The lost letter by Jillian Cantor

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

This had been one of my must reads for a while and it did not disappoint. It was well written and I liked the dual perspective. The one set during the war and the one set in the present point of view. It helped flesh out the story a lot. The plot was fast paced and really well written. I highly recommend it for historical fiction fans. I cannot say enough good things about this book

Plot:

The story starts with a woman who must clear out her father's stamp collection so she takes it to stamp appraiser. Benjamin, the appraiser, finds an odd WWII era stamp that he has never seen. So begins their journey to find out who made this stamp and how her father got it. This is where the story from WWII begins to connect with the modern day story. The story set in WWII focuses on a man named Kristoff who works along side a stamp maker as an apprentice. Then  Kristallnacht and he  has to take over the business and work along side his crush. There begins the survival part of the story. I wont't reveal more. The woman Katie must uncover this story and how it connects to her in present time.

Characters:

I felt for Katie because of what she had to deal with a lot but she got to see a lot about her father. I liked Ben and his willingness to help her a lot. Kristoff and Elana were wonderful also and their part of the story is amazing.

Shifty's War by Marcus Brotherton

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

I admire Shifty so much and I consider him someone I look up to a lot. Band of Brothers introduced me to him and when I saw there was a biography written I knew I had to read it. I have been working my way through all the books related to the show and Shifty's story is one of the last I needed to read. It took me a few days because I was going through it slowly. I learned so much about him and his life that we did not see on screen. His friendship with Popeye Wynn was so funny and they were like brothers. The parts of the book after the war were very interesting especially when other members of easy company were mentioned. They all had a close bond with each other even after the war ended. This book was very well written and I was happy to learn so much about him and his service to the country. He was a true hero and we will never see anyone like those who served in WWII. This a must read for band of brothers fans.

Love and Gelato

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

This was the perfect read for the beach. I brought it on vacation and I am happy I did. It was really sweet and cute. I love YA contemporaries and this is on the top of my list. This book was so engaging and really wonderful. It just made me want to keep reading and reading to find out what happens. I cannot wait for the next book by this author.

Plot:

Lina is going to spend the summer in Tuscany at the request of her mother before she dies. She holds to her promise and goes to live there. She receives the journal her mom wrote while she lived in Italy. That changes her perspective on the journey and why her mom wanted her to go there. Along the way she meets Ren who helps her uncover her mom's journey through Italy. This reveals a new side of her mother and leaves her with questions needed to be answered.

Characters:

Lina was a very well written character who I loved.  Her grief about her mother was part of her story and why she grew throughout the book. Ren was funny and I loved his interactions with Lina. The other characters were also well written and added to the story.

The goblins of Bellwater(arc from netgalley)

Rating: 3/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

I loved this premise of this book but not the actual book. I do not think this book was for me and if you like fantasy with a side of romance this might be the right book for you. I did not like the romance part of the novel. I loved the fantasy and the pace of the novel but that is about it. This books a quick read to get me out of my reading slump.

Plot:

Sky falls victim to a curse set by Goblins who live near her in the forest. Her older sister has no clue that this has happened to her since she cannot speak about what happened to her. Kit starts dating Livy and tries to keep her from the goblins. Sky starts dating Kit's cousin and lure him into the forest. They have to undo the curse and make sure they do not turn into goblins.

Characters:

Sky was okay and I liked her the best. I liked Kit as well. Livy was really interesting and I was not a big fan of Kit

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller(ARC from Netgalley)

Rating: 3/5

Summary:(x)

My Thoughts:

First off thanks to Netgalley for the copy of this book. I was excited to read based off the summary but I was disappointed. It felt flat and not very well planned out. I wished I could have enjoyed this book more but I could not get into it. If you like assassins and twists in the story this is for you.

Plot: 

The plot starts out with an audition to become a member of the left hand a group of assassins. It is full of tests and tricks to prove who is perfect for the job out of the candidates. Sal decides to enter and become a member of the left hand. The book and the plot is just how they get through the tests and what happens. I felt like that was the reason the book dragged and was slow to me.

