Category: Adult Fiction

Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise | Book Review

Posted January 30, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise
Series: Secret Society of Governess Spies #2
Also in this series: Never Blow a Kiss
Published by Forever on February 4, 2025
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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To find her missing sister, an unconventional governess must infiltrate an infamous gambling den owned by a devilishly handsome rake.

Frankie Turner should be the perfect she’s genteelly born, impoverished, and owns a pair of ugly oversized spectacles. Now if only she didn’t have an alarming tendency to forget her charges while contemplating mathematics principles...

When Frankie’s impulsive younger sister goes missing, Frankie has no idea where to begin the search to find her. But when she discovers hasty marriages materializing between “troublemaking” women and men who don’t deserve them—she knows her sister is somehow involved. The only thread connecting the groomsmen is a membership to Rockford’s, an exclusive gambling hell owned by the devilish Jasper Jones. And it just so happens that Jasper has recently become the guardian of a sullen fifteen-year-old.

Jasper suspects his new governess has an ulterior motive for being in his household, but he can hardly find the time to uncover it when his life is in a constant uproar. First, Frankie teaches his niece how to count cards and then she tries to break into his study. When he finally learns Frankie’s true reason for being there, he agrees to help the brilliant mathematician find her missing sister, even if it means giving her a fake dowry and watching men trip over themselves in her presence. As he and Frankie work together to dismantle a nefarious scheme, Jasper realizes that for the first time in his life, he’s gambled his heart—and possibly lost it.

I loved the first book in this series, Never Blow a Kiss, so much that I’ve been eagerly waiting for this next book for over a year! I thought it would be the perfect book to start off my 2025 reading, and I really enjoyed it! The best part about this series is the mysteries that surround these governess spies. Each book features a different governess, who is under the direction of a mysterious and very connected woman referred to only as “The Dove”. These women go undercover as governesses in the homes of the members of the ton to solve crimes. They correspond with The Dove during their entire stay in these homes and eventually gain enough information so she can anonymously turn over dossiers to the police that help them close their cases. These women are strong and resourceful, and they push the boundaries of society. I always come away feeling proud and empowered. And, of course, each woman finds love while undercover. What a fun and unique concept for a historical romance series! I love historical romance and mystery, but my favorite is when they’re combined.

This book is about Frankie. She’s an odd spinster with a brain for mathematics, and her sister has gone missing. When The Dove approaches her and offers her the opportunity to help bring down a ring of men called the Dowry Thieves, Frankie strikes up a deal and requests that The Dove find her missing sister in exchange for her help. These Dowry Thieves orchestrate compromising situations that entrap women into marriage so they can gain control of their dowries, and Frankie knows her sister is somehow involved. Frankie is placed in the home of Jasper Jones, proprietor of the most lavish gambling hell in London: Rockford’s. The thieves have all been traced back to Rockford’s, and it’s Frankie’s job to figure out if he’s involved and what’s actually going on. Jasper just inherited the most hilarious and precocious 15-year-old niece and is desperately in need of help, so it works out perfectly. Frankie infiltrates his home and his heart, and I loved reading about her adventures.

Frankie is such a fun character. She was unable to find a match after being out for four Seasons, and has decided she doesn’t need a man anyway. She’s a brilliant mathematician, but is significantly undereducated in the ways of society. She’s awkward, brutally honest, and liberated. You can’t tell her what to do or silence her. She’s got very strong opinions, is extremely intelligent, and charmingly witty and flirtatious without realizing it. I just loved her. Jasper is a former fishmonger who worked his way to the top rather than being placed there at birth. He’s got a conscience and a strong moral fabric. He values women for their minds and sees them as equal to himself!! Be still my heart. He’s had a rough life and feels unlovable. Frankie feels the same way about herself. And rather than finding love in each other first, it’s Cecelia, the 15-year-old girl, who makes the both of them realize they are capable of loving and being loved in return. Cecelia is very observant and whip-smart. She pushes the both of them to follow their hearts, and she is the absolute sweetest. She says some of the most jaw-droppingly outrageous (for the time) things, and I smiled at her strength each time. I fell in love with her as quickly as Jasper and Frankie did. I love this found family, and was so pleasantly surprised by how sweet and tender their relationships are with each other. The romance is also very swoony and the spice had me fanning my face at times. I really loved some of the things Jasper says to Frankie, although I did feel the dialogue got pretty cheesy and had me rolling my eyes a time or two.

