The Lonely God by Agatha Christie

This book is considered a Mystery. 

It is also considered somewhat of a Romance Novel and Mystery Thriller. It is a short story and considered a Classic because of its author.

"Dear little God help me, please help me."

The description of this short story in most places is pretty short and simple. "An unlikely couple find themselves drawn together by their mutual fascination for a sinister little stone idol high on a shelf in the British Museum in London" (Goodreads). 

Oakland Library has a bit better description: "In the quiet halls of the British Museum, a forgotten stone idol sits unnoticed on a high shelf - its features eroded by time, its purpose long lost. But for Frank Oliver, a lonely man recently returned to England, the little god becomes something more: a symbol of connection in a world that has passed him by. When Frank notices a young woman visiting the same statue, day after day, something begins to shift. In their quiet devotion to a nameless figure, two strangers begin to find the possibility of something else - companionship, perhaps even love."

The Review

This is one of the few Agatha Christie books I have not read yet. It was a short story, but it was pretty good. It was quite different from the typical crime stories Agatha Christie usually writes. I think even though it isn't what we usually think of when we think Agatha Christie, it still has a nod to her writing style. If that makes any sense. 

The story really pulls you in, and you can start to feel for Frank, his isolation, his loneliness. The sadness that he experiences. And the beacon that calls to him. I think we can all say that we have been there at one time or another. And that's what makes the story so good and relatable. 

SPOILER ALERT

I think we can all identify with falling in love with someone who breaks our heart. Someone that feels like "the one", like the sun rises and sets with them. And then when they are gone, it feels like the world is ending. Thankfully, Frank takes these emotions and this sadness and puts them into his creativity. He uses the lonely lady as inspiration and starts to paint. 

In the end, the story of the lonely Princess inspires Frank to paint her. And when the lonely lady sees the photo, she goes to the Museum to tell him that she is the Princess and that is why she left. 

I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App. 

Rating and Recommendation

A little confusing at the end. But I think this short story was great. It really makes you think. And for a moment you have to replay what you just read (or hear) to really understand the ending but once you do, it is a great story. While it is considered a mystery, I think a better description would be "Fate-based love story". But I don't think Goodreads has a tag for that! I absolutely recommend anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie's quirkiness to read this, and anyone who likes just a nice clean book with a happy ending.

I honestly don't think you can buy a physical copy of this book. I searched, and the best I can find is that it is part of a collection of short stories, "While The Light Lasts and Other Stories," as well as "The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories." You can however, find it on Amazon as an e-book and probably find it at your library.

Conclusion

If you are a Christie fan or you just enjoy quick little romance stories. This is the book for you. Hell, even if you just enjoy short books. It is twenty-six minutes as an audiobook. Worst to worst, you have wasted less than half an hour of your life. But I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Just keep in mind this isn't a typical Agatha Christie mystery. It is more romance.  

You can find The Lonely God in its respective mediums below: 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).

* Knife Photo via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

The Gift by Freida McFadden

This book is considered a Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, etc. 

It is also a Christmas Short Story. 

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with murder, poverty, and manipulation.

"You don't know what it's like to meet the man of your dreams, then meet his beautiful wife."

It is Christmas Eve, and Stella Hansen is dead on her feet. Despite working two jobs to help support herself and her husband, they are barely making ends meet. Stella is devastated by the thought of their first Christmas as a married couple being so pitiful. 

As Stella and her coworker close the dinner, a mysterious woman is sitting at a back booth. No one saw her come, and neither of them waited on her. The mysterious woman is a storekeeper; she owns a pawn shop. And she insists that Stella stop by her store on her way home. 

But what does Stella have to trade? She can't afford anything from the woman's shop, and all she has is her beautiful hair. 

The Review

This book is a dark twist on the classic, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Unfortunately, it felt very flat for me. If you aren't familiar with The Gift of the Magi, it is a beautiful tale about true love. Della nd Jim have fallen on tough times; they can barely afford their new apartment, their car has broken down, and life is just one big expense after another. In order to buy each other Christmas gifts, Della chops off her hair to get Jim a chain for his pocket watch. Jim sells his pocket watch to get Della a comb for her beautiful hair. In the end, they both laugh it off and realise the most important thing about Christmas is being together. 

This story is not like that. It has a "Freida McFadden twist". Which could have been interesting, but unfortunately, I didn't find it very unique. I read one comment on GoodReads saying it felt like a creative writing course assignment, and I have to agree.  

SPOILER ALERT

When Stella gives her husband her gift, he is a bit underwhelmed. It seems like he doesn't really understand her gift. Stella tells him it is a chain for his watch, but it seems like a necklace in this story, and the husband doesn't really understand why she would buy that for him. The husband didn't buy Stella anything. Instead, he tried to make homemade brownies for her because they were her favourite. He ended up making a mess and burning the brownies. Which set Stella off. 

