The Secret of the India Orchid by Nancy Campbell Allen

In this sequel to My Fair Gentleman, Jack's sister, Sophia, has fallen for his best friend, Anthony Blake.  He is in love with her, too, but on the very day he wants to ask permission to formally court her he is forced to go back undercover as a spy to recover a lost document that could put Sophia and all his friends and relatives at risk.  Fast forward two years, Sophia, still heartbroken by Anthony's abrupt exit from her life, decides she needs to get away from London and go on a grand adventure.  She ends up in India, sponsored by a kind and wealthy English couple who are bent on finding a match for her. Anthony, who is still seeking for the document, finds himself in India as well, staying with the same family as Sophia. Anthony knows he should uphold his spy persona as a flirtatious rake, but he wants so much to mend his relationship with Sophia. Then there is a murder. Both he and Sophia are pulled into the investigation to find the killer, but the more time they spend together the more painful it is for both of them to pretend they are not in love with each other. 

The first in this series was a variation on the My Fair Lady story, but, as far as I can tell, this book doesn't have any cultural reference. It is just your standard murder -mystery-historical-romance like the books of Anna Lee Huber and Kristi Ann Hunter.  I enjoyed the book. The setting was rich and interesting, and the romantic tension between Anthony and Sophia was handled well. I wonder how someone from India would feel about the portrayal of their mother country.  One element of the story revolves around an ancient practice called Sati, in which a wife would be burned on their husband's funerial pyre. It was a real practice, but I would hate to have one of my country's worst historical practices be a main plot point for a story written by a foreigner.  Despite the possible cultural insensitivity, it is a good book and I will happily read more by this author. (320 p. 2017)

Secret of the Storm by Beth McMullen

 Cassie's life is confusing in a lot of ways.  Since her father's death her mother has gone into a tailspin of grief, leaving Cassie to fend for her herself.  Her once "best friend" has abandoned her for the "popular" crowd, but the awkward boy who also volunteers at the library is being unusually nice to her.  As she and the boy, Joe, walk home from the library one day, they are caught in an intense localized storm. In the middle of the storm, Cassie hears the sound of a kitten mewing, and finds the kitten abandoned in a dumpster. She takes that kitten home and Joe helps her name him Albert.  It isn't long before Joe and Cassie can tell that Albert is not an ordinary kitten.  He seems to have kitten super powers, like making little fires all around Cassie's room, and doing flying leaps from cupboard to dresser. Meanwhile, a crazy man in town is warning everyone that the weird weather they have been having is related to the reappearance of dragons from a different dimension. The crazy weather and dragon talk could in any way be connected with her adorable little kitten, could they?

It has been a while since I read a middle grade fantasy.  This one was pretty good.  Cassie is a little girl bearing the tremendous weight of not only her own grief, but her mother's as well, yet still she holds up despite social pressure and food instability. Her relationship with Joe is sweet and McMullen shows how their shared adventure brings healing to both of them. There were a few elements of the story that were pretty cliche. When they mentioned a "prophecy" I think I actually rolled my eyes.  Note to all fantasy writers: prophecies have no place in a book set in the modern period. If you are going to include a prophecy, you have to set your story in a period where people believe in prophecies. Still, it is a decent book and I think kids would enjoy it. (304 p, 2022)

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

 As Khosrou struggles to find a place for himself in Oklahoma, he remembers stories from Iran: his own story, stories of his family, and Iranian legends.  As he shares his stories with his class, they don't know what to believe and what not to believe.  His own life seems as fantastic, amazing, and cruel as the folktales of his culture.  Nor are his struggles over.  His stepfather is sometimes violent, and so are some of the bullies at his school. Although his mother was a doctor in Iran, they now struggle to get enough food and to meet basic needs.  He keeps a notebook where he writes ways that he has learned to cope, and clever things to say to the girl he likes, who thinks he is scum.  Through it all, thoughts of his heroic mother, his affectionate grandfather, and his absentee father help him make it though, one day at a time.