The mystery was exciting and intriguing. I never try too hard to suss out the resolution to a mystery like this because I enjoy the journey and I love to be surprised. I did figure this one out a page or two before the reveal, but I didn’t mind! It was all so much fun. I love The Dove, and cannot wait until the day the author tells us who she is. At the same time, I don’t want to find out because that will most likely end the series. I’d love to know more about her and her connections and how she came to be in this line of work. Give us a prequel for The Dove, please!! Just like the first book, this book ends with an epilogue that introduces the next governess. It’s like a mini cliffhanger to get you excited for the next one. And it has worked both times, because I am SO excited about the next book now! I highly recommend this book and the first one (although, this one can stand alone if you don’t mind some cameos from the characters in the previous book) if you’re looking for historical romance with some intrigue and a story driven by more than just romance! It’s still incredibly romantic, but there’s murder too! The perfect combination!

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson | Book Review

Posted January 23, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 8 Comments

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
Narrator: Flint Park, Samantha Summers
Published by Berkley on December 3, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 416
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.

Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.

I love cryptids, but I really love the Loch Ness Monster. Nessie is my favorite legend, and one of my biggest bucket list items is to go sit on the shores of Loch Ness for a few weeks and try to spot her myself. This is the first romance I’ve ever seen that centers on Nessie, so I was very excited to read it! The blurb is pretty vague, so as not to spoil anything, so I will also be vague! We meet Keyanna, still mourning the loss of her father. He had never shared much about his growing up years with her, and they never went to Scotland together to visit her family. His dying wish was for her to return and spread his ashes at Loch Ness. While there, she meets her grandparents and other extended family. She doesn’t get the warmest welcome from her grandma, but the rest of her family quickly embraces her. She also meets Lachlan, who works on her family’s property even though he hates the entire family. Their meeting is cold, but there’s also a small spark of intrigue. As he and Key get to know one another better, secrets are revealed on both sides and feelings grow.

The book starts off really strong, but the middle two thirds of this book really dragged for me. I was very intrigued by the mystery, the dangerous loch, the family secrets, the magic, and folklore, but I’m not going to lie… this was a slog to get through at times. We spend a lot of time in both characters’ heads while they sift through their feelings, worries, concerns, etc. It got quite repetitive, because their thoughts mirrored each others’. I really loved Lachlan. He’s a grumpy cinnamon roll, who has been very hurt in the past and is alone in this world. He doesn’t know where his future will take him. He’s very loyal and sweet and his ability to love deeply tugged at my heartstrings because of all the heartbreak he’s endured. Key was meh for me. She came off as both very smart and very dumb at times. She pretends to be humble, which is a pet peeve of mine. But I liked them together, and I was pulling for them the entire way through. I also liked Key’s cute grandpa and her grandma grew on me by the end.

The romance didn’t do it for me, and it’s kind of hard to explain. I think it’s a combination of the audio and the kind of romance this is. The blurb doesn’t specifically call this book a monster romance even though, in hindsight, the cover and blurb hint at it very heavily. Still, though, the monster romance genre is different than a romance with humans who are not fully human. I guess I was expecting the same kind of situation as a vampire or werewolf romance. But I avoid “monster romance”. It’s just not my thing, and I didn’t realize that’s what I was getting with this one. Many monster romances I read about have some spicy elements that I don’t find appealing. The spice level in this book is not what I expect from books with covers that look like this one. The scenes are much longer (some of them are 20+ minutes long in the audiobook), more intense, more detailed, and contain word choices that made me uncomfortable. Perhaps listening to the audiobook magnified everything. The audio is done in a true duet style. Lachlan and Key narrate their own chapters, but the narrators also read all the lines of dialogue for the character they’re portraying. It sounds like a movie. I love when books are done like this, but not necessarily during spicy scenes. I felt like I was sitting in the bedroom while these two go it on. I ended up fast forwarding through all the spicy scenes, which helped me really enjoy the rest of the story.

