Twisted Twenty-Six - Review

Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, # 26)

By: Janet Evanovich

Publication: November 12th 2019 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

312 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from the e-Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Stephanie Plum's career has taken more wrong turns than a student driver on the Jersey Turnpike, and her love life is a hopeless tangle. In order to save someone dear to her, she'll have to straighten things out in Twisted Twenty-Six the latest, novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

Grandma Mazur is a widow...again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen...well, the waiting's over.

It's a sad day, but if she can't have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. But some kinds of attention are not welcomed, particularly when Jimmy's former "business partners" are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself.

As someone who has spent an entire career finding bad guys, a set of missing keys should be no challenge for Stephanie Plum. Problem is, the facts are as twisted as a boardwalk pretzel with mustard.

I find I never have much to say about these books. One of my Stephanie Plum reviews is probably exactly the same as any other. The description tells you pretty much everything you need to know. Grandma Mazur is newly widowed. She wasn't married to Jimmy long enough to be traumatized, and she was half expecting to be a widow again considering Jimmy's age. But the resulting mess of Jimmy's will and the keys that his crew and others are looking for is starting to make Grandma rethink some things.

Stephanie's doing some re-thinking too. She's burned out with her job. Her relationship with Morelli isn't moving forward. She's tired.

For a couple of years, I've grabbed one of the Stephanie Plum audiobooks to listen to while decorating my Christmas tree. But this year the kids were with me and helped decorate, so no Stephanie Plum, but they were spending the night at Grandma's when I took down the Christmas tree, so I grabbed this one then. I always have to give Lorelai King her props. She does an excellent job narrating as always.

Twisted Twenty-Six and all of the Stephanie Plum books are just filler, fun books for me. I read them because I usually get a laugh or two out of them. I don't feel any pressure, and I know they're consistent. I do wish, like Stephanie, that there was some progression on the relationship front. But I don't expect much. Twisted Twenty-Six gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read (or listened to) Twisted Twenty-Six? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 05/07/23

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Little Girl started the week sick. She missed school on Monday because she had a fever Sunday. Little Boy started coughing Sunday night and was running a fever by Monday morning. So he didn't go to school either. Both of them missed their ball games Monday night. Little Girl didn't run fever on Monday so she was back to school on Tuesday and was able to go to her softball game that night. They lost. Little Boy missed school on Wednesday, but that was the last day he ran a fever, and he was able to go back to his ballgame Thursday night and they won. Little Girl's team won their game Thursday night too, and it was the best game they've played all season. Baby Boy started running fever on Tuesday and so he was still sick even up to Thursday night. They all still have coughs, but I think we're past the fevers. Friday was field day for Little Girl at school. I was so thankful to be able to make it to spend the time with her. I don't get a ton of one on one time with her right now, and so I soaked it up even though she was mostly playing with her friends. Saturday was the first day we've been home all day in like 3 weeks. It was glorious. Husband cut down a dead tree and worked on burning it. I was able to clean out our playroom closet so that husband can put shelving up in there. The kids played in the sprinkler for a little while for the first time. I'm so excited about summer activities in the coming weeks.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of A Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Ten Random Books on My Bookshelf
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Committing to the Cowgirl (Colorado Cowgirls, # 1) by Jody Hedlund

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, # 26) by Janet Evanovich
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday?

Don’t forget to link up for the 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2023 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

No new books this week.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Committing to the Cowgirl

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Committing to the Cowgirl (Colorado Cowgirls, # 1)

By: Jody Hedlund

Expected Publication: July 1, 2023

? pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction,

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--After years away, Astrid Nilsson has returned home to Colorado, hoping to become Fairplay’s second doctor . . . and to find healing for her reoccurring consumption. Spirited and independent, Astrid doesn’t want her illness to be a burden to those she loves, so she has resisted getting serious about any man.

As the current doctor of Fairplay, Logan Steele is seeking to hire a male physician to take over his clinic after he goes back East. When Astrid, his childhood sweetheart, insists that she’s the one for the job, he offers her a bargain she can’t refuse: pretend to court him to appease his mother and he’ll give her the doctor position on a trial basis.