She felt he was being too cheap and didn't even consider her. She cut off all her hair for him, and he burnt brownies! Stella noticed the suitcase in the hall closet, and she knew after his rant that her husband was planning on leaving her. So she stabbed him. 

I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App. 

Rating and Recommendation

If you have never read The Gift of the Magi, please read that first. It is such a beautiful story and a classic. If you have never read a Freida McFadden novel, please read any of her other novels (I recommend The Housemaid). This would definitely put most people off Freida McFadden, I think, and that would be a shame. If you are a fan, prepare yourself. This is not the type of writing you are used to. If you treat it as a little short story to get the creative juices flowing, you will probably enjoy the little story as a palate cleanser before going on to something else. But don't expect a masterpiece here. 

I wouldn't buy this book. It really isn't worth it in my opinion. And quite frankly, if it had been longer than an hour (audiobook format), I wouldn't even recommend listening to it. 

Conclusion

I am not really sure what to conclude about this book. I guess the best thing I can say is, if your library has it, check it out. The worst case, you waste an hour of your life. If you like it, buy it. If not, cure me and move on to something better. 

You can find The Gift in its respective mediums below: 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).

* Knife Photo via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

This book is considered Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with murder, crimes against women, sexism, child loss/abortion, and threats/blackmail.

"Most of us are mysteries unto ourselves, and part of our lifelong quest is an effort to understand our authentic selves and our purpose."

The best crime writing women in history, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy, and of course, Agatha Christie, have banded together to form a secret society; The Queens of Crime. Together, they decide to take up the case of May Daniels, a young English nurse whose death has caught their eye as suspicious and is being investigated by the police. 

While on an excursion in France with a fellow nurse and friend, May seemingly vanishes into thin air. Months later, her body is found in a nearby woods. While the whole situation seems fishy, the authorities seem content to paint May's death as just a tragic accident or overdose leading to suicide. But the Queens of Crime aren't buying it. Why would a nurse go all the way to France just to buy something she could readily get at home?

Determined to prove that the police have not taken May's death seriously, the Queens of Crime take on their own investigation. In doing so, Dorothy Sayers finds herself being threatened, attacked, and suddenly blackmailed to back off. 

The Review

I wanted to love this book. The concept is brilliant. Mystery writers are diving into a real-life crime, trying to solve it as their fictional characters would. But unfortunately, it fell short for me. I had never heard of any of the "Queens" except Agatha Christie, and after reading the book, I can say I don't really know anything more about Emma Orczy, Margary Allingham or Ngaio Marsh than I did going in. Frankly, if I didn't know about Agatha Christie, I don't think I would have gotten an accurate idea of who she was as a person or author either. That being said, it is hard to imagine Dame Agatha Christie as a side character in anyone's story. Though that did seem to be explained away somewhat. 

I was a little put off by the story because of the underlying theme. Obviously, the point of the book was to champion feminism and point out how sexist men (especially police officers) were in the 1940s. It seemed to be a gentle jab at men in general, and even the "good men" like Dorothy's husband were depicted as a bit sexist and condescending. And yet at the same time, there was more talk about pretty dresses, fancy dinners, and tea time and any actual sleuthing.
 

SPOILER ALERT

I enjoyed the twist at the end. That it wasn't the insurance salesman after all, and that someone else was the father of her unborn child. That definitely was a twist. I fell into the trap of thinking that the married insurance man would have done anything to keep his shameful secret, just that, a secret. But it was much more sinister than that. A pregnancy resulting from a rape and stuffy old men trying to keep it all under wraps. It definitely fit the time period and was very realistic. 

My only hang-up about this ending is that there wasn't really any hint at this possible outcome. We knew that May had visited someone at the theatre that night. And we quickly figure out who. But there was never any implication that anything untoward happened or that he might be her assailant. It all seemed very out of the blue and rushed to have an ending. Like someone was picked out of a crowd, and then everything else pieced together. 

I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App. 

Rating and Recommendation

I think a part of the disappointment I had in this book was that I expected these exceptional authors to play a bigger role in the plot. To be honest with you, it could have been any five women, and it wouldn't have made a difference. Only once was there a mention of one of the women having done excessive research on a subject that was actually helpful to their investigation. You could have literally changed the name of all the characters, and it wouldn't have mattered. 