I actually wish there was no romance in this at all and that Key and Lachlan were just friends who maybe fell in love in an epilogue or something. Their relationship is what I would consider to be “forbidden”, but it’s also insta-love and I had a hard time wrapping my head around how they were able to open up and trust each other so quickly when history shows them that they shouldn’t have. I would have preferred a stronger focus on the lore, history, magic system, mystery, etc. I love medieval folklore and magic and really enjoyed learning the history of two dueling Scottish families and how their history has continued to spread mystery throughout this area of Scotland up to the present day. I loved the parts where someone discovered something important or a revelation was made. There’s some suspense and searching and I loved all of that. I loved the descriptions of Scotland and the loch and I loved exploring a medieval castle. I loved Nessie. But then, circling back to the issue of pacing, things dragged a lot in between the parts I loved. The major climax happened with an hour still left in the book and I remember wondering what they heck they were going to do with with last hour. This book was extremely long and it wasn’t necessary. I wish everything had been tightened up more so momentum wasn’t lost. I will also note that there’s more swearing in this book than I’m used to, and found it to be distracting.

Bottom line, there were parts of this I really loved and parts that I skipped entirely. I wish I had been more aware of what I was getting into with this book (although, it’s Nessie so I’m sure I would have read it anyway), but I made it work for me by skipping the parts I wasn’t interested in and ended up really enjoying the story I got as a result. I even got emotional at times because of some sweet family moments and some swoony things Lachlan said. I don’t think I’ll be reading more books by this author, though, because the storytelling didn’t work for me.

Audio notes: Flint Park is a dream. I went to look for more audiobooks he’s read, and this is the only one! I could listen to him forever. He’s got the most delicious Scottish accent, and he reads with such emotion. He can sound so tender, but then he’s also got this rough growly voice that made me shiver. He did such an amazing job. Samantha Summers was not my favorite. She’d try to sound flirty and squeaky and was overly perky. And when Keyanna got mad or emotional, Samantha’s over-the-top crying voice or yelling voice grated on me. The final hour and a half also seemed to have some production issues with sound getting very loud and very quiet. I kept having to adjust my volume every few minutes.

The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler | Book Review

Posted December 5, 2024 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler
Series: Heart of the Wilderness #1
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 24, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you'll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you'll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.

Sienna Naples's family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations and Sienna can't imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it's full of memories...and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life and suddenly the holidays are alive again.

When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn't joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy's four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can't prove that he can afford Emma's anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn't going to stay on the transplant list. Guy's willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It's an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn't real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits in to the ranching life—or how much light and laughter is coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband—but is it only in name?

Ok. I’m going to be completely honest here and say that I was terrified of this book. I read that synopsis and quickly realized that this book was going to be different than the light-hearted rom-coms Sarah has published before. And honestly, if Sarah Morgenthaler had not been the person to write it I might have decided to skip it because I do not do sad and heavy, especially at Christmas. But I love her and her books and have followed her closely since her debut, The Tourist Attraction, which I adored. I knew I had to give this book a try, so I dove right on in this past summer (also out of character for me, as I save my Christmas reads for the last two months of the year). I am so, so glad I did. I’m sitting here now almost 4 months later, wrapped up in my Christmas blanket, and writing this review by the glow of my Christmas lights. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. You read correctly. It has, in fact, been 4 months since I finished this book and it feels like yesterday. I so vividly remember this story and how I felt while reading it, and that’s really saying something! I read a lot of books each year, and very few stick with me in such detail longer than several days. Usually I move on and become fully engrossed in my next read. The details blur and fade, and I feel a sense of fondness but can’t recall character names or many details. Sienna, Guy, and Emma wiggled their ways into my heart, and I still remember my journey with them today. That’s the sign of a truly amazing story and a truly amazing author.

2. Even though this book has the potential to rip your heart out, there’s so much of Sarah’s trademark humor and sweet moments. The Christmas You Found Me is a true romance, so I’m not spoiling anything by saying it ends with a very happy ever after. Do not be afraid to read this book. The journey of having a sick child is beautifully told and you might need some tissues (maybe don’t read the last 15% in public or at work), but it’s not the heartbreaking kind of cry. It’s the emotions of the characters and watching them navigate and process hard things. I also giggled a lot, swooned, and smiled so much. I panicked and worried and wanted to throw the book in the freezer (IYKYK), but I decided to trust the journey and trust Sarah and I’m so happy I did! I stayed up way too late and thought about it every second I wasn’t reading it. And I loved the ending. So go for it! You have the seal of approval from the person who avoids crying at all costs and is also one of the easiest criers on the planet. This is worth it, and you’ll be ok. You’ll feel everything!