I didn't realize when I checked out this book that it was the winner of the Printze award for outstanding teen literature the year that it came out. The book is formulated kind of like the tales of Scheherazade.  The author jumps from the past to the present, from folklore to reality with the turn of the page.  As I read, I wondered how much of the story was based on Nayeri's own experience. An afterword explains that it all was.  He admits that his memory might have been inaccurate, but every cruel thing that happens to Khosrou is something he experienced. The reader should be warned that this is a hard tale to hear, though Nayeri does a good job of sticking in a funny story after a heavy one to the the book is much less depressing than it could have been.  It is the kind of book that sheltered white kids should read so that they can get a perspective on what it is like to be a refugee from a different culture in America. I could see a kid being assigned to read the book, expecting to hate it, but ending up really liking it. Hopefully they would become a better person from the experience. (368 p. 2020)

Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams

 Ella Mae is in a funk ever since her mother became the Lady of the Grove. Her bad mood has rubbed off on her customers and her pie shop is struggling. When a magic grove in another small community is burned down, magical refugees start showing up in Havenwood, and helping them find work and a place to live brings purpose back into Ella Mae's life. Her business starts to boom and her relationship with Hugh Dillan, that had started to go cold, heats up once more.  Then tragedy strikes and one of the refugees is found frozen to death just outside the Havenwood grove. As Ella Mae and her aunts start to look into the murder, people who seems so harmless suddenly feel menacing, even those closest to Ella Mae. Can Ella Mae protect her people, her magic grove, and most importantly, her mother?

After reading Theo of Golden, I knew I had to read something in a totally different genre. This one fit the bill and I enjoyed it well enough.  Adam's magic system is pretty good and her characters are well drawn and have interesting and complicated interrelationships. In this episode Ella Mae's and Hugh's relationship switches from PG to PG13, but all related "activity" occurs off stage. One thing I like about the series is that the narrator, C.S.E Cooney, does a good job of making the large cast of characters sound distinct. I will probably listen to the next one sometime when I am in the mood for a light fantasy mystery. (2014, 304 p)

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 An old man shows up in a small southern town. He calls himself Theo and has a charming Portuguese accent.  He finds a coffee shop and notices some beautiful portraits, done in pencil and charcoal on the walls of the shop. Intrigued, he discovers that they were drawn by a local artist and depict local residents.  Impressed by the emotional depth of the art, he decides to purchase the portraits one by one and give them to the people they depict. Thus begins a magical year during which Theo's gentle charm and big heart blesses the people of Golden, and helps unite them as a community. 

It is ironic that the last book I listen to in 2025 might be my favorite of the whole year.  This is the most charming and heartwarming book I have listened to in a long time.  Theo is an amazingly likeable character, as are almost all the characters the reader comes to know in the small town of Golden.  Even though Theo is amazing, the author wisely doesn't make him flawless. We see him get angry, tired and impatient some times.  Throughout the book we get to hear stories of the errors of his youth. All the main characters have checkered backgrounds, which is maybe why the book feels so hopeful.  They all receive a little bit of redemption by seeing themselves through Theo's kind eyes.  I can imagine that some readers might think the story slow or boring, but I loved it and savored it like rich chocolate ganache. If you want to listen to a book that will set your feet on the right path for the new year, this is the one for you. (2023, 399 p.)
 

I am going back to Pinners!

 I just found out this week that I will be presenting at the Pinner's Convention in St. George Utah in March!  In honor of my second Pinner's Convention I have started a new blog about book art.  I am starting with the book folding that I will be teaching at the convention, but plan to add other crafts you can do with old books. 

Here is a link to my new blog Dee Book Art.

Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

A young widow, Eliza, is hopeful for a new life for her and her five-year-old daughter with new job as a hotel manager a small town in Idaho. When she arrives she discovers that the hotel as burnt down. An unexpected accident brings her in contact with the town's most eligible bachelor, Aiden Caine.  He feels bad that she is stranded in an unfamiliar town just weeks before Christmas and offers her a job preparing his new lodge for his family's Christmas visit. Eliza is skeptical that the gorgeous tech mogul could actually be a nice person, but as she works in his home she can't deny the growing attraction between them. Can a homeless widow with a child really hope for a future with a man like Aiden?

Here is my last Christmas themed rom-com of the season.  It is a little bit over-the-top wish fulfillment, like the Richard Paul Evans books I don't like, but somehow this one is more palatable. One difference is that Aiden isn't showering Eliza with outrageous gifts during the whole book. Thayne does a good job making both characters seem vulnerable, and they have good chemistry. Their make-out scenes are maybe a little more spicy than in my normal fare, but they do stay out of the bedroom, so that's good. Overall, not a bad example of a Hallmark Christmas Special in print. (384, 2014)