Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

Tuesday #BookReviews- The Shadows We Breathe Vol 3 @SarahBrentyn, Inheritance by Nora Roberts, The Bromance Book Club @LyssaKayAdams, Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones


Apocalyptic Conditions Worldwide

The world as we know it is changing at a pace we’re strained to keep up with, much less change. If we don’t do something drastic, and soon, there won’t be anything left for our children and grandchildren- that terrifies me.

We have over 380 fires in British Columbia right now, and many more in the Northwest Territories. Thousands have fled their homes, unsure if they will ever see them again. Many will not. How do you move on from that? Start over when jobs are gone, crops have burned away, hope is lost. And we aren’t alone; there’s the horrific losses in Lahaina, flooding in Northeast USA and California, heatwaves in Rome and elsewhere.

My prayers go out to the first responders and volunteers (many working 48-72 hour shifts) to protect our homes and our loved ones in these trying times. They are our heroes.

Sorry to start out this week’s reviews with doom and gloom, but it weighs on my heart, as I’m sure it does for you as well. Maybe opening a discussion can unite us when we feel lost {{hugs}}

This week, I read books from various genres, including a collaboration of talented authors, a mystery, a romantic comedy, and a paranormal suspense with a large splash of humor. Click the covers to learn more.

The posts on this site may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you make a purchase using a link.

The Shadows We Breathe Vol 3

WE ARE ALL PART SHADOW

Life promises joy and sorrow. Alongside the light, there will always be traces of darkness. It is the nature of being human.

In this anthology of short fiction, we explore power—who has it, who doesn’t, who uses it, who abuses it.

Eight artists, whose words paint worlds, bring you stories of confidence, restraint, corruption, and revenge. They define the true meaning of power.

We all have stories.  The ones we imagine. The ones we tell. The ones we hide.

Brentyn, Sarah. The Shadows We Breathe (Volume 3) (p. 5). Kindle Edition.

This is a powerful collaboration by eight supremely talented writers. The collection includes flash fiction, micro-fiction, and short ten-word prose that punches you with their meaning.

One of my favorites is Pills by Sarah Brentyn

I’ve been cut off from those on the outside but I guess that doesn’t matter so much as I’ve lost connection with the girl I was there, anyway. Now I am just a piñata, filled with pills, my personality tearing and peeling off like strips of soggy papier mâché.

Brentyn, Sarah. The Shadows Breathe (Volume 3) (pp. 11-12). Kindle Edition.

Most of the stories are dark with subject matters of addiction, betrayal, loss, and suicide but are impeccably written and touching. Power changes us all.

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by  New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

A murdered bride, a mansion overlooking the stormy Atlantic Ocean, and a young heiress who gets more than she bargains for. The premise for Nora Roberts’s new mystery is one that sounds familiar, that is until you reach the Victorian house on the Maine coast with our protagonist, Sonya McTavish, and things go bump in the night. If only she wasn’t committed to living there for three years.

Trey, a handsome young lawyer, introduces Sonya to the manor and offers to help her get settled. He also tells her about the history behind a beautiful painting in the foyer depicting the first bride of the manor and her tragic death, along with rumors of her ghost who still resides in the house.

When unexplained items are moved, doors open and close, and lights flicker, Sonya is thrown into the midst of a decades-old mystery.

A great start to a new paranormal suspense series!

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him. 

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Funny, heartfelt, and lovable are all adjectives that describe one of the cutest books I’ve read in a while.

The point of all this is to court her, Gavin. Not seduce her.” “What’s the difference?” Mack snorted again. “It’s a fucking miracle you got married at all.” Gavin flipped him off. “The difference,” Malcolm said, “is to make her want you, not prove how much you want her.”

Adams, Lyssa Kay. The Bromance Book Club (p. 139). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

When baseball legend Gavin Scott learns his wife has been faking it during their lovemaking he is humiliated and retaliates by moving into a hotel room until he can recover his ego enough to talk it over with her. Except Thea is done talking, instead she’s filing for divorce and Gavin is about to lose the only woman he’s ever loved.

In steps the Bromance Book Club.

Made up of some of the guys from his team, along with an annoying nightclub owner, Gavin joins a secret romance book club and is forced to read a steamy regency with the promise that it will get him his wife back.

Confused, lonely, and desperate to do whatever it takes, Gavin begins the quest to renew his commitment to his marriage with sometimes funny, sometimes heart-tugging results.

If she doesn’t want you to say I love you with those words, you’ll have to learn another way to express it, one that she’ll accept.”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“We do,” Del said. Then the guys all spoke at once. “Backstory.”

“What the fuck is backstory?”

“Everything, man,” Mack said. “Backstory is everything.”

Adams, Lyssa Kay. The Bromance Book Club (pp. 102-103). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

This is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with many endearing moments. Gavin has a stutter, which just makes his character all the more lovable, and Thea just wants the man she married. She has her hands full with twin daughters, Gavin is never around to help, and she’s tired and fed up. At the heart of this story, we have two people who love each other but can’t find their way back to what they once had. It happens in far too many marriages. Maybe we need more book clubs for therapy 🙂

Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

There’s holy hell to pay for Charley Davidson in Eighth Grave After Dark, the New York Times bestseller from Darynda Jones.

