Fairy Tale Land 12 classic tales reimagined by Kate Davies

This is a collection of popular fairy tales with illustrations that give you the countryside and the things in the story.  You can imagine the story again as you look at the scene.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

My favorite part of this book was the two page scenes that show you where the story is set.  It has lots of detail and text wherever something important is set.

The fairy tales are classic and easy to read.  There are twelve.  They would make a good bedtime story for twelve nights.

Under the Sun, Moon, and Stars by Laura Kosann (Author), Danielle Kosann (Illustrator)

She's a young girl who is not real certain about her abilities.  Those that are older than her make fun of her.  She heads out to field to lay down and enjoy nature.  She falls asleep, and a fairy talks to her.

Greenleaf Books  and Library Thing sent me a copy of this boook to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

When she wakes up and starts back home, she meets a queen bee.  Every animal she meets along the way gives her encouragement.  Tomorrow will be a good test of her new confidence....

Eli And The Mystery Of The Hallowshine Dragon by Eve Cabanel

A moon elf has to save a baby bunny that fell from the window that turned into hard rock candy.  She and the mom go on a quest to find who can fix him.

Twenty Two House Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There are dangers on the way to find the Hallowshine Dragon but they only have until sunset to save the baby bunny.  They get scared but they continue on.  

When they find the dragon, he's crying.  Eli knows what to do.

Will they be in time to save the baby?

Slow Down, Tumbleweed! by Haven Iverson

This has a unique point of view in the story.  The tumbleweed loves travelling all over the country and seeing what she can find.

Sounds True and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has beeen published and you can get a copy now.

One day the tumbleweed gets blown into a corner of the barn and the fence next to it.  She cries because she can't get to tumbling again.  But a surprise awaits her.  Can you guess what it is?

Where is Happiness? A Little Bear Uncovers a Big Surprise! by Katie Murphy

She's a little bear whose name means happiness.  She decides to go find happiness.  The first thing she does is find honey.  That makes her tummy happy until the bees show up and sting her nose...

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this boook for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Next she finds a duck who becomes her friend.  They have a good time playing until the duck has to join his family and go south for the winter.  He says he'll see her next spring.

Will she ever find happiness?

Little Bird's Day by Sally Morgan Illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Mallibirr

This is an easy lessson about bird's activities during the day.  The illustrations are lovely and you learn about other animals too.

Blue Dot Kids Press and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The bird starts his morning by singing when the sun comes up.  The story takes you through the rest of his day.  Then he sleeps in a tree with his family, getting ready for the next day.

The Mice Before Christmas: A Mouse House Tale of the Night Before Christmas by Anne L. Watson

This is a cute tale that tells you about the mouse families and their Christmas.

Skyhook Press and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The illustrations are great and so is the story.  The family of mice decorate the house to make it look festive.  Mom creates lots of food.  The children wrap the presents.   Then the relatives begin to arrive.  

Between eating and dancing and opening presents, everyone is having a good time.  Then Santa Mouse shows up.  That makes a good ending to this fun Christmas book.

Little John Crow by Ziggy Marley, Orly Marley and Gordon Rowe

Little John Crow is a vulture.  He's not sure he wants be one.  Then his parents disappear.  He thinks the farmer has shot them and goes out looking for more of his kind.  He finds friends and joins them.

Akashic Books sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The illustrations by Mr. Rowe add to the story and are very nice.

His new friends inform Little John of how vultures eat dead animals to keep things clean.  As John grows he turns into a beautiful big vulture.  When his friends see a bird dying they hover around waiting.  But John knows this bird and finds out that where he used to live is now all stinky from death.  He goes with the bird and gets an even bigger surprise when he arrives home...

Miranda, Queen of Broken Toys by Andrea Tripke

This is an amusing tale.  Miranda watched those around her get new toys that they loved.  Miranda was different.  She liked the old broken toys.  Soon, she has lost most of her friends, so she goes to find a place she can keep her toys.  She finds it.  It'a almost at the end of the world.

Black Rose Writing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

She has a castle full of broken toys and decides she is the queen of them.  Then a small boy comes and asks her to help him find his toy.  They look but they don't find it.  She invites him back to the castle for lunch.

Does he find a toy there he can love?  Read it and see.

Mrs. Macker's Quacker by Ruth Gomah

Mrs.  Macker lived alone.  She took a duck into the house and made him a pet.  Pluck wanted to sing and dance, but Mrs. Macker didn't like that.  She didn't want him to draw attention.  But he was tired of being called Mrs.Macker's Quacker.  She told him to leave.

Creative Pursuits Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  You can get a copy now, it has been published.

