Captivating Catchup | ARC Edition Pt. 2

As I read some last year, but took a break for “maternity leave”, I have many reviews to catch up on. Because of that, and until I can catch up, I decided to start a bulk review post–hence, “Captivating Catch-Up”. The reviews will be quick, to-the-point, but also give my complete, honest opinion.

This batch is another group of some of the ARCs that I got last year and failed to review.

The Little Shop on Floral Street Published by Aria by Jane Lacey-Crane
on August 13, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Author: Twitter, Goodreads
Find the Book: Amazon | Goodreads

ISBN: 1788546032
Rating:

In the wake of tragedy, two sisters have to piece their family back together again...
Grace never thought she'd have to return home to Floral Street. Having spent most of her life building a successful career in London, she's done everything she possibly can to avoid the flower stall that's been in her family for generations. But when tragedy hits, she's got no choice. It's time to face the demons of the past and support her family.
Faith has returned home after years travelling the world. The baby of the family, she always struggled to find her place. She thought that her life would be different after a trip across the globe, but as she settles back into life in her childhood room she has to come to terms with the fact her life isn't quite what she expected. And she has no way of getting out of the rut she finds herself in.
Faith and Grace have never seen eye-to-eye, always clashing, never forgiving. But they might just find a way to understand one another, to fight their way through their grief and come out stronger. By opening up, they'll discover they aren't so different at all. And family will always be there for you.

Full of familial relationships, heartwarming plot, and a devastating beginning, this story was so lovely from start to finish.

I really love reading stories about families (found or otherwise) and the dynamics that make for natural drama.

This story made me feel all the things; sadness at the sisters’ loss, joy at their reconnection, and a cozy contentedness at this beautiful book.

A very entertaining and pleasant story!

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill Published by Graydon House by Hester Fox
on September 15, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Historical
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram
Also by this author: The Witch of Willow Hall, A Lullaby for Witches
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ISBN: 152580457X
Rating:

The dead won’t bother you if you don’t give them permission.

Boston, 1844.
Tabby has a peculiar gift: she can communicate with the recently departed. It makes her special, but it also makes her dangerous.
As an orphaned child, she fled with her sister, Alice, from their charlatan aunt Bellefonte, who wanted only to exploit Tabby’s gift so she could profit from the recent craze for seances.
Now a young woman and tragically separated from Alice, Tabby works with her adopted father, Eli, the kind caretaker of a large Boston cemetery. When a series of macabre grave robberies begins to plague the city, Tabby is ensnared in a deadly plot by the perpetrators, known only as the “Resurrection Men.”
In the end, Tabby’s gift will either save both her and the cemetery—or bring about her own destruction.

I’m a huge fan of Hester Fox. I love her writing–she has a beautiful way with words. And her stories usually evoke a macabre sense of realism while using fantasy plots. She’s fantastic!

So I was kind of surprised when this story failed to deliver for me. The premise sounded so promising! A clairvoyant young woman living in a cemetery, “fighting” off grave robbers? Yes. But… no.

I actually enjoyed the clairvoyant and grave robbing plot aspects. It was the romance that fell off the mark for me. And a book that’s part romance needs to have a decent romance.

Tabby was a fantastic heroine. It was Calen I couldn’t stand. Does he grow in the end as a person? Sure. But the story itself takes place over a year and it’s such a quick read that I felt like a lot of his “growth” was assumed or done off the page.

It helped to get some chapters more from his point of view, more or less. However, I feel like in the end, he just didn’t deserve Tabby at all.

All that said, Hester Fox is still a fabulous author. And everything else I’ve read of hers has been lovely. And I get that maybe she was going for an unconventional, less boring hero… However, it just didn’t pan out for me because there wasn’t enough time to make me feel like he earned his happy ending.

 

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