3. The dog is fine. Don’t worry about him. I was stressed, because his old age is discussed so much, so I wanted to put this in here.

4. Sienna has a heart of gold. I would love to be friends with this woman. Her selflessness and courage and willingness to help two total strangers was inspiring to read about. She makes the most impulsive decision ever and it ends up being the best decision of her life. Maybe I need to take more leaps of faith!

5. Guy. Oh my goodness, this man has my heart. What he wouldn’t do for his little girl. He’s the best girl dad I’ve ever read about. He knows the ins and outs of Emma’s health issues and how to keep her as healthy as is possible, considering her rapidly failing kidneys. He works so hard and still has time to care about the people in his life that he loves. I can’t imagine living with the level of stress he’s had to endure, and I love that his trials in life haven’t made him bitter and closed off. He’s got so much love to give and finds joy everywhere he can.

6. Emma, Guy’s four-year-old daughter, is so cute. I usually don’t like reading romances with kids who play a large role in the story, but I fell in love with Emma. Chronic health issues make you grow up quickly, and she’s got this maturity and grasp of things someone her age should never have to understand. Her bond with Sienna’s dog is the cutest thing ever.

7. I love marriage of convenience stories, but this one hit harder for me because of the reason for the marriage. It’s not to gain an inheritance or mend a bad reputation or get meddling matchmaker family members off the characters’ backs. It’s because Emma needs medical insurance so she get life-saving treatment and surgery. Guy and Sienna’s meet-cute that sets everything in motion is so, so cute. lol. And awkward and cringey, but so heartwarming and wonderful. I loved how quickly they grew close, how deeply they felt for one another, and how healthily they worked through challenges together. They leaned on one another when they needed to, opened up when it was hard but right, and quickly formed the most amazing care team for Emma. When Emma is awake, it’s go, go, go. They prepare her bland food, Sienna takes care of her all day while Guy is at work, they take her to doctor appointments, they stress over her together, and they have family dinner before tucking her in. It’s nap times and night times when Guy and Sienna can talk and actually get to know each other. They have some very deep and touching conversations about their individual lives and the new life they’re sharing together. There are some incredibly romantic and swoony moments, although everything fades to black. There’s no on-page spice.

8. The struggles and tough times all felt very real, but not too heavy. Emma’s health plays a critical role throughout the story, but it’s not the focal point. Sienna’s former relationship is also discussed, as is Guy’s. Some other obstacles get in the way, but overall there’s a lot of hope and positivity. Forgiveness, rolling with the punches, resiliency, healing from the past, and being grateful for what you have. I felt uplifted and contemplative. Guy, Sienna, and Emma make the sweetest found family. They really knit themselves together, and I loved that so much.

9. There’s also so much light and fun. There are some really wonderful secondary characters, major Christmas vibes, the cutest old man of a dog, beautiful mountain scenes, sexy pull-ups and nighttime workouts, secret cookies, snow, quirky animals, arts and crafts, a party, and more.

All in all, I loved this. I pushed myself a little out of my comfort zone since I usually avoid books involving chronic health issues (hello, I’m a spoonie and like to escape my own health), but this book did it so right. I would have loved to have someone remind me that this is a romance and it follows the traditional romance formula, but I read this so early that nobody could do that. And I was on pins and needles for most of the book. lol. So I am that friend for you. This is wholeheartedly a romance, and it’s one of the most tender and heartwarming ones I’ve read in a long time. Sarah’s writing is amazing. She really knows how to touch your heart and make you feel. The Christmas You Found Me is going to stick with me for a very long time, I think.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer | Book Review

Posted August 8, 2024 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
Published by GP Putnam's Sons on August 6, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship” means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?

One of my favorite things about being a book reviewer is being exposed to books I probably never would have picked up on my own. I never imagined falling in love with a book that had the word “Funeral” in the title, and I didn’t think it was possible to giggle and swoon while reading a book that included such heavy subject matter. But here we are! Ellie Palmer did a beautiful job of balancing out the humor with the emotional aspects of the story, and really made me fall in love with these characters and their individual stories.

