I fell in love with the characters of Zig and Nola when they first appeared in The Escape Artist and could not wait for this sequel.  

The Lightning Rod gives us a deeper insight into both characters and their backstories.  We learn more about Nola's troubled past and Zig's family.  While The Lightning Rod could easily be read as a standalone, these characters are so unique and compelling that I would recommend starting by reading The Escape Artist and then reading The Lightning Rod.  You won't regret it.  

The Lightning Rod sees Zig and Nola trying to work from opposite angles to unravel the complicated web of who was responsible for the death of Archie Mint.  Zig is called in to assist with preparing Archie Mint's body for his memorial service and soon discovers he might have been summoned for other reasons.  Nola seems to be pursuing this case with a different level of commitment that no one quite understands.  As they examine every lead, it only gets more complicated and more players get introduced into the game.  

Brad Meltzer is one of the best at crafting a page turning novel full of intrigue and suspense.  Fingers crossed that we have more Zig and Nola novels in the future.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Katy's mother Carol was more than just a mother to her.  She was her best friend and Katy doesn't know what her life is supposed to look like without her mother in it.  They had planned a trip together to visit Positano so Carol could show Katy all the beauty that beloved city has to offer, since it was where Carol spent the summer before she met Katy's father.  Still reeling from the her mother's death, Katy decides to embark on the trip alone.  When she arrives, she can certainly see why her mother loved this area so much.  Then, she sees Carol, looking absolutely stunning and 30 years old.  Katy cannot understand what is happening, but if she has the opportunity to spend even one more minute with her mother, she is going to do everything it takes to do so.  

I related to this book on so many levels.  My mom was also my best friend and my everything, so when she passed away suddenly, I felt so many of the emotions that Katy had.  I thought the author did a wonderful job handling that sense of loss and really tapped into those feelings.  I think many of us would love to know our parents as their younger selves and ask all the questions we didn't ask when we had the chance.  The descriptions of the Amalfi coast are so vivid that I felt transported away from the snowy days we have had here.  

One Italian Summer was a beautiful novel that showcased the power of family bond and the love between a mother and daughter.  I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Val is still struggling with the loss of her twin Andy when she receives an unexpected email from Wyatt, his mentor and fellow researcher.  Wyatt needs Val's help immediately at their Arctic research center.  The e-mail has an audio file of a young girl that Wyatt says they found frozen in ice but thawed out alive.  She doesn't speak a language that anyone recognizes.  Val, a talented linguist, is haunted by the sound of the young girl's voice, but is conflicted about visiting the site of her brother's death.  Ultimately, she feels she must go and what she finds in the Arctic is not at all what she expected.  

Girl In Ice takes many twists and turns throughout the book.  It is an action packed novel, but the middle section seemed to lag slightly for me, but it could have been because I was wanting to move the story along more quickly.  I did find the topic of Girl in Ice to be original and unique.  It definitely peaked my interest and was not like any other books I have read.  

It was a strong 3 1/2 star rating for me.  I received this book courtesy of the publisher ​through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

In The Fashion Orphans, Gabrielle and Lulu, sisters who have been estranged for the last several years, must come together for the reading of their mother Bette's will.  They discover that their mother has not left them with the money they had hoped, but instead left them a "collection" that they must agree on how to handle.  Neither one of them is aware of what this collection might be until they visit Bette's apartment and discover she had an entire room full of vintage Coco Chanel clothing, jewelry, shoes and handbags.  This leads both sisters on a path to self-discovery and learning more about their distant mother.  

I had a difficult time connecting with the characters in this book, and felt like the sisters tended to switch quickly back and forth from arguing to making up and then back to arguing.  It was also a little difficult for me to keep track of all the characters from both families and then Bette's friends.  The story seemed somewhat predictable at times, which is ok, but I just couldn't really get invested in the characters.   I'm sure many readers will enjoy this book, but it wasn't the right book for me at the right time.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Donna Everhart never fails to amaze me with her character development and her ability to completely draw me in to her stories.  

The Saints of Swallow Hill is the story of Del Reese, Rae Lynn Cobb and the residents of Swallow Hill turpentine farm.  Del Reese and Rae Lynn Cobb both have left complicated situations behind when they arrive at Swallow Hill.  Del doesn't plan to stay long at the camp, but he quickly makes an enemy of Crow, one of the men in charge of the  camp  workers.  Rae Lynn tries not to draw attention to herself and just make the best of her situation, but she can't escape Crow's evil ways.  Through all the difficult working conditions and hardships the residents face, there still is a sense of goodness among many of the people there.  The Saints of Swallow Hill is a beautiful story of forgiveness, resilience and the triumph of the human spirit.  

I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the turpentine camps and the conditions at that time.  I really was invested in these characters and how their lives played out over the pages.  I've seen this book compared to The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah and also Where the Crawdads Sing by Della Owens, and would definitely agree that The Saints of Swallow Hill deserves a spot on that shelf.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Everything about Our American Friend screamed "Read Me".  "A propulsive Cold War-era spy thriller crossed with a fictional biography of a First Lady. Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, traveling from Moscow and Paris to Washington and New York," how could I resist?  

After seeing President Henry Caine reelected to a second term, Sofie Morse knows she can no longer continue as a journalist covering the White House.  She is just too fed up with his outlandish behavior and all the chaos surrounding his administration, so she quits her job with no plans for the future.  While she is trying to figure out what is next for her, she receives a phone call from the the First Lady's office asking her to come to the White House for a visit.  Intrigued, she can't refuse.  The First Lady wants Sofie to write her biography and agrees to give her unlimited access.  This sets Sofie on a path with life changing implications that reach far beyond what Sofie could have imagined.  

