Love Lettering

Finished February 23

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

This novel is an unusual romance. The main character Meg Mackworth has built a career doing hand-lettering. She's gained a following designing custom journals for her clients. She is associated with a small independent stationery shop in Brooklyn, near where she shares an apartment with an old high school friend. Before she did planners, Meg did a lot of work around weddings and other events. 

But things are changing. Meg's roommate Sibby is planning to move out, but in truth Sibby has been pulling away from her for quite a while and Meg hasn't asked why. Meg has been invited to apply to a major stationery company to have a line of her own, but she finds herself blocked creatively. And now, as the book opens a former client has reappeared in her life to ask her a very difficult question about a very unprofessional piece of work she did more than a year before. 

Meg is embarrassed to be caught out, and yet this man Reid Sutherland is a compelling figure. He is buttoned down and formal, and yet something about him interests Meg. After he admits he hates New York City and he's a numbers guy, she gives in to an impulse and invites him to be part of a plan she has, an idea to move herself forward on the project for the opportunity that has been presented to her. 

As they spend time together, the two try to understand each other, letters and numbers, with patterns a common element. Meg tries to use the city itself to show him that New York has much to offer, not just the signs she looks for. And he tries to understand and see things through her eyes. 

This is a story that builds slowly over time and has surprises for both Meg and Reid. Meg must redefine herself and think about what she really wants to do. Reid has his own secrets, and things he is dealing with, and they have an unexpected impact on Meg's life. 

I really enjoyed this book. I've always found calligraphy interesting and enjoyed the art of lettering, so having that a focus for this book, seeing it included in the story in interesting visual ways was fun and brought another element to this book about a developing relationship. 

Such a Quiet Place

Finished February 21

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

This suspense novel takes place in Hollow's Edge, a college town somewhere in the northeastern United States. Harper Nash has lived in the community for several years, first with her fiance Aidan, and then after he left her, with a younger woman, Ruby Fletcher. Ruby's dad had retired and moved away and she needed a place to stay. A year and a half before this story starts, Harper's next door neighbours, Brandon and Fiona Truett were found dead in their home, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Since their detector was missing, foul play was suspected, and things got very tense. After a short trial, Ruby was found guilty of their murder. But her conviction has now been overturned and Ruby is back. Back in the neighbourhood and back in Harper's house. Harper isn't sure why, it isn't like her job is still there, and Harper disposed of most of her stuff after the conviction, but she isn't the type of woman to ask Ruby to leave, and so she does nothing about it.

As Ruby makes herself at home, talking to people, borrowing Harper's clothes and car, and beginning to ask questions. Questions about what other people were doing that night. When it becomes clear that others have secrets that they aren't telling about that time, things get very tense. Harper is in the middle of things and she too begins asking question. Questions about what people saw, about who they told, about what security cameras picked up and didn't pick up. And then she starts getting threatening notes, and she realizes that she must step outside her comfort zone and face the issues that underlie the tension.

This is a story of a community where everyone seems to know everyone, but they don't know anything beyond the surface. A story where Harper has already faced betrayal and lost friends. Harper is a woman who tries to not make waves, who avoids conflict, and she must act in ways she isn't entirely comfortable with to find the truth. A very interesting story of community and secrets. 

To Swoon and to Spar

Finished February 20

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters

This historical romance novel is the fourth in the Regency Vows series, set around the same group of young aristocrats and upper class people living in the early 19th century. This book is the first that I've read in the series, and I was struck by the witty tone of the novel. It had me smiling often, and occasionally laughing aloud. 

The book opens with a tense scene with the two main characters looking for the source of a suspiciously ghost-like series of noises and then jumps back to a few months earlier. 

This book's male lead is Penvale, a viscount who has dreamed of regaining his family's ancestral home in Cornwall, Trethwick Abbey, ever since it was sold at his father's death. Penvale's paternal uncle bought it at the time, but the brothers were estranged and Penvale and his younger sister Diana were farmed out to family on their mother's side until they came of age. 

Penvale became a viscount as a child at the age of ten, and had grown up at Trethwick Abbey, and thus the dream of regaining the home had become a driving force for him. Since he'd moved to London to take his seat as a Lord after finishing at Oxford, Penvale has been investing the money he has won at the gaming table to rebuild his finances, hoping to convince his uncle to sell Trethwick Abbey back to him. As we discover, his uncle has approached him unexpectedly to sell the home to him, on one condition. That condition is that he marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer, a refined but untitled young woman of twenty-one. Penvale insists on meeting her first to ascertain that she isn't being coerced into this arrangement, but as we see from the prologue, wastes no time in going through with the marriage. 

Part of this story is told from Jane's point of view as we see how she has had a hand in bringing the opening circumstances about. Jane is not interested in a husband, but she loves the home, and enjoys the extensive library there. She sets in motion a plan to drive Penvale away through various happenings that indicate the house is haunted. But Penvale isn't that easy to scare away, and he instead tries to determine the cause of these odd events. 

As the two main characters spend time together at Trethwick Abbey as newlyweds, they begin to get to know each other slowly. Penvale spends a great deal of time getting to know the details of the estate, its finances, and his tenants and servants. Jane gradually ventures beyond the grounds of the Abbey and gets to know the wider community. I enjoyed watching them getting to know each other's secrets and quirks, and find themselves increasingly drawn to each other's company. I also appreciated Jane's enjoyment and curiosity when it came to reading. 

