandmother was a modernist painter, on the verge of super stardom in the 1920s yet disappeared from the spotlight after her exhibition.
As she translates Ana’s story from letters, she finds a mystery that may cause such despair to Archie’s family but it is too late to find another subject to write about. Can Darcey do the right thing for everyone involved without giving up her dreams? Can she find a way without hurting the man she loves?
I really enjoyed the parts about Ana. The storyline there was rich and I felt so connected to how Ana was feeling during this time in her life. A free spirit held in the confines of a time that wasn’t ready for her. She was born in the wrong era. As a painter myself, I can completely understand what painting is for her and the sacrifices… My heart tore open when I found out about that. An unbelievably hard thing she had to do.
I didn’t connect with Darcy. Hiding her kid? Weird and as a mother, you never have a need to do that unless the child is in danger and hers was not. Putting school ahead of her child too…. I just can’t. She treated Archie like poop and having them end up together made me sour. I didn’t find anything redeemable in Darcy for me and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
Can’t fault the author, they nailed this book. Their writing captivated me and shaped my opinions so they have a lot of talent, I just felt Darcy could have been better. More rationale as to why she was the way she was and why she dealt with things the way she did.
Definitely a solid 4 star read. I would recommend it to other readers who enjoy historical fiction that straddles two eras and who likes the letter format for writing.
Thank you to @katieandbreyPA for my review copy and to the author, @patricia.friedrich.author
I just finished How to help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein and here are my thoughts. Cassandra returns to her hometown after the death of her grandmother. The last person she expects to see is her old best friend Seth. Seth needs her help. He is a werewolf and he needs the potion her grandmother was making for him and she just discovered she is a witch.. They come to a truce to get what they both need but the mating bond that is heating up between them and it really is a case of life or death. Cassie is my kind of MC. She was funny and sweet. I wasn’t a massive fan of Seths. I think he did a poor job of apologizing to Cassie for how he treated her. The pace was a bit insane. One minute the story was going a million miles per min then it didn’t seem to go anywhere but I kinda liked it. It felt like it was giving me time to catch up with my heart. The smut was perfect. Even if you don’t enjoy the story, the steam will do it for you. I think it was a good start to a series, the paranormal storyline was highly entertaining. I enjoyed the humor and I laughed out loud a few times. The world building was done really well but the writing got a bit juvenile in places but I could overlook that. 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #howtohelpahungrywerewolf #charlottestein #paranormalromance #shifterromance #smuttyread #booklover #smp #stmartinspress #bookinfluencer #bookreview #bookishblog #readerblog #reading #bookalorian #thewrightkindofbooktalk
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Bitter is the heart by Mina Hardy When Tamar has to allow her abusive mother to move in with her temporarily, all the old memories resurface but the things happening now can’t be explained and remembering what happened in her mothers house all those years ago… Makes her wonder just what other evils were lurking within those walls. I really enjoyed this book. It was the right mix of horror and thriller with some excellent characters. The pace wasn’t fast enough for my freaky brain but this book was fantastically scary on a whole other level. I thought all the threads came together nicely at the end and definitely a must read for the spooky season. 4.5 stars
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I just finished The First Day without you by Melissa Hill Moving to California was a snap decision made by Leonie. She needed a fresh start, a place to flee from the mess she left behind back home. Not ready to face what she did, Leonie, while cleaning her new home, finds a stack of letters. Unable to help herself, Leonie decides to get the letters to the person they are addressed to. Dragging her neighbor into her quest, Leonie embarks on a journey with Alex to try and give someone else the happily ever after she knows she doesn’t deserve. I quite enjoyed this book. It's split between two POV, Leonies that span current day and her past and Alex’s. I usually like one POV more in these kinds of books but I enjoyed both ladies' stories. Alex is trying to divorce her ex Seth but he is as elusive as bigfoot. She works as a reporter and her skills helped Leonie track down Helena. As a hopeless romantic myself I found the book very cute and I liked the cynical balance that Alex provided Leonie the romantic. The writing was solid and I was entertained through the whole book. I liked the ending. I don’t think it could have been done better. I like the mystery of the letters and all the descriptive talk of San Francisco. I feel like it’s never too late to reach out when your heart aches for someone. 4 stars Thank you @bookmarked @melissahillbooks for my gifted copy #sourcebooks #landmarkbooks #melissahill #thefirstdaywithoutyou #romanceread #chicklit #bookblogger #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #igreader
I just finished Book Lovers by Emily Henry and here are my musings. Nora Stephens is a workaholic and who can blame her? Well, everyone she meets thinks she has no work life balance but she is a literary agent and she is a shark at what she does. The only person she is soft for is her little sister Libby. And when Libby wants to go to Sunshine Falls for a month. A sister bonding trip before Libby’s third child arrives into the world. Libby has a bucket list of small town things they are both to do. Proving it is a small world, Nora keeps jumping into an editor from New york, a man she has contrasting viewpoints on with one of her authors. Charlie may be hot, but he isn’t what she’s there for. The cosmos has other ideas and the two of them find themselves unexpectedly bumping into each other and each time the ice thaws a little more. This book is CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE….. Did I mention how cute this book is? I was completely charmed by Nora from the get go. Kindred spirit and all that. She crushes her goals then makes new ones. Charlie is too cute. That frosty bookish man just needed to get in the water with the “shark” to figure out that there is more to life. I love small town settings. If I could read one type of book for the rest of my life, it would be a small town book. I loved all the fun things Libby had them doing and the budding friendship between Nora and Charlie. I have fast become a fan of Emily Henry so maybe I am biased but I don’t care. This book is well written, highly entertaining and I love falling in love with books like this. 4 stars! Excellent read! #booklovers #emilyhenry #romancereader #chicklit #februaryread #bookworm #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #bookcommunity #bookdragon #bookishlife
I just finished The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins and here are my thoughts. Camden thought he left it all behind. He turned his back on the estate, the money…. The adoptive family, all of it. He was content to teach and be with his wife Jules. Ruby McTavish isn’t a woman to be beaten, even in death. She was larger than life before she died, a victim of a kidnapping as a child and 4 dead husbands to boot but having Camden take over everything was her wish. Camden can’t put off going back to the Estate after his uncle dies. His family are not happy to see him and he would rather chew his own arm off than have to stay there a second longer than necessary. Being home brings up unanswered questions Camden always had but some secrets are better left alone. THIS BOOK BLEW MY MIND. I literally was turning the pages of my kindle like I was possessed. It was so good. The story balances from Camdens POV, Jules POV and letters that Ruby had written to someone while she was still alive. Ruby explains her own family secrets from her childhood and then what happened to her 4 dead husbands and each one will leave you gasping in horror! She was clever and her family couldn’t even beat her in death. It was glorious! I really felt for Camden all the way through the book and even his dark secret just made me feel bad for him. Then we have Jules… She is split for me. Part of me understands and the other part has me thinking Camden needs to watch his back. His family.. All D-bags. The manor was described in a beautiful and rich way and I felt like I was truly there. It was a fast paced, well executed masterpiece of pure perfection. All other thrillers have a lot to measure up to, this one set the bar in outer space. So many twists and the delicious family drama, made this book one heck of a book. 5 stars @stmartinspress thank you so much for this fabulous read and to @netgalley for this gifted copy #booklover #bookstagram #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #readingtime #ilovebooks #bookblogger #bookblog #booknerdigans #bookobsessed #bookishfeatures #bookphotography #rachelhawkins #theheiress #thrillerreader #5starbook