Our heroine, Alison, opted for a preventative double mastectomy after she tested positive for the BRCA 1 mutation. She’s grappling with survivor’s guilt and feels she must live a big, meaningful life in order to feel worthy of escaping death. To her, this means she must live a life of adventure even though she’d rather be at home on the couch than out camping and hiking in the mud. She’s essentially trapped in a life she doesn’t feel worthy to have, living it in a way that isn’t true to who she is. Her feelings about her life and her new body are so raw and poignant and they really touched my heart. She’s so strong and has been through so much. She’s still navigating through the changes of losing her breasts, and is facing an uncertain future as she considers other life-altering procedures to further preserve her health. I felt for her so much, and really identified with parts of what she’s going through. As a way to fuel the adventure in her life, she dated an adventurous, adrenaline-seeking guy named Sam for a while. Ultimately, they were too different and broke up shortly before his sudden passing. Instead of telling his family of their break-up, though, Sam let them think that he was getting ready to put down roots and get married. It’s not until she arrives at Sam’s funeral that Alison learns that they all believe her to be his grieving almost-fiancée. At the request of Sam’s sister, she plays along with the charade and ends up volunteering to help his best friend, Adam, pack up his things and prepare his home to go on the market. And that’s how she ends up spending a funeral and four weekends with him.

I loved the set-up for this story. It’s so unique and has so much depth. You’ve got two people grieving in very different ways, going through many different emotions, all while this layer of untruth rests on top of them. As they work together, they develop this special connection that begins as a timid friendship and blossoms into something far deeper than that. Alison is trying so hard to check off all the boxes in the life she thinks she should be living that she isn’t completely sure of what she wants. She’s confused and struggles to be herself. Adam is trying not to think any romantic thoughts about Alison because she’s his best friend’s girlfriend, so he’s grumpy, standoffish, and alternates between hot and cold. But you can tell he cares about her and wants to know everything there is to know about her. As she opens up more about who she is and what she wants in life, he’s so accepting and compassionate. It’s a bit of a rocky road for them at times, but it felt real and they felt it was worth fighting for. I loved seeing them develop and heal separately as well as together. The romance between the two of them is quietly powerful and very, very sweet. It’s sexy and swoony, with no spice. Any heat is behind closed doors.

This book takes place over the holidays, so there’s festive cheer in the form of Christmas carols, a cookie party, and snow sprinkled throughout. I loved those moments so much. There’s lots of humor and light moments juxtaposed with more serious topics and conversations between Alison and Adam as well as Alison and her mom. Trivia nights play a big role in the story, which gives us lots of time with Allie’s friends (she has some really amazing girlfriends), all of whom were really fun. These people take their trivia very seriously! Alison is really funny, too! I laughed out loud at some of the things she said. There’s talk of Pizza Hut’s Book-It personal pan pizza program, gel pens, Christmas music that can never be played too early in the year, a run-in with a difficult parking enforcer, school concert shenanigans, loving someone means never running out of Girl Scout Cookies, and a cat named Colonel Corduroy. So. Much. To love.

The ending was magical and everything I wanted. I absolutely adored Four Weekends and a Funeral, and my love for it kind of snuck up on me as I immersed myself more into the story. It’s emotional and heartwarming and so unbelievably tender and sweet. And funny! It felt like reading a classic rom-com like While You Were Sleeping (which seriously, I swear this book was inspired by that movie because I feel like I found a million Easter eggs for it… Adam builds furniture and there’s even a mention of leaning at one point. If you know you know.). I highly recommend it, and am shelving it with all my other favorite romances!

Veridian Sterling Fakes It by Jennifer Gooch Hummer | Book Review

Posted June 27, 2024 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Veridian Sterling Fakes It by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Published by Lake Union Publishing on July 2, 2024
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 252
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Freshly graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, Veridian Sterling is ready to hang her work in any of the countless New York galleries that are sure to give her a show. The problem is only one will, and they’re not interested in her art so much as her personal assistant skills.

No glitz, no glam, and definitely none of the money she needs to help her struggling mother finally realize her dream of starting her own business after having sacrificed everything for Veri to go to art school. So when she overhears her new boss discussing the impressive finder’s fee for a lost Van Gogh, Veri takes matters into her own hands. Maybe her own artwork isn’t celebrated, but she knows how to copy what is, and maybe those skills can help lead to a discovery.

