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Happy Saturday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I don’t usually post on a Saturday but I was asked by @BreakevenBooks to do a book spotlight for Like Sapphire Blue today and of course, I said yes.

So, let me introduce you to Like Sapphire Blue by Marisa Billions

Synopsis:

“Your eyes are amazing. I’ve never seen a blue like that.”

Emma Landry is tough, independent, beautiful, and smart. Being an outcast unable to identify with her classmates, she was willing to do whatever it takes to climb her way out of poverty.

“What color would you say they are?”

Like Sapphire Blue

Having never known a mother’s love, her father “Bear”, raised her on the wrong side of the tracks in a wealthy town.

When success beckons, the woman she’s been in love with is, finally, within her grasp. Life is now worth living and loving.

That is, until a dark family secret is revealed. A secret tied into the very fabric of who she is, and what she spent a lifetime working to overcome.

Faced with a foundation shattering treachery, Emma finds herself at the crossroads. Can she overcome a destiny stronger than death, destitution, and murder, to prove she is more than just her father’s daughter? Or will this new knowledge lead her to destroy the world she’s spent a lifetime building?

Winner of the 2023 Reader Views Reviewers Choice Fiction Book of the Year.

Author Bio

Marisa Billions is a high school English teacher in Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Criminology. She is the author of the fiction novels, This Too Shall Pass, Like Sapphire Blue, and Into the Blue Again. She is working on her upcoming fourth novel. Like Sapphire Blue was the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Fiction Book of the Year. She lives in Southern California with her wife, Stephanie, and son, Alexander, and two Boxer dogs, Max and Ruby.

If this novel sounds interesting to you, here is an excerpt:

~ 1 ~

Humble Beginnings

The Present…

Discord, meaning a lack of harmony or unity by the definition. In a relationship it is that moment when the realization hits that there is no turning back and the damage is done. It’s irreparable.

Why won’t she look at me? Emma looked about the room. The table was set with the good china. Their favorite bottle of wine sat corked in the center, and across from her, was her beautiful wife. This was the woman that she spent the last two decades of her life with, and she won’t even look up? There was no way I was ever going to really fall in love with anyone else, you made sure of that. Whenever I thought you were out of my life, you miraculously reappeared every time. With narrowed eyes, gripping the ends of the table she looked around in the dimly lit room.

The dining room was immaculate, crown molding lines the ceiling, and a tapestry of a French courtyard hangs on the back wall. A china cabinet delicately displaying the unused settings on the opposite wall. The dimmer switch was set to low and candles flicker in silver holders (inherited from her wife’s grandmother, who inherited them from her grandmother and so forth and so on). Her wife was sitting, with her thick strawberry blonde hair in delicate waves down her back. Her favorite dress clung to her curves. She has a beautiful body, and not a lot of things look bad on her. Her chin was down, and her beautiful blue eyes are downcast, refusing to look at Emma. She is leaning back against the chair with her head down. She’s there, but she’s not.

Emma sat back, still staring across the table at her wife. One hand rested on the table, the other on the back of her chair. She worked so hard on this dinner. She made their favorite meal – eggplant parmigiana, pasta, home-made garlic bread. Not even an acknowledgement of the fact that the bottle of wine costs what Bear used to make in two weeks working at Jessie’s shop.

Her wife just sat there unmoved. Unimpressed. Not looking. Not speaking. This was her schtick though. The cold shoulder. The silent treatment. It wasn’t the first time she did this to Emma. But still, it was frustrating to her. And to think, this woman has a PhD. You would think she has better coping mechanisms than the silent treatment.

The dinner itself and the beautiful and impressive dining room it was served in, could not be a further cry from Emma’s meager beginnings. To keep from looking at her silent wife, Emma looked around at the room.

“You had everything growing up. This dinner, and what I did to prepare it, probably don’t mean much to you. But to make this, to have this, this is the world to me. What we built together, has meant the world to me.” Emma’s voice was quiet. Tears had welled up in her eyes.

The Past (1976-1991)

Emma Landry never knew her mother. She didn’t even know she had one until she was in kindergarten. She thought she only came to be because of one parent, her dad Frank, who she called Bear, short for Papa Bear.

She lived with her dad in a small trailer near the town. It was behind the auto shop that her dad worked at, which was owned by his brother, her uncle Jessie. The trailer was rundown, and there was a hole in the corner of the floor in the living room where she could see the ground beneath. In the winter time, she would stick a towel in the hole to keep the cold out, but sometimes the mice beneath the trailer would take it. Bear’s room was located at one end of the narrow trailer, and hers was at the other. There was a small living room with a tv that had bootlegged cable running to it. The walls were lined with a dark, faux wood paneling. An old card table with folding chairs was where they ate from dull plastic plates with mismatched silverware and chipped ceramic mugs. The couch was old, cream colored with brown and orange flower print, sagged in the middle and smelled faintly of mildew.

