Misty Lake

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

After Samantha Taylor’s grandfather passed away, she finds out that she inherited his property in Misty Lake, Minnesota. She’s reeling from his loss, as well as the passing of her brother, but decides to move up to the property and start a new life. A series of strange crimes on her property brings her into contact with Sheriff Jake McCabe. Feelings soon blossom between the two, setting the stage for a sweet romance novel with some suspense added for good measure.

I’m a Minnesota girl, and I love reading any book set in my home state. There was so much Minnesota culture here for my heart to smile at – from Sam’s insistence on bringing pasta salad to a summer barbecue, to shopping at the Mall of America, to Sam’s grandfather’s saying that if you’re going to do something, you have to do it right. The author of Misty Lake (Margaret Standafer) is my aunt, and I’m super proud to be able to review this book so highly.

Favorite Passage:

“Why is everyone so concerned about the fact that I live alone?” she asked, her voice rising. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself as I have had to explain to everyone who’s been out here. What, just because I’m a woman I’m helpless? Really, this isn’t the nineteenth century anymore. And, I bet those women were a lot more capable than men gave them credit for,” she added, well on her way to working up a head of steam.
— Chapter 9

What I Loved Most:

Feminism rings through Misty Lake. Sam is working in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and mentions an experience where a customer was upset to find out that the Sam who ran the woodworking business was a woman. Yet she’s absolutely crushing, and quickly builds up business after moving to Misty Lake. She calls people out on their assumptions that she shouldn’t be living alone because she’s a woman. She doesn’t flinch away from identifying sexual harassment for what it is. She’s a strong woman, and she doesn’t apologize for it.

Read this book if you like:

Clean romance stories, mysteries that you can enjoy without being too freaked out, adorable dogs named Rigi, lake life

Book Details:

Rock Needs River

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

Review:

Vanessa McGrady was pretty sure she wanted to be a mom… eventually. Before she knew it, she was in her forties and realized that she was ready to have a baby. After miscarriages and infertility struggles, she decided she would be open to adoption. It took a two-year journey, but she describes the adoption of her daughter, Grace, as a miracle. And when Grace’s biological parents experienced homelessness, Vanessa invited them to stay with her. Rock Needs River is McGrady’s memoir about family, in biological and adoptive and non-traditional forms.

My husband and I are planning to adopt children one day, so I have been devouring all the books I can find for the last couple years about adoption. The concept of Rock Needs River caught my attention right away, and I couldn’t wait to read it. It was a very quick read – I read it on a flight from Minneapolis to Orlando. Although it focused more on McGrady’s life than I had originally thought from reading the description (with almost half describing Vanessa’s pre-adoption life, and the rest discussing her adoption journey and post-adoption life), I still enjoyed this book.

Favorite Passage:

I knew from all my adoption training and subsequent learning that the original separation wound is something that heals to various degrees in different people, but it is always there – I could never truly, entirely remove the scar Grace carries from growing inside one mother and being handed to another. But I spend every moment of every day wanting to be the biggest star in her life. The one who loves her the most. The one she loves the most. It is torture for me to imagine my life without her, or hers without me.
— Chapter Thirteen

What I Loved Most:

McGrady says that this book is a love letter to her daughter, chronicling the journey of Grace becoming part of her family. She shares the good parts of her and Grace’s relationships with Grace’s biological parents, as well as the tough parts of having an open adoption. At the conclusion of the book, McGrady is no longer in contact with Grace’s biological parents, but she says that she is open to reconnecting with them in the future. The relationship between adoptive parents and biological parents in an open adoption can be messy and hard and beautiful, and I appreciate McGrady not shying away from describing the tough moments as well as the great moments.

Read this book if you like:

Stories about non-traditional families, memoirs, learning about parenthood, understanding why people make the decisions they do

Book Details:

The Revenge of Magic

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Fort Fitzgerald just lost his dad to an attack by a mysterious, giant monster in Washington, DC. He’s overwhelmed with grief, and doesn’t know how he’s going to go on. But after a surprise visit from a mysterious school headmaster, he is invited to a new kind of boarding school run by the government… and there, he’ll learn a new set of skills that will help him protect the world from future attacks.

Thirteen years ago, a set of books were discovered that reintroduced magic into the world. Only children born after the Discovery Day are able to read the books and learn how to use the spells contained within. However, Fort soon realizes things aren’t all as they seem at his new school. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets, and Fort is determined to figure out if they know more about the attack that killed his dad than they are letting on.

This was a fun, quick read. James Riley has taken a departure from his traditional writing style (such as in his Story Thieves series), and I enjoyed this story even more than his past works. The Revenge of Magic is a solid middle-grade work that is sure to captivate readers. I’m looking forward to reading about the future escapades of Fort and his friends.

Favorite Passage:

“Have you ever looked at the spell words?” Fort asked, turning to look at Rachel, who was staring at the ceiling.
“Maybe I could make like a shield of fire,” she said, ignoring him. “That might stop a fireball. Or would it? Maybe the ball would just plow right through.”
Fort picked up the Healing book, then dropped it, letting it hit the pedestal with a bang. Rachel immediately looked at him upside down. “What did I say about hurting the books?” 
“Have you ever thought about what the spell words mean?” Fort said again. “I’m seeing the same word pop up in the first two spells. That has to mean something.”
– Chapter Twenty-Seven

What I Loved Most:

There are several different kinds of magic discussed in The Revenge of Magic, and I thought it was fun to learn about how each kind worked. Fort goes into the school hoping to specialize in Destructive magic, which he believes will be most useful in fighting the monsters that killed his dad. However, he’s put on the Healing magic track instead. There are also characters who use Clairvoyance magic and Telepathic magic. Whenever I read a book where characters are sorted into different houses/abilities/propensities/etc., I love imagining where I would excel, as well as where my close friends would be. I feel like I’d be great at Telepathic magic… but that might also just be wishful thinking.

Bonus thing that I loved: The protagonist (Fort) is a boy, but the three strongest students in the school (Jia, Rachel, and Sierra) are girls. I feel like most books tend to either feature strong boy characters or strong girl characters, and Riley has done a great job of creating strong characters of both genders.

Read this book if you like:

The early Harry Potter books, training periods (my favorite), adventure, and obviously… magic.

Book Details: