The Red Citadel

I received an advanced review copy of The Red Citadel through the Early Reviewer's Program at Librarything.  It is the third book in Michael Lynes Isaac Alvarez Mystery series and it was published earlier this month.  The Red Citadel is a historical thriller set in the court of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.  It takes place in Granada, Spain in 1499.

The publisher's summary:

Issac is desperate to return from exile to his family in Seville. Haunted by accusations of heresy he is still recovering from the death of his wife. Granada is riven by religious tension: the Catholics want the Muslims to convert. Isaac falls in love with Aisha, the wife of the rebel Muslim leader and his friend, Abdul Rahman. If he finds out Isaac will be a dead man. The king offers Isaac a chance to return to Seville, in return for gathering intelligence on the rebels. Where do Isaac’s loyalties lie? Then an old enemy accuses Isaac of murdering the Grand Inquisitor. Can Isaac’s daughter, Isabel, save him?  Issac must prove he is innocent of murder, satisfy the king, and reconcile his feelings for Aisha. Can he quell a rebellion and reunite his family?

I had some difficulty getting interested in the story because of the many historical terms used by the author in the initial chapters. There are a lot of them. However, since I have studied this era in Spain and am well acquainted with its history, I was surprised by this. There is an assumption that the reader knows this history and can figure out what is going on. In addition, there were a lot of characters introduced early in the story and that also slowed me down. I continued reading and it all soon gelled in my mind.

As I mentioned above, the book is advertised as a historical thriller perfect for fans of CJ Sansom and SJ Parris.  I agree that Sansom and Parris fans will like the book. However, it is not a thriller.  As mentioned above, the book is the third book in a trilogy and I have not read the first two books. I am sure that this is affecting my experience reading the novel. The author said in an online interview that he believes he did a good enough job of weaving the back story into this novel so that it can be read as a standalone.  Since I have not read the earlier books I cannot make any comments about these statements.

If you have not read any historical fiction about the Spanish Inquisition, I recommend that you read the trilogy but in order. There is much to learn about how Jews and Muslims were treated by the Spanish monarchs during this era. Some of the Jews had converted to Christianity but many of them secretly continued worshipping as Jews. Some of the Muslims also converted but those that did not had to agree to be subject to their Christian rulers.  It's a heartbreaking fact of history.  I am planning to read the earlier two books in the series and re-read The Red Citadel sometime next year.  I feel that the author is giving us a good history lesson in his writing.

I am excited that he plans on returning to Granada next Spring to research his next book.  It is going to be a young adult novel set in the same time period.  The story will focus on Isaac's ten-year-old ward Juana.  Juana's father was executed by the Inquisition and her mother died in "mysterious circumstances." The Alhambra, which is the red citadel in the title, will be the setting of this new novel also.  I love this setting and have been pining to travel to Spain to see it in person.  

The book was a slow read so I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

My Life in 2023 Meme

Karen from the Booker Talk blog publishes a similar post every year.  I first learned about it one year ago and I am going to answer her questions from last year today.  There are links in the titles below that will take you to my reviews.

In high school I was: Poison (Charlotte King)

People might be surprised by: The Godmother's Secret  (Elizabeth St. John)

I will never be:  The Lemon Curd Killer (Laura Childs)

My life post-lockdown was:  Weyward  (Emilia Hart)

My fantasy job is:  The Keeper of the Queen's Jewels  (Adrienne Dillard)

At the end of a long day I need:  Letters of Comfort  (Wanda Brunstetter)

I hate being:  The Papal Assassin's Wife  (S.J. Martin)

I wish I had: Someone Else's Life  (Lin Liao Butler)

My family reunions are: Tides of Fire (James Rollins)

At a party you’d find me:  Vanish in Plain Sight  (Marta Perry)

I’ve never been to The Blue Bar (Damyanti Biswas)

A happy day includes: Blood Oranges (Jim Cannon) 

Motto I live by: Cor Rotto  (Adrienne Dillard)

On my bucket list is: The Ghost Ship  (Kate Mosse)

In my next life, I want to have: An Evil Heart  (Linda Castillo)

2024 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge Author Edition

I have never before participated in the Author Edition of the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. Next year I am going to give it a go and see how well I can finish the challenge.  I have some trepidation about participating but will do the best I can.  The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name, middle, or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.  

Challenge Rules:

1)    This challenge will run from January 1, 2024 until December 31, 2024.  

2)    Participants can join anytime and do not have to post a review of the book.  

3)    Books can come from any genre. 

4)  Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – and audio – are acceptable for this challenge. 

5)    Crossovers from other challenges are allowed. 

6)    There are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

        A – Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the authors with the book you read to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find authors/books to fit.

OR

        B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet.

7)    There is a group on Facebook for the challenge where you can share the books you have read and converse with others taking part in the challenge. Alphabet Soup – Author Edition – Challenge –  You can share your accomplishments throughout the year there. 

IMPORTANT – You must fill out a form to join the challenge before joining the Facebook Group and be sure to answer the group membership questions completely or your request for membership to the group will be declined.

The challenge host is asking everyone to sign up using Google Forms. Sign Up Here. 

2024 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

The Cloak and Dagger Challenge is one of my favorite reading challenges so, of course, I will be rejoining the challenge next year.  It is being hosted again by the Carol's Notebook blog.  Below are the details concerning the challenge.

Challenge Rules:

• You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime/true crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.

• You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, Goodreads, Instagram, etc.)

• Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.

• Books need to be at least 100 pages long. Please no short stories.

• Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

• The Challenge will run from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024.

•  Sign up ends March 15, 2024.

• Use the hashtag #CloakDaggerChal. on your book reviews.

• The challenge has several levels of participation for you to choose from.

Levels:

5-15 books – Amateur sleuth

16-25 books – Detective

26-35 books – Inspector

36 – 55 books – Special agent. This is my goal for the year.

56+ books – Sherlock Holmes  

There still is a Faccebook group for the challenge so if you haven’t joined you should seriously consider joining. Here’s the group’s link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/350512171977943/. It’s a closed group so you need to ask to join.

There will be a monthly link-up so we can see what everyone’s reading – and probably add some to our own tbr lists. At the halfway mark and at the end there will be giveaways for those participating.

Add a link to your sign-up post at the challenge post. 

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

It's time again to think about which reading challenges I want to participate in. The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is probably my favorite challenge so I will be participating again in 2024. There are several levels of participation offered. I am going to challenge myself to the Prehistoric Level and read at least 50 books next year. This will be a tough challenge for me but let's see how well I do.

Challenge Rules

1)  The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2024 and is hosted by The Intrepid Reader blog.

2)  Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created by the challenge host where you can add the links for the books you have read. If you don't have a blog you can post a link to your review if it's posted on Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon, or you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish.

3)  Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)

4)  Choose one of the different reading levels:

20th Century Reader - 2 books

Victorian Reader - 5 books

Renaissance Reader - 10 books

Medieval - 15 books

Ancient History - 25 books

Prehistoric - 50+ books

5)  To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link to the challenge post.

6)  Don't forget to use the challenge hashtag #histficreadingchallenge.

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is my final selection for the Calendar of Crime Challenge. It is a lovely cozy mystery with recipes in the back of the book.  It the 2nd of 5 books in the author's Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series.

The publisher's summary:  

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe. 

With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . .

 

Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!

 

Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

I loved this story. It has everything you want in a Christmas cozy mystery. There are engaging characters, a wintery but cozy setting,  and the smell of freshly baked pastries on every page. When. Lindsay rose at 3:00 a.m. each morning to begin mixing her doughs, I felt like I was there with her.  As a baker myself, I could easily see in my mind her sweet roll dough recipe as well as her cinnamon rolls and caramel pecan rolls.  She baked and fried the doughs before making a variety of danish pastries all hours before her bakery opened for the day.  

The characters were believable. Of course, Lindsay is a great character but the villain seemed all too real to me also.  Felicity, owner of a year-round Christmas shop, is the epitome of every jealous woman I have had to "compete" against when bringing treats to work.  She will sabotage the efforts of other bakers in order to always be first at everything.  A few years ago a co-worker threw my cookies in the garbage because no one was eating hers so I definitely feel Lindsay's pain.  The celebrity judge, Chef Chevy Chambers, is another villain in the story.   His character provides many of the twists and turns because he not only is having an affair with several contestants but he also put a few of them out of business with his scathing newspaper reviews of their restaurants.  When he ends up murdered, there are several possible whodunnits. The howdunnit should be obvious.  It's a rolling pin.

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is simply the best Christmas cozy that I have ever read.  Check it out.  5 out of 5 stars.

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

The Build Your Library Reading Challenge is new to me.  The 2024 challenge has been set up to help readers read more history.  The challenge is hosted by the Build Your Own Library website. This year’s prompts will guide you to select a variety of literature, from non-fiction to diverse historical fiction, fantasy, and more!  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know how much I love historical fiction.  I have learned much about history from reading this genre. This challenge has no spot for linking reviews so that is one step that can be eliminated for us bloggers.  You can find the link to the PDF checklist for printing off and checking the boxes as you go along.  Won't you join me in this challenge?

Download the  2024 Reading Challenge Prompts (in color)

Download the 2024 Reading Challenge Prompts  (black and white)

2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

I have participated in the Nonfiction Reader Challenge for two years now. I am liking it more and more every year so I will be rejoining the challenge in 2024 at the Nonfiction Nibbler level. Nonfiction Nibbler requires that 6 books should be read. You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books. You can also select, read and review any nonfiction book. The Book'd Out Blog is hosting the challenge again next year.