Their trailer and the shop were located on a small, wooded plot of land. They didn’t have neighbors, and she didn’t have friends. Her friends were two plush animals, Teddy (a floppy eared dog) and Brownie (a threadbare cotton tailed bunny).

And if you are still interested in reading more (which I hope you are!) here is a purchase link:

If you would like to see more content from other bookish people about Like Sapphire Blue, check out this timetable:

May 5th, 2023

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGTeYZEBPBWScWXkqBnZrQQ

May 6th, 2023

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomandBooks

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Blog: https://treatyoshelf.blog/

May 8th, 2023

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumgrack/

May 9th, 2023

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May 10th, 2023

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May 11th, 2023

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May 11th, 2023

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May 12th, 2023Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/booksimperfectcondition/

Monthly Wrap Ups

April Wrap Up!

May 1, 2023April 27, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope the month of April has been good for all of you, for me it has been a rollercoaster nightmare! All medical things seemed to happen at once, so hopefully May will be a better month. BUT my reading has been okay this month, I didn’t really stick to my TBR but I was reading which is something good.

Books from my TBR:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I started to read this book (finally!), I haven’t finished it but I have started it and it is a long book so I am pleased with myself for that.
Crescent City House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – I did not start this book, waaaay too big for me to tackle this month!
Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell – I did read this, which means I finished the series!
The Girl In The Tower by Katherine Arden – I did not read
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – I did not read
Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco – I did not read
Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – I did not read
Sadie by Courtney Summers – I did not read
Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – I did not read this
European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewomen – I did not read, another big book I don’t know what I was thinking when I made this TBR
Sense and Second Degree Murder by Tirzah Price – I did read this and loved it
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano – I did not read this
A Little Bit Country by Brian D Kennedy – I did not read this
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – I have been dying to read this all month but it just hasn’t happened yet
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon — I did not read

So, I read two books and started another from my TBR. outside of my TBR I also read: Gwen and Art Are Not In Love, Kingdom of the Cursed, The Bullet That Missed and I have started Murder Before Evensong. Overall in April I read 7 books!

How did you do in April?

What was your favourite book that you read this month?

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell

April 17, 2023March 21, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review for The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not give any spoilers in this review.

The Accidental Medium Plot:

This book is about a woman who figures out throughout the novel that they have psychic ability and then gets caught up with some people who haven’t passed over and a woman who may have been murdered…

Personally, I loved the concept more than the execution. It felt like the novel was trying to incorporate too many elements at once. It felt like a book that was there just to introduce the characters and the world, the two other sub plots were not developed properly, they were rushed and did not feel finished.

The Accidental Medium Characters:

I didn’t feel a draw or a connection to any of the characters, so for me that was a big missing part to this novel for me, it was almost there with the female protagonist but not quite and with there being too many plot elements I think the characters struggled to show themselves through it all.

The Accidental Medium Writing and dialogue:

I actually didn’t mind the writing style, it was trying to be early 2000’s North England style which felt a little bit jarring with me living in the south of England and not remembering the early 2000s at all but once I got past that feeling I thought the writing style was okay.

The Accidental Medium Overall:

Blurb/Synopsis:

The Accidental Medium is the first book in a hilarious series from Tracy Whitwell featuring Tanz, the accidental medium who, with the help of the dead, is about to become an unwilling crime-solver.

Tanz is a wine-loving, straight-talking, once-successful TV actress from Gateshead, whose career has shrivelled like an antique walnut. She is still grieving for her friend Frank, who died in a car crash three years ago, and she has to find a normal job in London to fund her cocktail habit. When she starts work in a ‘new age’ shop, Tanz suddenly discovers that the voices she’s hearing in her head are real, not the first signs of madness, and that she can give people ‘messages’ from beyond the grave. Alarmed, she confronts her little mam and discovers she is from a long line of psychic mediums. Despite an exciting new avenue of life opening up to Tanz, darkness isn’t far away and all too soon there’s murder in the air.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw

April 10, 2023March 21, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review for The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not give any spoilers in this review.

The Bingo Hall Detectives Plot:

This novel follows Jason, a journalist who has been out of work since the local paper office shut down, and his Mother In Law as they get tangled up in solving what they believe was a murder.

I loved the cosy crime feeling of this novel, and the subverted partnership of Jason and his mother in law being the protagonists. Jason is not sure for most of the book that it was a murder but he goes along with his mother in law anyway and I thought this created a wonderful dynamic for the story.

Personally I thought that the plot itself was just a bit lacking. The first half of the book was great but the second half and the reveal and everything was very rushed and needed to be set up a lot better throughout the whole of the novel.