Astrid accepts the arrangement even though she’s reluctant to be in a sham relationship with a man who’d once broken her heart. She tries to keep herself from falling for Logan again but soon finds herself getting much more than she bargained for. With the clock ticking for both of them, can they commit to real love before it’s too late?

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Ten Books on My Bookshelf I Randomly Pointed To

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Random Books on My Bookshelf.

1. The Seventh Sun (The Age of the Seventh Sun, # 1) by Lani Forbes
2. Sempre: Redemption (Sempre, # 2) by JM Darhower
3. When Calls the Heart (Canadian West, # 1) by Janette Oaks
4. Beyond Boundaries by Dr John Townsend
5. Sunkissed by Kasie West
6. A Girl Named Samson by Amy Harmon
7. Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian
8. House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, # 1) by Sarah J Maas
9. Give Me a Sign by Anna Sorinto
10. A Wicked and Beautiful Garden (Witches of the Island, # 1) by Katie McGarry

Point to some random books on your shelves and let me know what's on there!

A Heart Worth Stealing - Review

A Heart Worth Stealing

By: Joanna Barker

Expected Publication: May 2nd 2023 by Shadow Mountain

288 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Sowerby, England, 1802

Miss Genevieve Wilde—a magistrate’s daughter and independent heiress—is determined to meet life’s challenges all on her own, just as her late-father had taught her. So when her father’s pocket watch is stolen, she will do anything to get it back, especially when the local authorities prove incompetent.

Upon reading an advertisement in the paper, she takes a chance and contacts a thief-taker to find the watch. It’s a choice Ginny regrets when former Bow Street officer Jack Travers arrives on her doorstep. He is frustratingly flirtatious, irritatingly handsome, and entirely unpredictable, and Ginny wonders if she’ll be able to resist such a man.

But after Ginny discovers that the missing watch is just a small part of a larger, more frightening plot against her, she needs Jack’s help more than ever. To protect her home and her reputation, the two enter into a risky charade—pretending Jack is her cousin so he can begin his investigation, starting with the household staff. As they work together to unravel the mystery, Ginny finds herself falling fast for her charismatic thief-taker, leaving her heart in just as much danger as her life.

Joanna Barker has become an auto-read author for me in the historical fiction genre. I haven't read anything by her that I've been disappointed with. I tend to stalk NetGalley for any new releases by her, which is how I stumbled upon A Heart Worth Stealing.

Genevieve's father passed, leaving her his estate. He has an older daughter that is Genevieve's half-sister. Most people would have expected him to will his estate to his oldest daughter. Since she's married, her future is more secure than Genevieve's. However, Genevieve and her sister have a strained relationship. Genevieve feels like everyone is expecting her to fail. And it seems like someone out there might be going out of their way to ensure that she does.

I don't read too many mysteries. Certain authors seem to do it well enough that keep me guessing. But it frustrates me to figure out the "twists" before they are revealed. And unfortunately, I felt like the villain of A Heart Worth Stealing was pretty obvious. It wasn't until a small part at the end of the book that I even remotely questioned whether I was right.

I did enjoy learning more about the concept of a thief-taker. I love how historical fiction teaches history in a way that makes it entirely fascinating. Reading historical fiction has taught me so much. I would have never known these small pieces of fact or history without finding stories that discuss them. I don't know that they make a huge difference in my life, but I find it fascinating, nonetheless, and it helps me to see how learning history through literature is so much more enjoyable than the history text books forced upon our children in school.

As always, the love stories are what I read for. I might have found Jack and Ginny's story a little cheesy, but it wasn't too cheesy. I can't fault too much. I wasn't cringing or rolling my eyes.

A Heart Worth Stealing is one I blew through. I didn't want to put it down. During one of the busiest months of the year, I read this book in like two days, I think. I liked the relationship between Ginny and Jack, but I loved the side story of the relationship between Genevieve and her older sister. The mystery was too easy to figure out, but I wasn't reading this one for the mystery. A Heart Worth Stealing gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Hearth Worth Stealing? What did you think? Let me know!