If you decide to join me in the challenge you need to choose a goal:

Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories

Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories

Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category

Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal

The categories are:

History

Memoir/Biography

True Crime

Science

Health

Food

Culture

Transportation

The Future

Pets

Architecture

Published in 2024

Additional Rules:

1)   Where a book is identified by more than one category, it may only count for one, not both.

2)   A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.

3)   You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just aim to complete the challenge by December 31, 2024.

4)   To join, create a blog post committing to your participation in this challenge. If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads or LibraryThing, post via Instagram, or Twitter. Just add your name and a link to your shelf/account in the sign-up.

5)   The challenge will run from January 1 to December 31, 2024. 

6)   Participants may join at any time up until December 1, 2024.

7)   Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, please identify the post by adding either a direct statement and/or the challenge image badge to the post. It’s also helpful if you indicate the category the book fulfills.

8)   Use the hashtag #ReadNonFicChal on social media. 

9)   Share your review with other challenge participants by including your name or blog name and the category with a direct link to your review in the Linky in the challenge post.

2024 Memoir Reading Challenge

I did this challenge a few years ago but ended up not reading anything.  I am going to give this challenge another try.  To participate, you must read a minimum of five memoirs from any of the categories listed. One book can only count for one category. Re-reads are acceptable. All book formats count. 

Other Rules:

• Books must be read on or after January 1, 2024 to count.
• Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
• Books may cross over to other challenges in which you are participating. 
• Books must be labeled as memoirs to count. 
• You do not need a blog to sign up.  You may keep tract of your progress on Goodreads, Amazon or other similar sites with a shelf dedicated to this challenge.  Or sign up on Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter. Sign up in the comments of the challenge post.

If you need reading ideas, here are some links to get started:

Goodreads: Best Memoir/Autobiography

Goodreads: Memoirs by Women 

Amazon Best Seller Memoirs

B&N: 50 Essential Memoirs

Here are the categories:

1. Mental Illness Memoir: 
2. Other Illness Memoir: 
3. Political Memoir:  
4. Food Memoir:
5. Animal Memoir: 
6. Music Memoir: 
7. Travel Memoir: 
8. Written by a person of color: 
9. Written by a woman:
10. Written by a person who identifies as LGBTQIA: 
11. Written by an actor or a comedian: 
12. Written by an author or journalist: 
13. Written by any other celebrity: 
14. Written by someone under 40: 
15. Written by someone over 40: 
16. Written by someone from a country different from your own: 
17.  One you find thought-provoking: 
18.  Made into a movie: 
19.  Graphic novel memoir: 
20.  Bestselling memoir: 
21.  Humorous memoir: 
22.  Fictional memoir: 
23.  In translation:
24.  Won an award: 
25.  Published in 2024: 
26.  Published in 2023 or earlier: 
27.  Under 300 pages: 
28.  Over 300 pages: 
29.  One you want to re-read: 
30.  On a favorite topic: 
31.  By a favorite celebrity: 
32.  Free choice: 
33.  Free choice: 
34.  Free choice:

Girl Forgotten

Girl, Forgotten is one heck of a page turner.  I read it in one sitting and it kept me up into the early hours this morning until I finished reading it. The story is told in alternating time periods. During the present time, new U. S. Marshal Andrea Oliver arrived in Longbill Beach, Maryland on her first assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. In reality, Andrea is there to find justice for Emily Vaughn. Emily is the Judge's daughter who was murdered forty years ago. The killer is still out there and it could be Andrea's biological father. No one knows that part of Andrea's history though. A few  years after Emily’s murder, Andrea's mother agreed to go into protective custody because she feared her ex-husband. Her unborn daughter, Andrea, has had to live this way her entire life.

The initial plot takes place in Longbill Beach in 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night should be the highlight of her high school career.  However, Emily has been ostracised by her former friends and expelled from high school due to her pregnancy, but she refuses to just disappear. Her only emotional support is her grandmother who unfortunately suffers from dementia. Emily has a secret though and by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced forever. The present day plot takes place forty years later. Emily’s murder remains a mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks. Her respected, wealthy family retreated inwards and the small town moved on from her grisly attack. Andrea needed to be able to bring closure to Emily’s family and finally get Emily’s so-called friends to talk about that night.

I LOVED this book. Girl, Forgotten the first book of Karin Slaughter's that I have read and I will definitely read more from her in the coming months.  The two subplots were told in alternating chapters and each of those chapters ended with a bang. The twists were unique and kept coming.