The Bingo Hall Detectives Characters:

I have already spoken about this a little bit in the plot section but I liked the dynamic between the two protagonists but, the same as my feelings with the plot, I thought the characters could have done with a little more development on their own, when they were together it is fine but on their own I think they needed a bit more.

The Bingo Hall Detectives Writing and Dialogue:

I thought the writing style was okay, as I said it was a cosy crime novel and the writing style fit this well but it wasn’t a writing style that will stick in my brain.

The Bingo Hall Detectives Overall:

Blurb/Synopsis:

Eyes down to find a killer who’s playing to win…

An irresistible slice of murder and mystery – there’s a killer on the loose in the Lake District, and the members of the Penrith Bingo Club have decided they’re the ones to catch the culprit…

Jason Brazel is an out of work journalist who lives in Penrith with his family and mother-in-law, Amita. She knows everyone and everything that’s going on in this corner of the Lakes.

So when it’s discovered that Madeline Forbisher, one of Amita’s fellow regulars at the bingo club has died, found by the postman outside her crumbling country home close to Ullswater Lake, she senses immediately this is no accident. The trouble is, no one else seems to take her suspicions seriously.

That is, until she enlists the help of her friends at the Penrith Bingo Club. Dismissed by many as eccentric, over the hill or out of touch, it turns out that it’s unlucky for some that these amateur sleuths are on the case…

Book Tags

March Madness Book Tag

March 24, 2023February 24, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day. Today, I am bringing you my answers to the March Madness book tag. Note: I did not invent this tag.

Selection Sunday: Upcoming release that you are looking forward to

The new book in the Priory of the Orange series by Samantha Shannon, that book is beautiful

Sweet 16: a teen protagonist that you love

I would have to go with my first thought, which is Vasilissa Dragomir in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Final 4: top four books you think of

Sorcery of thorns – Margaret Rogerson
Caraval – Stephanie Garber
By The Book
Stalking Jack the Ripper – Kerri Maniscalco

Championship Fame: a book that has a competition or dual

I actually couldn’t think of one but I am sure that there must be one somewhere in the A Darker Shade of Magic.

16 seed: an underrated book or series that deserves love

Cecily by Annie Garthwaite

Top #1 Seed: a good but overhyped book

The Love Hypothesis. I know people love it and I thought it was okay but definitely not amazing.

Buzzer beater: a book that surprised you in a good or bad way

Love in the time of serial killers – in a bad way.

Mascot: Favourite animal sidekick

Reichus in the Spellslinger series

Bracket Buster: a book that hurt you

Dangerous Remedy – That ending! I can’t even say anything else about ti without spoiling it.

Sports bar: A book with a great setting

Any and every book set in France!

I hope you enjoyed it, did you agree with my answers? How would you have answered them?

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

March 20, 2023February 24, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you all enjoy my book review of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not give any spoilers in this review.

The very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Plot:

Cosy fantasy is a new genre, to me and in general really, but I loved it in this novel. It follows Mika Moon, a witch who has always been told to keep her magic a secret, as she takes up a new job as a witch tutor to three young girls. The job comes with two eccentric men, an emotional woman called Lucy, and Jamie the handsome but brooding librarian. This novel really engaged me, I loved every second of it.

The Very Secret Society of irregular Witches Characters:

It is really hard to say anything in this category without spoiling anything! What I will say is that Mika grows as character in a really brilliant way throughout the novel and I think she helps the other characters grow a bit as well which is a nice theme to see in fantasy novels.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Writing and Dialogue:

As I said, this novel fits in the cosy fantasy style and I really think it worked well. It is light even in the dark, tense moments and that made it so much easier to breeze through when reading it.

The very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Overall:

I loved this book, I truly did. It was more fun than I thought it would be but the reason I didn’t give it five stars is because it just didn’t feel like a five star. I didn’t get that feeling while reading it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family–and a new love–changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

Book Reviews

Book Review: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

March 13, 2023February 24, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you all enjoy my book review of Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens.

I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

Murder Most Unladylike Plot:

This book follows Daisy and Hazel at Deepdean school, they are friends (who definitely have small arguments) who end up embroiled in a murder mystery when they find the body of their teacher, but then it suddenly disappears. I enjoyed the slightly cosy mystery feel that this book had, it was nice to see it from a younger child’s perspective than all the adult murder mysteries I read. It was still complex and a great mystery though which made it even better.

Murder Most Unladylike Character:

The novel is written from Hazel’s perspective. I liked her because she had an organised and investigative mind, she always looked for every avenue that could be and needed to be explored. Even though she is afraid she knows what she is doing is important. In this first book in the series I did not like Daisy, she is bossy and full of herself and it really grated on me throughout the novel. I know that is her character flaw but she barely listened to Hazel’s ideas and for a whole series I think I would find that hard to continue reading.