Pluck gathers his goods and heads out early the next morning.  Mrs. Macker is glad but she doesn't stay that way.  Soon thieves make their way in and steal everything in sight.  Pluck made a good watchdog but he wasn't there any more.

Pluck is now the act that draws people to the circus he's joined.  When Mrs. Macke finds him and invites him back to her home, does he go?  Read it and see.

Murder, She Wrote: Debonair in Death by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran

One of Jessica's friends come out of a shop covered in blood with the murder weapon in her hand.  She gets arrested as the murderer but Jessica knows she didn't do it.  She helps her by getting her a good criminal lawyer.  And then she goes on the hunt for the real killer.

Berkley Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Not only was the owner of the shop killed, they have a band of smugglers in town.  These two crimes are close to each other and there are plenty of false leads but eventually Jessica figures who killed the shop owner.  He was willing to sleep with almost any woman but that turned out to be his fatal mistake.

Mort runs down the smugglers with a bit of help from Jessica.  

Soon Cabot Cove will be a place of peaceful tranquility again.

Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray

Ellie is a girl who thinks the city she lives in is the only one left.  Part of the city is underwater.  When she sees a whale stranded on roof top, she goes to help.  What she finds is a boy in the whale.  She saves him.

HarperCollins and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).   It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Their world has some strange beings in it.  There is an Enemy who uses people as a vessel for their monsters.  When it matures, it kills the human that hosted it and as many other humans as it can.   They are killed to stop the carnage.

Ellie has friends but not all of them are kind.  One of them is the Enemy and soon Ellie finds out that she is the vessel.  Can she save herself?  Can she stop the monster in her?

Read it and see.

Honest June by Tina Wells, Brittney Bond (Illustrated by) Series: Honest June (#1)

June tries to make everyone happy, so she tells little lies here and there.  When she moves into middle school, she has more homework and more extracurricular activities.  She's over whelmed.  And then her fairy godmother shows up.  She puts a spell on June that makes her tell the truth.

Random House Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 28th.

June doesn't want to tell the truth because she will disappoint people.  She thinks she will lose friendships, maybe even be asked to leave her home.  But she has no choice.

As she finds herself telling the truth, she finds that it makes her feel better.  It does create some problems but it also lets people understand what pressures she's been under.

As she works her way through her relationships with the truth, it gets better.  

If she sticks with the truth, it will make her life easier.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal : A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander

Jules is busy running her bake shop, experimenting with flavors.  When she finds out a manuscript of Shakespear will be an exhibit at an event she's providing the food for, she sees dollars.  That will bring people in.

St. Martin's Paperbacks and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 28th.

Everything is going as it should until someone notices the manuscript on display is a fake.  What happened to the original?  It's worth millions.

Then strange things start happened.  Tim gets a shelf knocked on him in the basement.  The security guard watching over it was killed by his own taser.  Who, in their close group of friends, would have done those things?

The cops take one of them into custody.  They found evidence in his office.  Eventually they let him go and use him for bait to catch the killer.

It works.  I was surprised by the killer.  Were you?

Jane Austen's Lost Letters : A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery by Jane K. Cleland Series: Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries (#14)

Imagine if you found letters by Jane Austin in your father's locked box he sent you after his death.  What could you sell them for?

Minotaur Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Josie's mother had died from cancer a long time ago but she didn't know her father had found another lady friend.  The woman would tell her nothing.  So Josie turns to her friends who authenticate antiques and finds out one letter is forgery, the other is original.

Then people start dying.  They are people she works with and she has no idea why someone would be killing them.  The cops don't either.  As time goes on, they even take a shot at Josie!

Then Josie finds out she has a half-brother.  

She has cops protecting her but she doesn't go out a lot anymore.

The killer was someone I would never imagine but it makes sense.

Everything gets resolved and Josie has a new relative so it's entertaining.

Birdie's Billions by Edith Cohn

Birdie is twelve and she doesn't like thriftstore clothes and not having enough to eat.  Her father is in jail and her mother cleans houses to keep them from going into the poor house.  But when Birdie uses her skateboard in the house and damages some of the furniture, her mother gets fired.

Bloomsbury Children's Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Birdie takes a friend to skateboard in an empty pool.  They have fun.  And Birdie finds money in the walls of the old vacant house.  She doesn't admit it and goes back later to get some.  Then she sends it to her mother.  It helps their life but it is also the start of Birdie's lying.  She creates stories about the money.

The more lies she tells, the more she has to create.  Eventually her mother catches on that something isn't right.  She confesses and they find the money was stolen from old folks.  They are going to share the money among the group scammed.

One good thing comes out of this mess.  Read the book and you'll find out what it is.