The characters were quite interesting. Andrea's sidekick, Leonard "Catfish" Bible, is funny guy who was always spouting amusing sayings every time he opened his mouth.  With many years of experience as a Marshal, he gives the plot alot of twists by knowing exactly what should be done in order to advance their investigation. Emily’s friends continued to stick together even though they now hated each other. Something awful seemed to have happened the night of that 1982 party that had to be covered up. They all had toxic personalities and as these personality traits were exposed in the present day plot, it revealed what they were really like all along. One of Emily’s teachers, Dean Wexler, was a sympathetic character in the 1982 plot. However, he became a cult leader later in life and was abusive to everyone in Landbill.

Girl, Forgotten is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

2024 Epistolary Reading Challenge

I have never participated in this challenge before and am not sure how much I will like this type of book. However, I am going to give it a go next year.  The challenge will be to read books written in the form of letters, diaries, blogs, e-mails and such, either completely or partially written this way. 

Guidelines:

• Challenge will run from January 1 to December 31, 2024.  Books must be started on or after January 1 to count.  Re-reads will be allowed as long as they are read during the specified time period.
• Books may cross over to other challenges in which you are participating.  
• Fiction (all genres and subgenres) and nonfiction that fit the challenge description may be read.
• All book formats are allowed (paper, audio, electronic, graphic novels/manga, picture books). 
• No levels.  You can choose how many books to read.
• You do not need a blog to sign up.  You may keep tract of your progress on Goodreads, Amazon or other similar sites with a shelf dedicated to this challenge. Or sign up on Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter.
• You do not need to post reviews, nor will there be any check-ins.
• Sign up in the comments of the challenge post.

2024 Creativity Reading Challenge

I did not participate in this challenge this year but have missed it.  Now that I am retired I consider my job title to be a full-time artist.  In the past I have reviewed watercolor and fiber art books.  Let's see what I can come up with in 2024.  The rules are:

The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2024. 

Read as many books as you want.

Books may be nonfiction, memoir, how-to, self help, coffee table books, instructional, picture books, and even fictional books if they are about people who are creative.

Books of any format including traditional books, ebooks or audiobooks

You may reread books. 

Books may count towards other reading challenges in which you are participating.

Sign up in the comments of the challenge post.

Bulletproof Barista

Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery Series is my favorite cozy mystery series. I have read every book in the series and only have high accolades for each book. Bulletproof Barista , though, was not my favorite installment in the series. The authors have managed to maintain a quality level in their writing over the years but in this 20th novel they faltered.  

Clare Cosi is the main character.  She is the manager of the Village Blend coffeehouse.  She agrees to shut down her business for a week for comedian Jerry Sullivan who is starring in a film that is being shot at the coffee shop.  When the film crew’s location shoot delivers an actual shooting, Clare Cosi finds herself once again at the scene of a true crime.  Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they’ve chosen to spotlight the century-old Village Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.

Let me begin my review by saying that I was in a bad mood when I began reading this novel.  I thought it would uplift me.  There was something different about how it started out but I continued reading waiting for someone to get killed.  It didn't happen until over 200 pages into the story. Usually, the murder happens in the first chapter.  I remembered hearing the name of the person who died, Billy Saddler,  but he was not central to the story thus far.  I went back to the beginning searching for his name and did not it until page 99.  There was something else that bothered me while I was reading.  One of the characters, Tina Bird, was referred to over 10 times as "cockadoodledoo."  Again, I went back to the beginning trying to figure out why she gained this description.  It turns out that one of Clare's baristas, Tucker, referred to Bird this way.  When Clare didn't understand why Tucker said this, he said that she should remember the phrase that Kathy Bates used in her 1990 movie Misery.  While I had seen this movie several times I did not remember the phrase.  I then went to Google and found several You Tube videos where her character  described a vehicle as a "cockadoodie car."  She even referred to another character as a "cockadoodie."  With my facts straight about the plot, I returned to reading but promising myself to watch the Misery movie again soon.

The Forward to the story talks about a movie being filmed near the authors' home in New York City.  They decided to write this installment of the series based on a movie being filmed at Clare's Village Blend.  I believe that this was a mistake.  The plot was not anywhere near as exciting as the authors tried to make their mystery fit into a predesigned idea of what the plot should be.  This affected their creativity.  There were a lot of cliches used in the writing, which I have never seen before, and Clare's investigation was more about who was sabotaging Jerry Sullivan's TV show than solving a murder. The person who was shot in the beginning of the book survived. 

If you have never read a book in this series, do not start with Bulletproof Barista.  All of the earlier books were riveting and Bulletproof Barista is an anomaly in the series.  I recommend, though, that you read this series.  It has been enjoyable for me. When I finished this book I was planning on giving it a 4 star rating.  However, as I was writing this review I realized all of the problems that I had with it. Consequently, I am rating it 2 stars.  It was not up to par with the earlier ones.