Eilis Flynn's Blog

In this romantic historical fantasy, a sculptress has always tried to keep her magical talents hidden in a place that does not allow magic. But to save her brother, she displays her ability in a contest, wins—and while she saves her brother, she also gets sucked into a rising conflict and fights her growing attraction to the heir of the powerful family who wants her to use her skills in ways that she doesn’t quite understand. The story is classic and the voice is luxurious and textured, and it just sucked me in. 

#GracelessHeart #NetGalley 

The latest in the “In Death” series is an old-fashioned whodunnit in the near future, with our intrepid detective, Lt. Eve Dallas, and her husband, Roarke. A multibillionaire dies when a large chunk of amethyst meets his head, with his vault sitting open and filled with what turns out to be filled with stolen loot. The vault—and its contents—turn out to have belonged to the deceased’s father, and it also turns out there’s more than just one mystery to solve. This is another solid, absorbing tale in JD Robb’s Eve Dallas and Roarke stories.  

#JDRobb #StoleninDeath #NetGalley

Alexander Gregory, a well-known British psychologist, gets pulled into a murder mystery in a tiny Irish town. An outsider is suspected … right? Surely it must be. As Gregory looks deeper and deeper into the twisted murder, another occurs, then another … but it doesn’t look like it’s an outsider, after all. There are twists that make the reader look at Gregory a little closer, wondering a little more.

#Impostor #NetGalley

 This may be the cutest book of kitty illustrations ever to come to market. In a bad mood? You won’t be after you see this book. These adorable cats have adventures at the aquarium and the amusement park, even the hot springs! These kitties have fun wherever they go! 

#FallinginLovewithaTravelingCatmofusand #NetGalley. 

What a delightful holiday story! After being scammed and robbed, Nora Blackburn is cynical about humanity in general (and social media specifically), and when she finds out about an amazing snow sculpture that seemingly has appeared out of nowhere in a Toronto park, she dismisses it as AI-generated, but then equally mysteriously, others appear in other city parks. When her cheery neighborhood across the hall, Everett Sun, invites her to go see the mysterious, elaborate sculptures, she reluctantly agrees—he doesn’t seem like he’s out to steal her money or her heart. What she doesn’t realize is that Everett has a secret: he’s not out to trick her, but he is the creator of the snow sculptures. This novella is about the melting of Nora’s heart, and it’s a perfect start to the holiday season.

 Foods can give you nostalgia, they can inspire memories, and the best way is for someone to find all that is for you to track down the Kamogawa Food Detectives in the unassuming Kamogawa Diner in a quiet area in Kyoto. Not unlike the TV series Midnight Diner, this book series focuses on food that has meaning for the person, but here, the patron/client asks for the food detectives to track down that item, explaining how and where they had it. Each patron has a story and regrets and through the food, they learn about themselves. Gyoza, yakisoba …they are simple foods, but they can mean so much. 

#MenuofHappiness #NetGalley

In this heart-warming enemies-to-lovers/marriage-of-convenience story, we have the tale of scholars Sadie and Jonah, who have known each other for well over a decade and competed against each other all that time for academic positions that are hard to come by. They’re not that fond of each other (or so they tell themselves), and it doesn’t help that they live in the same house. Mostly they try to keep out of each other’s way—until circumstances present themselves in the form of a plummy permanent position in the town that Jonah’s recently separated sister lives. It’s just one position, though, and they’re both interviewing for it. But there’s a way for both of them to be hired, and that’s to be married. They do, and they get to know each other, and to their surprise, they’re just what each other needs. 

#AnAcademicAffair #NetGalley

This novel by Iva-Marie Palmer is a bit of a conundrum: It’s supposed to be a sunny look at a season that for whatever reason depresses some people. Jill Jacobs, an aspiring screenwriter based in Los Angeles, decides to go home to a small town in Illinois for the holidays after she loses her job at an upscale game arcade. Home isn’t something that’s going to make her feel better, either; too many ones-who-got-away to remind her that yes, they got away. They’ve gone on with their lives, while she…hasn’t. But then, Jill wakes up in a town that has virtually nothing in common with the real town she went to sleep in. Even the name of the town is different! The sad, empty storefronts are filled with cheery shops, and the shops she does recognize from her waking life are better, somehow. Jill realizes that this entire town, this entire situation is something out of a Hallmark-like movie—which, coincidentally, she has an invitation to pitch a story for, but she has doubts. This story kept wanting to be cheery, but it kept not doing the job, and it didn’t help that it’s not a fresh take on a familiar theme. 

#ChristmasPeople #NetGalley 

I have to be honest: I’m not a big fan of cooking competitions. But when they’re combined with historical whodunnits, well… it verges on downright irresistible! In this, Celeste Connally’s latest mystery, Lady Petra Forsyth and other members of the ton are invited to a patisserie contest for the best bakers around. Before a single morsel of yumminess can be consumed, however, there’s a murder—but not via food! Yet. How will Lady Petra track down the culprits and not be a victim herself? If you’re a fan of cooking competitions, you’ll like this book. If you’re a fan of historical mysteries, you’ll like this book. What does it come down to? Tasty reading! You’ll like this book!

#RevengeServedRoyal #NetGalley

I read this courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley. I knew nothing about Caribbean carnaval culture or Taino mythology, so this fantasy came as a welcome, amazing surprise. Author Rosalia Rodrigo’s weaving of the ominous tale of what happens when Sofia goes to Carnaval de Bestias looking for her brother, who went to Isla Bestia for work five years ago … and never came back is sometimes fantasy, sometimes horror, sometimes something … other. Sofia finds that things change at the drop of a hat, and worst of all, there’s a feeling that something is watching her watch those around devolve into … things. The vivid imagery of this story is almost like a fever dream, and you’ll find yourself holding your breath when Sofia turns a corner to discover … something.

#BeastsofCarnaval #NetGalley