Engaged in Danger (Jamie Quinn Mystery #4) by Barbara Venkataraman

Engaged in Danger by Barbara Venkataraman

My Rating: ★★★★

Jamie Quinn is just getting comfortable when life decides to kick up some dust. Her loving boyfriend, Kip, is taking off to Australia to save and preserve northern hairy-nosed wombats for three months. Plus, she gets in a fight with her best friend right as they team up on a huge and difficult divorce case. To top things off, someone is trying to sabotage her, a small case she took as a favor is blowing up, and someone just tried to frame her for murder. Just when she thinks that things can’t get any crazier, she falls straight into a trap when all she wants to do is get to the bottom of her two biggest cases and make up with her bestie.

One of the things that I love about this series is that there are multiple mysteries occurring at once. This time around, Jamie is working on a major divorce case involving a threatening man. Plus, she’s helping her neighbors find the info they need so that they can start a case against whoever is at fault for a plane crash, which soon becomes a much bigger case than anyone realized. These books always involve her work mysteries and personal mysteries, first with Jamie’s father and now with her lovely neighbors. It’s an extra touch that I love. I look forward to seeing how these dual mysteries continue to present themselves as the series continues. 

Plus, it was fun seeing this great cast of characters return for another installment. Jamie is such a fun character. She doesn’t like conflict, which makes her a reluctant lawyer, and she’s got a big heart that she wears on her sleeve. Jamie can also be a bit lippy about dating, which gets her in trouble with her best friend, Grace. I also enjoyed seeing Duke again. Not only is hilarious, but he has a great name. Marmaduke! I always enjoy the banter that goes on between him and Jamie and seeing what kind of shenanigans he will get up to. I also love Jamie’s cousin, Adam. He’s such a wonderful character and I love seeing him again.

While I love Kip, we didn’t see him much this time around as he was in Australia for majority of the book. Maybe next time, Kip! I also love Grace, but I’ve come to realize that she’s a bit immature in regards to her romantic relationships. Between Grace viewing her boyfriends through rose tinted shades and Jamie’s strong opinions on said boyfriends, the two are always at odds about dating. I couldn’t believe how immature Grace was this time around. She was working on a huge case with Jamie all while refusing to communicate with her unless by e-mail through her assistant. While Jamie could zip it up a little, even about Grace’s exes, I think Grace has some growing to do.

I haven’t covered all of the characters, but all of them, including the new ones, were fun to see as the story unfolded. I’m excited to see where Jamie and the rest of the characters will go from here. I’m hoping that we can see Jamie’s father in the near future. My fingers are crossed for the two of them!

Woven in Wire: Dimensional Wire Weaving in Fine Art Jewelry by Sarah Thompson

Woven in Wire: Dimensional Wire Weaving in Fine Art Jewelry by Sarah Thompson

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from F+W Media through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been making jewelry since I was a kid and I got into wire weaving after taking a class on wire weaving rings with my mom. I jump back into wire weaving on and off and mainly make rings and pendants, so I got excited when I saw this book. The cover is beautiful and I could tell that Sarah Thompson is very talented at what she does. Naturally, I was interested in what she has to say and what kind of wisdom she is sharing with everyone.

This book is more of a guide than a step by step book for beginners, which is cool because there are step by step instructions that slowly become more in depth as the projects and techniques become more complex. Thompson intends for this book to be a guide to help people new and old to wire weaving to learn or develop new techniques. In the process, we also get wonderful pictures of the beautiful pieces that she has created, which gives readers an idea of the kind of things that they can make as they become more experienced.

While the projects are not marked as beginner, intermediate, and advanced, it’s pretty easy to tell based on looking at the project and the graph that accompanies it. I think it’ll be pretty neat for people new to wire weaving to see and experience how simple it is to create items that appear a lot more complex than they are. This book is also great because Thompson covers all of the tools and other supplies that she uses, what they are for, and the pros and cons of the different types of wire that one can craft with. Not all of the tools are a must, but she explains what she recommends and what one might buy based on what they plan on making. I want to dig out my wire weaving supplies and get crafting after reading this book. I’ve never made a bracelet and I want to give it a go!