But when a famous art dealer takes her under his wing (and his charming driver takes her interest), Veri realizes she’s in deeper than she expected, and quite possibly with the wrong people. With her mother’s dreams and her own future at stake, Veri will have to pull out every trick she can think of to wipe her canvas clean and erase the mess she’s created before she goes down for someone else’s crimes.

I just finished binging the complete TV series of White Collar before accepting this book for review, and I was still on my art heist kick. I love art so much. I was an art history minor in undergrad, and I love books dealing with art and artists and art lovers. Veridian Sterling Fakes It sounded like THE perfect book for me and I thought for sure I was going to love it! Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me the way I had hoped. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. First of all, I don’t think book knows what genre it’s supposed to be. It’s not a mystery. The part that I’m assuming is the mystery part was a secondary plot line for about half the book, and it wasn’t very interesting. There’s no case that needs solving, and whatever information that is revealed is not because someone discovers it. It’s because someone is told something. But most of those somethings don’t really matter or do anything for the plot, so I didn’t see the point. It’s not a thriller or suspense novel because the book doesn’t have any suspenseful moments or an exciting climax. Most of the story is very slice of life, with not a lot happening. It’s a relatively short book, but it still took me a long time to read it because it never grabbed me. It’s not a romance, but there is some flirting (nothing comes of said flirting). Veridian acts like a teenager, so it doesn’t feel like women’s fiction. It’s not crime fiction because there’s not really a crime here. Veridian keeps freaking out about being a criminal, but she’s not. I can tell I was supposed to be worried about Veridian, but nothing was written in a way that made me think Veridian even cared what happened to her.

2. The events in this book are a series of convenient coincidences that had nothing to do with the characters written. Nobody really did anything, including Veridian. She walked around with a pipe in her mouth (that she didn’t smoke, just had fun holding it there like a snowman), went to work, talked to people, and painted sometimes. Veridian’s life unfolds as though there was a checklist that needed to be completed, without any character development or story building put forth to make anyone understand why Veridian’s life is on the path that it is.

3. These characters are all extremely unlikable. Veridian’s (nicknamed Veri, which bugged me for some reason) character lacks any real substance. She’s quirky and different, but it doesn’t feel natural. It felt like she was trying unreasonably hard to be unique. Her reactions to the book’s issues were identical no matter the severity of the issue, which made me feel like she either had no clue what was going on or she didn’t care. There’s no critical thinking going on in that brain of hers. Then you’ve got her best friend, who was so overly unrealistic that she seemed like a cartoon character. Veridian’s boss was a bad Miranda Priestly knock-off. Then there’s the British driver and the rich, “scary” art forgeries dude and both of them were caricatures. Veridian’s mom had the most personality of anyone here, and that’s not saying much. Everyone is either over the top or background noise.

4. Are the stakes in the room with us? What are we concerned about? Is Veridian being dramatic, or did she actually do something wrong? Nothing about the ramifications of Veridian’s actions was ever clear, so I just didn’t care. She reads something on her boss’s computer screen and sells that information. Said information does not require any kind of security clearance to view or share with others. So she’s a nosey opportunist. She pays a ton of money for a man to get her a passport ASAP and the reader is led to believe that this is dangerous and illegal when, in reality, the passport is real and she just paid some guy who knows some guy at the passport office who can process things much faster when financially motivated. All the stakes that are supposed to be high end up never being high. I quit caring because I knew the next “issue” would turn out to be another non-issue.

5. The ending was incredibly frustrating. I slogged through this book because I was curious how things would end up for Veridian. And… it all fell so flat. The mystery, if you can call it that, didn’t matter one bit. Again, Veridian had nothing to do with the book’s resolution. Everything tied itself up in a loose, sloppy bow on its own. Just like all the issues she encountered fell into her lap, so did the resolutions. She literally just sat there and watched the entire book happen to her.

6. I did love the glimpses of life in New York City and I wanted to go back the whole time I was reading. I also enjoyed all the art talk and the passion for beautiful paintings. The art forgery world was quite interesting.

All in all, this was a disappointment. Veridian is no Neal Caffrey. She’s incredibly forgettable. The idea for the story was there, but the execution was lacking. I wish more time had been spent making this the exciting, thrilling story the book pitches itself it be. As it stands, the back cover synopsis is the most interesting part of the book for me.