Our American Friend reveals just enough of the backstory and the current narrative in each chapter that I was compulsively turning pages, unable to step away.  It keeps you in suspense until the very end.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The House on Tradd Street was one of the first Karen White novels that I read and I've loved the series ever since.  So it is somewhat bittersweet to see the series come to a close, but The Attic on Queen Street was a fitting send-off.  

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street ended with Jack and Melanie's marriage on the rocks and Marc Longo still up to his villainous ways.  The Attic on Queen Street picks up right where that left off, but it now seems that Marc is having some financial difficulties and with his wife and Melanie's cousin Rebecca pregnant, Jack and Melanie agree to help them out and allow the filming of Marc's movie to continue in Jack and Melanie's home.  Of course, Marc's intentions aren't as pure as they seem, and it isn't long before Jack and Melanie realize Marc is after something more.  With Jack and Melanie struggling to figure out if their relationship can be mended and dealing with whatever Marc has up his sleeve, will they ever find their way back to each other?   And can Melanie finally help her friend Veronica figure out what happened to her sister?  And what is the spirit of the young girl trying to protect Nola from?

The Tradd Street series is so much fun to read and I highly recommend reading all the books in order to truly appreciate how the characters grow and develop over time.  I just recently realized that on Karen White's website, you can see photos of the some of the locations featured in the series.  It just made me want to visit Charleston that much more.  While the Tradd Street series may be over, I can't wait to read The Shop on Royal Street,  a spin-off series featuring Jack and Melanie's daughter Nola set in New Orleans, coming out in March.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I am such a fan of Marie Benedict's novels and how they shed light on amazing women that have been sometimes overshadowed or overlooked by history.  Her Hidden Genius is a captivating novel about Rosalind Franklin and her work on DNA research.  Last year, I had read The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson and it touched on the contributions that Rosalind Franklin made, so I was eager to delve into this fictional work that I knew would also be superbly researched.  

Her Hidden Genius will make you appreciate the dedication Rosalind Franklin had to her research and her desire to contribute something to society.  It will also infuriate you how Rosalind was often treated by some of her male peers.  It will sadden you that her life and brilliance were cut short, but it will inspire you that her legacy still glows bright and through Her Hidden Genius more people will learn of her work.  

As always, Marie Benedict writes a marvelous novel that I can't wait to recommend. I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.   

My family can always tell when I'm reading a Sophie Kinsella book because I can't stop smiling and my laughs can't be stifled.  The Party Crasher was exactly that kind of book and the perfect escape from these winter days.  

Two years later, Effie still cannot believe her parents are divorced, and now her dad has a new, much younger, girlfriend (Krista) that Effie might have jokingly called a gold digger at the last family dinner.  To make matters worse, Effie has just found out that Greenoaks, their beloved family home, has been sold.  Krista is throwing a big send off party for the house, but Effie has been left off the original guest list and then receives an invitation which seems like an afterthought  Effie is definitely not going, but then remembers her childhood treasured Russian dolls are there and she cannot be without those.  Effie decides to go full out "Mission Impossible" mode and stealthily enter the house during the party to retrieve her dolls, except it doesn't quite work out that way.  What comes next is pages of hilarious blunders, edged with the true love of family.  

The Party Crasher was a fun and laughter filled adventure with a heartwarming feel and I loved it all.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
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Fiona Davis has become one of those authors that I simply cannot wait to read whatever she writes.  I've gifted her novels to several good friends and she has quickly become one of my all time favorite writers.   Obviously, I was highly anticipating The Magnolia Palace and it did not disappoint!  

Lillian Carter is still struggling with the unexpected death of her mother to Spanish Flu.  She simply has to find some work so that she can pay rent.  Her days as the famed model "Angelica" when all the artists and sculptors couldn't get enough of her, seem to have faded.  All the while, her likeness graces many of the city's most well known landmarks.  She returns home after another lackluster day to find the police at her doorstep with questions regarding the murder of her landlord's wife.  While Lillian had nothing to do with it, this type of attention is not what she needs right now if she wants to start her acting career.  She escapes the police and unknowingly finds herself on the steps of the Frick Mansion, being mistaken for a job applicant.  Lillian accepts the role as personal private secretary to Miss Helen Frick with the intention of having enough money after one month's pay to make the journey to California where movie stardom awaits.  This one decision will alter the course of Lillian's life in ways she never could have expected.  

Now 50 years later, Veronica Weber has taken her first modeling job, traveling from Britain to America, for a photo shoot at the Frick Museum.  The shoot doesn't go as planned, and Veronica finds herself left behind and locked inside the Frick Mansion during a disastrous snowstorm.   She finds that she is not alone, but with the young museum intern Joshua Lawrence.  They inadvertently discover clues to a scavenger hunt left behind by the young Miss Helen Frick for an apparent love interest.  As they follow the clues, will they find the elusive Magnolia diamond that has been missing for decades or will they search lead them to some other discovery?    

Fiona Davis's books are so immersive that I just want to go do a deep dive after reading them to learn more about the location that is usually an integral part of the novel, and then also discover all about any of the real life people featured in the storyline.  The author's notes happen to be one of my favorite parts of the book as well.  

If you haven't read Fiona Davis, what are you waiting for?  I assure you that you will love every minute of The Magnolia Palace as I did.  Five Stars!

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.