Archive for December, 2020

Prince in Disguise by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Published December 18, 2020 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Romance

Number of Pages: 307

Dylan is a typical high school student in Alabama, except for the fact that her sister, Dusty, is a former Miss Alabama and recently found love with a Scottish Laird on a reality tv show called Prince in Disguise. Now, she has to give up her Christmas vacation to go to Scotland for her sister’s wedding, which will be filmed for an upcoming television event as a follow-up to the original show. Dylan feels like the reality film crew is setting her up to look bad as the comic relief in their show when no one comes to get her from the train station, she never receives an itinerary but it still chastized for being late to events, and even when they force her to attend a formal dinner in muddy running clothes. What she does not count on, however, is that there will be a funny, sweet young man there to make her feel visible at all times in a world where she thought everyone only saw her sister. As soon as she meets Jamie, she is instantly intrigued by him as he seems to truly like her just the way she is. As they spend more time together she thinks she could actually find her first boyfriend in a Scottish castle. Can she find a way to spend more time with Jamie without the cameras following her every move? Can she handle all the planned twists and turns the reality show producers throw at her? Could she find her first love in the last place she would have looked for it?

This delightful Christmas romance is fun for anyone looking to escape for a bit or for fans of Holiday TV movies. Dylan’s initial awkwardness fits with the build up of a southern girl in Scotland for the first time and readers will want to see what happens as she becomes more confident with Jamie. Many readers will pick up on some of the big reveals long before Dylan does, but that doesn’t take away from the charming nature of the story at all. Even Dylan’s relationship with her sister, Dusty, feels developed and real instead of the generic backdrop to Dylan and Jamie’s story. Recommended for romance fans looking for a Christmas story.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Published December 15, 2020 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Genre: Futuristic

Number of Pages: 517

In this prequel to the Hunger Games series, Coriolanus Snow is a young student preparing to mentor a candidate from District 12 in the 10th annual Hunger Games. He needs for this to go well so that he can get a scholarship to the school of his choice because his family was hit hard in the war and he cannot afford to pay the taxes on his family apartment, let alone tuition. His tribute, Lucy Gray, is from a group of singers in District 12 and there is some debate as to whether she was fairly chosen as the tribute. She is a true performer, though, and her and Coriolanus begin spinning the media coverage to get her some sympathy. He even has a hand in making changes to the Hunger Games so that spectators can feel more involved, including being able to make wagers and send gifts to tributes. As the games go on, he begins to feel a connection with Lucy Gray and begins to wonder if there could be a future with her, especially since his in the capitol is so uncertain. Can he lead her to victory and what would that mean for him personally? Can he save his family from getting turned out of their family home?

This book has a lot of twists and turns in it as you see what Coriolanus had to overcome in his youth in order to become the President Snow we meet later on. The reader can easily see how Coriolanus had a hand in evolving the Hunger Games to what it eventually becomes. The Hunger Games themselves do not take hold of the entire story as it really isn’t as exciting as the Hunger Games featured later with Katniss. Instead, the focus is more on Coriolanus and the choices he makes to determine what his future will be like and who he can count on to stand beside him. The suspense doesn’t seem to build like it does in the original trilogy simply because to some extent the reader knows where this is all going, but it is interesting to get a glimpse into how the Hunger Games became the phenomenon it eventually turns into. Recommended for fans of the series.

Come Find Me by Megan Miranda

Published December 10, 2020 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Number of Pages: 326

Kennedy Jones survived a horrible family tragedy, but desperately wants to keep her brother’s science equipment functioning now that he’s gone since it was so important to him. Then, one day his radio telescope starts recording some unusual activity. Meanwhile, in a neighboring county Nolan is struggling to find out what really happened when his older brother and family dog went on a dog and never returned. After an eerie dream, he picks up some ghost tracking equipment to see if his brother is trying to contact him in any way and he ends up picking up some odd signals coming from his brother’s room. Kennedy and Nolan eventually meet up to compare notes on these crazy signals they are finding, but the more they dig the more it feels like the two tragedies are somehow connected. Can they find out what really happened to both of their families that has left them both feeling utterly helpless and alone?

This mystery has a bit of a science fiction feel to it since they are following radio signals, but the heart of what really happened lies with the people who were there when both tragedies occurred. Both Kennedy and Nolan have struggled to deal with their lives in the last few months and haven’t always been the easiest to get along with, even to those people trying to help them. Nolan must even face the hardship that the police think he may have been involved in his brother’s disappearance. It really does show just how complicated family tragedy can be, unlike many procedural mystery shows. Mystery fans will enjoy this title, but the setup takes a little longer than some.

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