I also felt that what little Agatha Christie did appear in the book, her characteristics (that she is known for) didn't shine through at all. I don't know the other authors, but I wonder if that was the case for the majority of them also. (I would assume the only one that matched her true self would be Dorothy Sayers, though I have never heard of her.) This kind of took me out of it, also. They were all so two-dimensional when Agatha Christie (and I am sure the others) had such a dynamite personality. 

I wouldn't buy this book. I did see a few other Marie Benedict books that interested me. If I enjoy them and buy them, I may think of adding it to my collection at some point. But I definitely wouldn't go out and buy it beyond that.

Conclusion

I read a lot of people find Marie Benedict's books hit or miss. If you are one of them, give it a try. It wasn't for me, but maybe I am just not used to her style yet. The idea is very interesting, and it will definitely keep you guessing (sometimes wondering what is going on). I think if you know any of the women "starring" in the book, you may have better luck enjoying it. (Though don't quote me on that!) 

It made me want to research some of these women and see what they wrote, and if that would be more my speed. 

You can find The Queens of Crime in its respective mediums below: 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).

* Magnify Glass provided by bluebudgie via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (Book 1 of The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)

This book is considered Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Slightly Erotic, Adult

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with death, war, explosions, vampires, and sexual assault. 

"You've won the evolutionary lotter: You're a vampire."

Wrath, the last purebred vampire on the planet, the would-be king of the race if only he would embrace his heritage. But Wrath has a different title that he prefers: leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Fueled by his hatred for humans and a growing society of "Lessers", sworn enemies to the vampire world, Wrath's main focus is to avenge his parents. 

Darius, son of Marklon, is a warrior in the Brotherhood. Darius is a three-hundred-year-old-plus ladies' man and has many sons whom he has lost in battle. One of his only remaining children is Beth Randal. Beth's mother was special to Darius, even though she was human. From afar, he has kept track of Beth and her life. He had hoped that she would live a normal, happy, human life. But Darius is growing concerned as she ages closer to her transition. 

Darius knows that if his daughter goes into her transition, her human blood may cause complications. Some full-blood vampires don't survive the transition. So he goes to Wrath, the purest blood of the race and begs him to watch over his daughter and help her through her transition if needed. At first, Wrath refuses; he hates humans, and he has better things to do than babysit one. But after a car bomb, placed by a member of the Lessening Society, kills Darius, Wrath feels obligated to honour his last request. 

The Review

This book was recommended to me years ago. And at the time, I was skeptacle. I wasn't really a fantasy girl. I wasn't into vampires. The closest I had ever gotten to fantasy was Harry Potter, and the closest I had gotten to vampires was Twilight. But I was into romance, and so I gave it a try. 

I fell in love with these vampires. Wrath is just a tall drink of water, bad boy, the typical kind of "I can change him" main character. And Beth is a spitfire! You think a woman who was approached by this huge man and told all this stuff would crumble to pieces, but she is so strong and handles everything her way. 

I also love meeting the other vampires. Vishous is my favourite by far. But I think they all are so lovable. They all bring something new to the table and their stories are interesting if not heartbreaking. When I originally read Dark Lover I could not wait to get my hands on the next one. 

SPOILER ALERT

I think the relationship between Wrath and Beth is beautiful. It starts with him hating humans, and the thought of him being with a half-human is absurd. In fact, if Darius hadn't begged him to take care of her. . . Wrath probably wouldn't have given Beth the time of day. But something changes as he watches her and gets closer to her. And I think that's a beautiful sort of enemy to lovers thing before that was even a "thing". 

By the end, to see the way not only Wrath accepts her, but the whole brotherhood accepts her as their Queen, it is really something. I loved it! And when they decide to all live together and unite together, that just seems to be the cherry on top. 

I borrowed this book from a friend originally. 

 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book five stars; looking back, I still feel that way. I still love Wrath and Beth and all the other brothers. I think that it's a great twist on vampires, and each has their own unique personality, which makes the entire world fun. The addition of Butch is also a wonderful little treat. I think getting a glimpse at these rough and tough warriors is a nice twist on traditional vampire stories, also. We don't really get to see them putting their abilities (be it mental or physical) to use. 

I ran out and bought this book after reading it. I also bought every other book that was out at the time, and I continued to buy each book as they came out, until the series got away from the original brothers. 

Conclusion

These books are a bit dated now, but I think anyone who enjoys a good romance story and is open-minded to the vampire stuff will love this book. It hits a lot of different elements, so I think a wide range of people can find something they like in it. Along with the love story, we also have vampires (enough said), and the war with the Lessening Society in the background. And of course, all kinds of fun drama here and there. 

You can find Dark Lover in its respective mediums below: 

The Black Dagger Brotherhood has been adapted into a television series by PassionFlix. Dark Lover was represented in the first season, out now. Season two will be released later this year. 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.