Murder Most Unladylike Writing and Dialogue:

I think generally the writing in this book is pretty good, it feels young but that is the age range it is catered to. Otherwise I don’t have a lot to say about the writing.

Murder Most Unladylike Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because it was an enjoyable mystery, and I am interested in reading more of the series.

Blurb/Synopsis:

1934. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t.)

But then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder has happened in the first place before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally),

But will they succeed?

And can their friendship stand the test?

I hope you enjoyed my book review!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

March 6, 2023February 24, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today, I am bringing you my book review for the new novella set in the world of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson.

As usual, I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor Plot:

This short book is a follow up to the novel, Sorcery of Thorns, it follows Elisabeth and Nathaniel as they embark on their relationship together. In this new story the gardens and house of Thorn Manor have turned against the residents and are magically keeping them locked inside the house. I found this story extremely fun and engaging, I loved being back with the sorcery of thorns characters, it is one of my favourite books and this book still had that mystery element but in a much cosier way.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor Character:

In this follow up you get to know the characters on a deeper level, they reveal more of their pasts. Especially Nathaniel who was very secretive in Sorcery of Thorns, it was also nice to see a lighter side to him. Elisabeth was her usual hot headed and interesting self which was great.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor Writing and Dialogue:

There’s not much more I can say here, Margaret Rogerson is one of my favourite writers, her style of writing is engaging and magical and everything I would want in a fantasy novel.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall, simply because I wanted more! Give me all the sorcery of thorns novellas, I would read them all.

Synopsis:

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

I hope you all enjoyed my book review!

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

February 20, 2023January 30, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am excited to be bringing you my book review for A Million to One.

I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

A Million To One Plot:

I was first interested in this book because it mentions the Titanic, which is one of my biggest interests, and then when I saw that it featured four girls coming together to commit a heist I was sold. I bought it and read it the first day it came out in my local bookshop. I loved most of the elements that came together in this book, it really has that high tension dramatic twists feature that you need in this kind of book.

A Million to One Characters:

The four main characters in this book are Emilie, hannah, Violet and Josefa. I have to say I loved Josefa’s character, she was methodical and intense and really knew how to lead a group. Violet on the other hand, for me personally, I really did not get along well with her character. I thought she was antagonistic for no reason and this frustrated me to no end while reading the book.

A Million To One writing and dialogue:

I’m not sure what age range this book falls into but the writing style is a little young in the words and the pacing but at some points the actions do not match this younger age style.

A Million to One overall:

I gave this book four stars because I really enjoyed it and I was not expecting the ending.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time‘s Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in a heist for a treasure aboard the infamous ship that sank in the Atlantic many years ago.

A thief. An artist. A acrobat. An actress. While Josefa, Emilie, Hinnah, and Violet seemingly don’t have anything in common, they’re united in one goal: stealing the Rubaiyat, a jewel-encrusted book aboard the RMS Titanic that just might be the golden ticket to solving their problems.

But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they’ve worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes. While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer . . .

Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat, this high-seas heist from the author of The Henna Wars is an immersive story that makes readers forget one important detail— the ship sinks.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Love in the time of serial killers by Alicia Thompson

February 13, 2023January 30, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am excited to be bringing you my book review for Love in the time of serial killers by Alicia Thompson.

I will be giving star ratings to four categories and writing a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Love in the time of serial killers plot:

This book is about Pheobe, a PhD student studying true crime who becomes suspicious of her new neighbour. I will be honest I was expecting a lot more tension from the whole ‘is he dangerous’ plotline than there actually was. For me, it ended way too quickly because I would have liked a development from this suspicion into actually trying to figure out if he is and from there the romance could bloom as they say but the book decides he isn’t dangerous only a few chapters in. I did like the PhD plotline, I mean I am also doing a PhD in crime fiction so I saw a lot of similarities between myself and Pheobe in this bit.

Love in the time of serial killers characters:

I am actually struggling to write this bit because I can’t remember much about the characters, I wasn’t invested in them or what happened to them enough to actually remember them.

Love in the time of serial killers writing and dialogue:

The writing in this book was good, it was clear and well structured. I did like the pacing of it in terms of the length of the chapters.

Love in the time of serial killers overall:

I gave this book three stars overall because it was okay, it definitely was not the worst book I have read but I don’t think it was for me.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn’t exactly conducive to modern dating—and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she’s used to suspecting the worst.

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She’s even analyzing the genre in her dissertation—if she can manage to finish writing it. It’s hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn’t had a relationship with for years.

It doesn’t help that she’s low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he’s clearly up to something). It’s not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier—a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.