Characters:

The main character was okay I was not a big fan of them. Sal really fell flat to me. The other candidates were more interesting to me. The characters were okay but not great.

Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

         If it was not obvious by now that I love Band of Brothers and military history. It should be with this review. I consider Major Winters my hero and someone I look up to. This is one of three books written about him and I really loved it. This book had a lot of commentary about the different battles and how Winters knew what to do in battle. He wanted to make sure his men were not put in situations that did not put them at extra risk of being killed. The book shows how much he really cared for his men and their well being. It also shows how sad he was when some of his men were killed like Don Hoobler, Skip Muck, Alex Penkala. Robert Van Klinken.
         The readers can see his friendship with Lewis Nixon who was his total opposite but they worked well. The part about how the book got written was wonder especially since it talked about which veterans were contributors. Veterans like Carwood Lipton, Don Malarkey, Forrest Guth, Smokey Gordon, Joe Toye, Bill Guarnere, Harry Welsh and others helped make the Band of Brothers book a reality. The last few chapters talked about the men he had lost to age and health was touching and sad. It showed how Winters still cared about everyone under his command long after the war ended. The book was well written and I am happy to have read this book.

Tash hearts Tolstoy

Rating: 5/5

Summary(x)

My Thoughts:

I cannot say enough great things about this book. I just loved it so much and want to read it again. I love the asexual representation and I am happy it was a part of the book since there is so little representation for this orientation in the media. Tash was such a wonderful character who I loved and I wish the book could have been longer. I love the idea of the web series and how her friends were involved with it too.

Plot:

Tash has a viral web series that is a modern version of  Anna Karenina. The series did not start that way and after a popular youtuber it became that way. The series has gifs made of it and other posts all over social media. The story follows the web series as she wraps up finishing and how she deals with the new fame.

Characters:

I loved Tash and her friends. Each of them were unique and had a lot to contribute to the story.

Bookishly ever After by Isabel Bandeira(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Rating: 3/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

I was really looking forward to this book and I was not a big fan of it once I finished it. I loved the premise and what the book was about but it just was not the book for me. I will read the rest of the series and give it a chance. I loved the characters and parts of the plot.

Plot:

Pheobe is a huge bookwork and lives her books. She also works at a knitting store teaching classes.  She is also in high school but prefers to live in fantasy world when she finds out Dev have a crush on her. She tries to change her looks and personality to attract him. That is the part of the plot that I did not like and that is why I rated as I did.

Characters:

I really liked Pheobe and her friends. I liked Dev as well and thought he was a well-done character. Some of  Phoebe's actions annoyed me but she is a teenager so I did not find to much stuff that bothered me.

Parachute Infantry by David Kenyon Webster

Rating: 5/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

I have another military history to review today. This one is band of brothers related since Webster served in Easy Company. It was interesting to read an account that was written during the war and I loved the way it was written. At first, I hesitated to read because of my mixed feeling towards Web but after reading I felt like I could understand him better.  This book is a great companion to the series and is must read for the fans of the show. I ended up gaining a new perspective on the war and understanding David Webster more. He has a realistic view of the war and does not sugar coat what happens during the war.

Fireworks by Katie Cutugno

Rating: 2/5

Summary: (x)

My Thoughts:

So the premise sounded amazing but the book fell flat for me. I loved the first part of the book but the rest of the book was not so great. I felt like the characters were flat and not that well fleshed out. Olivia was so annoying and Dana is so nice for putting up with her. I liked Alex and how he acted. The whole girl and boy band concept was the most interesting part for me.

Plot:

So the girls enter a contest to join a girl band. Dana auditioned only because of Olivia. They both get in and their friendship is strained. Especially when Dana meets and starts falling for Olivia' crush Alex, who is in a boy band. After that, there is a lot of drama and the book drags when that happens.

Characters:

The characters annoyed me a lot. I liked Dana and Alex the most out of all of them. They made the story bearable. Olivia was so wrong in how she treated Dana.