With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Sometimes I crave pickles. Other times I crave the blood of my enemy. Weird.

—CHARLEY DAVIDSON

Jones, Darynda. Eighth Grave After Dark: A Novel (Charley Davidson Book 8) (p. 1). St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Kindle Edition

The stakes grow!

In this installment of the bestselling Charlie Davidson series, the stakes rise as baby Beep makes an appearance triggering a tsunami of events.
The action is fast-paced as new truths come to light changing the very world beneath Charley and Reyes’ feet.

“Sometimes we just need to forgive. Not for that person, but for ourselves.”

Jones, Darynda. Eighth Grave After Dark: A Novel (Charley Davidson Book 8) (p. 134). St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.


Friends become foes and vice versa keeping tension high.
Another excellent story!

Harley pretending she’s a statue so the birdie will land on her shoulder, lol

57 Replies to “Tuesday #BookReviews- The Shadows We Breathe Vol 3 @SarahBrentyn, Inheritance by Nora Roberts, The Bromance Book Club @LyssaKayAdams, Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones”

  1. It is tragic that so many people around the world are being affected by the unpredictable and aggressive weather conditions at the moment Jacquie and fire and floods are two of the most devastating leaving nothing left in their wake. Thank you for the reviews… some familiar names and some new to me.. hugsx

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Hi Jacqui, a lovely review of The Shadows we Breathe 3. I just read and reviewed volume 2 and will read 3 asap. Beautiful writing. The Bromance Bookclub sounds hilarious although Thea’s situation sounds pretty close to every other women with kids on this planet. When are men ever there to help? As for the fires, I’ll be publishing to poems about our late winter later today. It’s not even spring yet and its 30 C.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. My prayers go out to the first responders, volunteers, and all who are affected. 🤍🌺

    I love your reviews, Jacquie, and have added these to my toppling-over TBR. I’ve really been looking forward to the Shadows We Breathe books.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. This year started mild for wildfires in California after a few of the worst years on record, but things have picked up speed lately. It is becoming a global problem at a rapid rate. Keeping up with the alarming rate is pushing our firefighters to extreme lengths. Reading takes my mind off this disturbing news.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Yes, well, “doom and gloom” is called for at the moment. It’s awful and, as you say, frightening to think about what we will be leaving the next generations. Hugs.

    Thank you so much for including The Shadows We Breathe in your reviews here, Jacquie. 💖🥰 And for the amazing shoutout of my story: “Pills”. Much appreciated!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. It is a scary moment with the changes in our weather and the outcome, Jacquie. My heart breaks for all the loss. Its been a slow start in CA but fireseason has awakened. I know the fear to live with it and seen the after effects too many times especially after our last drought. I keep wondering where its safe anymore. I keep hoping rain will make it to Canada and all the other fire hotspots and tamper those flames down without flooding. Thanks for the reviews, you remind me of a book I want to read. Reading has become necessary. Hugs and stay safe xo

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Great reviews, Jacquie. I’m intrigued by a few of these based on your reviews.

    I feel as you do about the Earth and the devastation that seems rampant everywhere. I never remember such extremes when I was a kid, and I worry and pray for those who will be here in the future.

    Love the pic of Harley! 🐈‍⬛ 💕

    Liked by 2 people

  12. What a frightening and heartbreaking photo of that fire, Jacquie. Climate change is impacting everyone everywhere and small steps are no longer enough to save us from ourselves. I worry about the world we’ll leave behind for the younger and next generations.

    Thanks for the book reviews. I’m so glad you enjoyed The Shadows We Breathe. Sarah is so talented and I remember the quote you chose. It’s memorable because it’s so good! And thanks for the other recommendations, Both Inheritance and Eighth Grave sound like books I’d enjoy. ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I have friends who live near Kelowna and are frightened their homes could be next- it’s incomprehensible. They recommend checking your insurance to make sure you’re covered for these kinds of events, I know I will be.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I too am appalled by what is happening to my world–not just the US but across the globe. It’s like we’ve lost our ability to care for ourselves. I’m considering reading apocalyptic stories to get a better perspective on surviving the unsurvivable.

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Spotlight – August 25th 2023 – #Poetry Robbie Cheadle, #Tyres Jacqueline Lambert, #Funnies Marcia Meara, #Reviews Jacquie Biggar, #Fires Cindy Knoke | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  16. I’ve been seeing some great reviews for The Shadows We Breathe – congrats to Sarah and the other contributors! And you’re right about those fires, Jacquie – lots of prayers for the first responders.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Hi, Jacquie! I hope all is well. Thanks your for the great recommendations. I will pick one or more to read by myself. I don’t know why but the last week i was to tired. It was horrible to find the way out of bed, but strong coffee makes the world go round. Don’t laugh, but Harley seems to know all birds are indivuals. Maybe one of them wants to study the new fured art object. Lol Best wishes, Michael

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