Greek Myths : A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins, Chris Ofili

This is several short stories of the gods of Greek myth.  The gods were ruthless and didn't care who died or was mistreated.  These are not pleasant tales.

Pantheon and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

This retelling goes smoothly but the stories are controversial.  No one is very kind, sometimes husbands and wives killed each other, children were sacrificed.  But there is a reason for these things.  Some are self interest, some of it is blackmail, some is just wicked.  

You'll learn the names of the gods, learn what kind of people they and more.

It's an interesting read.

The Hanged Man's Tale : An Inspector Mazarelle Mystery by Gerald Jay

It all started with a body hanging upside down held by his ankle.  There is a tarot card in his pocket of the position he's in.  Mazarelle knows the man they jailed is not the killer.  So he continues to try to find the killer.

Nan A. Talese and Edelweiss alllowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has already been published and you can get a copy now.

As Mazarelle keeps asking questions and looking for the truth, he discovers that there are cops involved.  Since he won't back off, his boss suspends him and sends him home.  All that does is give him more time to look for the killer.

As he works his way through clues, he gets closer to the killer.  He finds the killer and almost dies himself but he survives.  But finding out who was giving the orders to the killer is harder yet.  He doesn't give up...

The Big Reveal by Jen Larsen

Addie is a talented dancer.  Her mother tells her she's fat but that doesn't slow her down.  It's when she gets accepted to dance studio in Milan that her troubles begin.  She has to pay her way and her mother doesn't have the money.

Henry Holt and Company and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  I has been published and you can get a copy now.

Addie and her friends decide to do burlesque show.  They will show skin but will not be nude.  They know the school wouldn't let them do it, so they find an empty room and put the show on after curfew.  They make a nice sum of money on the first show, but someone has told the principal about it.

The principal accuses them of being immoral. Addie tries to explain but he won't listen.  There are names being called, people seem to focus on her fat rather than her dancing.  She feels bad but she doesn't give up.  It's good that she has supportive friends.  

She figures out a way to show the principal and school board it's not bad.  This is a good example of how to stand up for yourself...  

Game On by Janet Evanovich

When Stephanie hears footsteps in her apartment, she wishes she had her gun closer.  Luckily it was someone she knew but hadn't seen for a while.  Stephanie goes after the folks that miss their appointments at the bailbond's office.  Diesel goes after those that pay him a big reward.  In this case, they are both after the same man.

Atria Books sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There is a major hacker that a few other hackers snooped at and tried to stop with a virus.  He took it personally is and is now tracking them down and killing them.

As people keep dying, Stephanie takes the ones she can find and hides them.  Ranger and Joe the cop help as they can.

Unfortunately since he can't find them, he comes after Stephanie and her friend Lulu.  He's blown up cars so that causes problems.  Then when he wires Lulu to explode and threatens to blow Stephanie's fingers off, it get more serious.  But the friends that Stephanie has don't give up on her.

The ending was a complete surprise to me.  Why don't you read it and let me know what you think?

Stitched in Crime by Emmie Caldwell

Lia participates in craft shows.  She knits.  The lady in the booth next to her, Cori crochets and makes cute toys.  Her crocheted animals are popular enough to get her in the paper.  But everyone is shocked when they find her dead at the falls.  That was where her babysitter died.  Did someone kill Cori?

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Lia thinks someone pushed her but there were no witnesses and the police chief disagrees.  So Lia starts asking questions.  She's told to stop but doesn't listen.

The crocheter was positive and loved her work.  It was no suicide.  Cori loved life.

As time goes by, Lia starts to follow suspects.  It is dangerous but she does find the killer.  Will she survive their fight?

Unikorn by Don Handfield, Joshua J Malkin

When her mother died, Mae inherits her horse.  But it's not a horse...

Scout Comics and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get it now.

When she finally gets to be friends with the horse, she discovers it has the base of a horn on it's head.  Then she finds a book about them her mother created.  It's in many languages, so she gets the boy who knows languages to help.

Her dad wants to sell the horse and the farm.  She works hard to keep her horse safe and defends the farm.  But then a bad man shows up and wants the horse.  

When he comes to take it, Mae gets on his back and they ride away.  But there is no getting away from the bad man...

Love Grows Everywhere (Illustrated) by Barry Timms, Tisha Lee (Illustrated by)

This is a great book about love.  The gardner's daughter plants seeds and lovingly takes care of them.  They grow well.  But when she meets a boy she doesn't know will she offer him the same love?

Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Edelweisss let me read the book for review (thank you).  The book has been published so you can get a copy now.

The girl plays with the boy and soon they become good friends.

There is love everywhere if you look for it.  This book points that out.