Tough Mothers: Amazing Stories of History’s Mightiest Matriarchs by Jason Porath

Tough Mothers: Amazing Stories of History’s Mightiest Matriarchs by Jason Porath

My Rating: ★★★★

When I heard that Jason Porath had another book coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Tough Mothers, which focuses on badass mothers in history, is a bit different because it only includes women who were mothers and it does not include anyone whose existence cannot be confirmed. Like Rejected Princesses, Tough Mothers has color coded trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter so readers can decide if they will be reading the chapter. Each chapter also lets you know if it has mature content in it so that people who are reading the book with their children can skip chapters based on their kid’s age groups.

Starting each chapter with beautiful artwork, Porath has done it again and provided a wonderful book that also serves as a starting for anyone looking to learn about badass women in history that they have not heard of. From there, one can do their own research and learn about these badass ladies. He also notes when there’s conflicting stories about the person in question and urges readers to continue their own research after putting down his book. As a history buff, I enjoy when he notes some of the reasons why rumors were spread about each person and why some may have been selected to record in history.

Porath’s is skilled at mixing history, humor, and imagery, which is a clever way to catch reader’s interest. I also like that he talks a bit about the inspiration behind the artwork at the very end of almost every chapter. As a former art major, it’s always interesting to read about what an artist drew from, and in this case, what artistic liberties he took and why.

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cora Lee is one of the top resurrectionists in New York. Anatomists are desperate for cadavers and are willing to pay a pretty penny for the newly dead. Living a double life, she scouts her latest specimens as Cora by day and digs their bodies up by night as her identical twin brother, Jacob. There’s more to her profitable job than just money. Cora has a secret: she was born with two hearts. She wants to make sure that her finger is on the latest gossip among the resurrectionists so that she knows when they’re looking for her. Sadly, that time has come. Someone is murdering people with medical anomalies and Cora’s now a wanted woman.

This is my second book from Lydia Kang and she is absolutely brilliant. One of the things that I liked about A Beautiful Poison is that it’s well researched, and The Impossible Girl is no different. It’s clear that Kang did a lot of research into the era and the history of resurrectionists, or grave robbers, early on. It really set the tone and helped me feel like I was right beside Cora as the story unfolded. There’s even an extra bit of info about the era and the inspiration behind the story at the end of the book, which I love.

The story and its characters are extremely compelling, which left me wishing that I could binge it every time I had to put the book down. Cora is such a complex character who is fun to follow. Born with two hearts, she was raised as Jacob until her caretakers decided it was time for her family to believe he died. Once they made the move, she took on a new life as a resurrectionist until she made enough money to retire, move, and start over. Living a double life, Cora is able to move through society as a man and a woman. I thought it was interesting that Cora preferred to live as Jacob, but I understood her reasons. As a woman, she’s expected to be light of heart, not have complex interests, and eventually settle down. As a man, she can express herself however she wants, is free to have complex interests, and freely move through town until there’s a price on her head. In the mid-1800s, I don’t blame her for preferring to move among society as Jacob.

There are many fascinating characters throughout the story. Dr. Blackwell is a character that I wish we saw more of because she’s a doctor in this era, which is frowned upon. I love how her relationship with Cora unfolds and how she eventually became immersed in her predicament. Cora’s cousin, Suzette Cutter, surprised me once we got to know her. Cora’s team of resurrectionists are a fun bunch who truly care for her as much as she cares for them. Then there’s Cora’s self-made family, Charlotte, Leah, and Alexander, who seemingly love her both too much and not enough in their own ways. There isn’t a single character that doesn’t leave an impression.

I cannot praise this book enough. It has fascinating characters, a compelling mystery, and an overall wonderful story that has left me a big fan. I’m a mystery buff and I love the way that Kang writes her mysteries. She stunned me with a major reveal yet again! I called some things and figured out some plot elements before they were fully revealed, but I definitely did not see the big twist coming. One of my favorite things to do is reread a story that left me blindsided, so I’m excited to reread this in the future.