This is not your typical Regency romance, and I liked seeing how they defied the stereotypes and revealed some surprising pastimes. The writing is unexpected yet somehow perfect. The romance has underlying sexual tension and several surprising moments. If you like historical romance with believable characters and a bit of spice this series is for you. 

March Reviews for the 16th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 I can't believe it is March already! This weekend is supposed to be a snowy one where I am. A good time to snuggle up with a good book. Post your links to reviews read this month below.

A World of Curiosities

Finished February 14

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

I read this just after her previous one, and while good it wasn't as good in my view. This book is more violent and more personal in a different sense. It opens with a graduation, one that is a happy occasion for most, but also has elements of past violence. The graduation is at the cole Polytechnic in Montreal, at which there is a tribute to the women killed in 1989. One of the students graduating did not actually attend the school, but took the courses from her prison cell. Her story takes readers back to the first meeting between Gamache and Jean-Guy Bouvier, a meeting that took place during a murder investigation in a small northern Quebec town. Another student receiving special honours has a connection with Three Pines, as she is Myrna's niece. 

It also takes Gamache back into another criminal connection from his past, a serial killer that he encountered with a remarkable ability to get into people's heads and manipulate them. 

In Three Pines, there are also changes. After many years without a leader for their small church they have one, one who came to religion later in life after a Wall Street career, and who seems to know loss. Myrna is thinking of moving, needing a home with more space to accommodate her niece. So when the rumour of a secret room in Myrna's loft begins, it seems like it may offer an answer.

Instead, the room offers more questions. Questions about what is hidden there and about who hid it and why. These questions also reach back into the past and into Quebec's early history, but also into the art world and a painting known as The Paston Treasure, a painting that was done by an unknown painter, seemingly to show off a collection of odd items connected in the family's travels. 

As always, Penny draws on real stories and adds in her own fictional elements to create a story that captures the imagination. She encompasses bigger issues such as the damage done to child victims of crimes, and how people react when faced with their biggest fears. 

The stakes are high in this tale, and so is the tension, and we see more of what have been minor characters until now, like Billy Williams, as well as a reappearance by Amelia Choquet. 

After the Night

Finished February 12

After the Night by Sandra Marie (Romance for All Seasons, #1)

This lighthearted romance takes place around the staff of a small medical clinic. The female main character, Cassidy Joanes, is a billing clerk for the clinic, one of three. The male main character, Jon Bateman, is an obstetrician/gynecologist and a recent new arrival at the clinic. They've encountered each other in the office and Jon even noted her desk decorations and called her "Marvel Girl." There is an office party involving costumes, and Cassidy decides to go as Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Jon was planning a quiet night at home, but he is encouraged to get out and make friends, so he heads out to the party dressed a Dread Pirate Roberts, also from The Princess Bride. 

Naturally the two meet, and when they discover how much geekiness they have in common, and they find themselves drawn to each other, they spend some intimate time together. 

Unfortunately for Cassidy, she was wearing an old pair of contacts to get into character and they were removed early in the evening after irritating her eyes, so she didn't see the real man under the mask and has little to go on in terms of identification.

As she tries to figure out who the mystery man is, Jon is unsure of his status with her. He is a coworker at the clinic, but also a boss of a sort being one of the doctors. He also finds that she treats him in a friendly way, but not as a romantic interest, which confuses him. 

With all this going on, sending the two of them off as part of a group of staff to a medical conference means that they get more time together, but will it be enough to reignite the connection between them.

Underlying all this is another issue, a mystery relating to the finances of the clinic, which Cassidy is trying to figure out. 

Lots going on, but a note of lightheartedness throughout.

The Madness of Crowds

Finished February 11

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

I always enjoy Penny's books, but this one I could hardly put down. It is the 17th book in the series featuring Armand Gamache. There was so much going on, and she brought in so many issues and bits of history. The novel takes place in the spring of 2022, but was written before then, so it has vaccines working better than they actually did and life more or less returned to normal. That doesn't mean that the pandemic didn't have lasting effects though, and Penny has brought in several issues related to it, including the stress on the healthcare system and the situations that occurred at so many retirement and nursing homes. I think these made it a more emotional read for me as they are still unresolved issues.

She also dug into some historical events around health and government oversight that are particularly troubling, and made them key to the story. This element also brought Reine-Marie in to the story in an active way, helping to uncover some of the historical records from this time. This connected with both characters in the present day, and the question of ethics that runs through the book. 

A lot of the action of the novel takes place in Three Pines, although not all of it. and this means that we see a lot of the residents of the village and learn how they coped with this difficult time. 

Gamache has the responsibility for security for a last minute speaker at a small university. The speaker has controversial ideas and some of the previous speaking arrangements have gone viral, and the event is more chaotic than expected, even with Gamache's preparation. As he digs deeper into the events and the people involved, he finds many people with reasons to react violently. The issues that arise here have a very personal link to Gamache and his family, which reverberate throughout the book. I think this is the book in the series that has both captured me the most thoroughly and haunted me afterward the most.