Hunters of the Lost City by Kali Wallace

Octavia believes the walled city they live in is the only place that exists now.  They have monsters that kill at night so you don't want to be locked out.  They don't open them once they have been closed for the night.

Quirk Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 26th.

Octavia has a monster after her and a stranger kills it for her.  Then she asks the girl who she is and where she came from.  To her surprise, she learns there are more settlements.  She visits her home and then takes her new friend to meet her family.  Unfortunately she ends up in jail.  Octavia doesn't understand why.  They say she's a human form of the monsters.  She tries to defend her but doesn't succeed.  

Then she finds another settlement and her sister she thought was dead is there.  Soon she finds that the leader of their city has lied about a lot.  The sister she said she'd killed is alive.

Then comes a confrontation between the two sisters.  Which one will take over leadership?

A Deadly Endowment by Alyssa Maxwell

Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford,are offering tours of an ancestral home they live in to make some money.  They  never expected to find a dead body on the first tour.  One of the historical guests died.

Kensington Books and Net Galley let me read this boook for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 28th.

She knows that it had to be someone in the tour group and Phoebe makes up her mind to find out who.  Her boyfriend is a cop and he tries to tell her no but she doesn't listen.

What she finds as as she snoops is that there is more than one scam going on.  She almost got caught in the stolen merchandise plot.  

Then she finds herself on the wrong side of a gun when she ferrets out the killer.  Will Phoebe and Grandpa make it out alive?

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony

Irene is publishing her father's paper and is the editor now.  Some of the men don't like having her in charge but she won't back down.  She sends Moe out on a story but he never made it there.  After a few days go by, she goes to his house to find him.  She does but he's dead at the bottom of the basement stairs...

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 08, 2022.

The police chief thinks he fell.  She is sure he was pushed.  She looks to see what he was trying to find a story on.  It has to do with a factory in town and the Germans that speak perfect English but have evil plans.

It takes some time until she begins to see how things are going and she ends up with the wrong answer first.  Will she find the right answer in time?

Live, Local, and Dead by Nikki Knight

Jaye is mad at the men protesting her radio show, so she grabs the gun and blows the head off the snowman.  As the snow melts, they find a dead body in it....

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on February 8th.

Now Jaye is being accused of being the killer.  She's not but she she needs to prove it.

She soon has a suspect but proving it is hard work.

She has started a relationship withe Governor and is soon falling for him.  He's protecting her but she realizes it's not her they after but him!  Can she stop another killing?

Trench Coats Towers and Trolls by Rhonda Parrish

This is an anthology of Cyberpunk Fairy Tales.  These are all science fiction stories.

World Weaver Press sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

These authors have very imaginative take on the stories.  You never know how the story is going to go.

There are a few of the stories that they use part of fairy tales to create something very different.

If you like sci/fi, you will enjoy these stories.  It was an interesting read.

A Deadly Bone to Pick by Peggy Rothschild

Molly trains dogs.  She has her own and the others can watch her work.  Then the new dog that she's teaching comes back with a woman's hand...

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 8th, 2022.

Soon she has the cops over asking her questions like she's a suspect.  Then there are two more murders.  Molly used to be a cop, so she has some questions of her own.

It's a good thing she loves dogs because the killer comes after her...  

Crimes and Covers: A Magical Bookshop Mystery by Amanda Flower

Violet has inherited a magical bookshop.  The birch tree in the bookstore is hundreds of years old.  It takes special water every two days to keep it alive.  She has a cat and crow for company in the shop.

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 11th, 2022.

Books fly in this magical shop, and it picks out the books it knows the customer will like.  That helps sales.

It also sends Walden Pond reprints to Violet with a message on the page referenced.  Then a woman comes in with a first printing of Waldon Pond and the author's autograph.  She wants lots of moey for it and Violet hesitates and asks for more time to think it over.  She takes her book and leaves.

The next time Violet sees her she's in the river, dead.  Then she meets a lady that thinks she's purchased the book.  She tells her no.  The lady thinks she's a relative of the author.  He never married so it's doubtful.

Violet and the police chief get married but they don't get to go on their honeymoon.  Another bookseller is dead.

I liked the magical portion of the book and the killer was not who I suspected.  Read it and see if you get it right.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

This is the story of a bookshop that helped publish a banned book.  You will meet a lot of authors, learn about publishing, and follow the romantic life of the bookseller.

Berkley Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book (thank you).  It will be published on January 11, 2022.

The book was banned because it had graphic things described in it.  She wanted to help the author and she wanted to make some money.  She did but it backfired on her.

If you want to learn what the publishing world was like years ago, this book is for you.  If romance makes you smile, there's plenty of that in here, too.