Book Review: The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Fiction/Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: January 14, 2025

Publisher: Harper Muse

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "Can an entire life be erased by one thoughtless wish that changes a single moment?

Josephine Reynolds never imagined she'd be a widow in her midthirties. Grieving and barely able to contemplate one more night alone, she carelessly wishes she'd never been born. At the exact same moment, her inbox dings with an it's a link from her sister that lists local foreclosures, and, to her immense surprise, she sees her great-grandmother's house listed and immediately conspires to reclaim it.

But as Josephine restores her great-grandmother's home to its original glory, she comes to realize not everything is as it seems. Replacing the modern front door with the original hand-carved and solid wood one, she notices minuscule words carved into the edging. As she speaks the words aloud and opens the front door with its original key, Josephine finds herself transported back almost one hundred years ago to a 1920s party thrown by her great-grandmother Alma.

A shocked Josephine fears she is losing her mind. Has her grief caused her to lose touch with reality? But it quickly becomes clear that her life and future--thanks to her throwaway wish--hinge on one single moment that happened almost one hundred years ago. The two parallel timelines start blending together, and Josephine witnesses her present life disappearing right before her eyes. She can only hope it's not too late to save her own future."

Josephine finds herself in a position that she never imagined she would be in. She's 35 years old and a widow. Her life always centered around her husband and his career, as she never finished school, they never had children, and she did whatever he wanted to do. After his untimely death, she finds herself in their expansive house with no purpose to her life. With her sister's encouragement, they find out their ancestral home is for sale in Nashville. Josephine has so many wonderful memories there, so she sold her current home and relocated there. Returning her family's home to its former glory becomes her new purpose and when at a salvage yard, she comes across the actual door to the home, which she assumed was long gone after a renovation. Once she brings this door back to the house, it becomes a door to the past - quite literally - in that when she enters it, she finds herself in her home, but the year is 1927. Josephine encounters her grandmother, who is a force to be reckoned with, but she quickly realizes that her grandmother will die at her speakeasy during a raid if she doesn't fix things. The more she travels back, the more it alters things for Josephine and her family. Jennifer Moorman's The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is a cozy read filled with historical details and magical realism.

At first, I wasn't a big fan of Josephine in The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds. She was pretty whiny and helpless. She had low self-esteem and it got, quite honestly, boring. Once she started to gain control of her life and fix up her family's home, I enjoyed her a bit more. Her interactions with her grandmother in the past were charming and I was rooting for her to not only take back her life but help with her grandmother's unfortunate fate.

Moorman includes a lot of details about the Jazz Age and speakeasies, which made this a fun read at times, especially if you are a fan of the time period. However, I did not really believe that Josephine would find a love interest in 1927, so I could have done without that part of the story, but overall, it worked out just fine in the end.

If you are looking for a slow read to escape in filled with magical touches, give The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds a try this winter. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of books with magical realism and if this book is on your winter TBR list.

 

Blog Tour: To Sicily with Love

As winter sets in, I find myself dreaming of sunshine and warmer days. Luckily, books can whisk us away to beautiful locations, and on my radar is To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst. 

Probst continues her Meet Me in Italy series, which transports readers to stunning Italian destinations. If you remember, I previously read The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti and A Wedding in Lake Como from this series. I also have Our Italian Summer on my TBR list, and it seems like the perfect summer read. Now, with the release of To Sicily with Love, book four in the series, I can't wait to immerse myself in all things Sicilian. And don't you love that captivating book cover?

I'm excited to be part of Berkley's blog tour today, showcasing this new romance that you'll definitely want to add to your winter TBR list!

 

Learn More About the Book:

Goodreads says, "Aurora York has climbed the ladder to career success: she steadfastly grew her platform as a life coach and inspirational figure, and now she has fame, a book deal, a large social media presence where she helps others achieve their dreams—not to mention a smoking hot boyfriend and a gorgeous apartment in the Hudson Valley. But Aurora’s life turns upside down when her mother passes very suddenly, leaving her without any family to speak of. Despondent and grieving, Aurora takes a DNA test, just to see what would happen. She never imagines what she might find.

 

When the results come back, Aurora learns she has an entire family she never knew about living in Sicily—grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… all related to her mother, who claimed to have no relatives. When Aurora’s Italian cousin reaches out and begs her to come and meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap and books a flight to Italy.

Aurora arrives in small town Sciacca, Sicily, and meets a large, colorful, dynamic family steeped in tradition. While learning about her family history, her Italian roots, and her mother’s long-buried secrets, Aurora begins to heal from her grief… and she even begins to enjoy the attention of a kind and handsome Italian man. When the summer ends, Aurora’s due back in New York—will she leave Sicily behind, or take a chance on a whole new life for herself?

 

Perfect for readers of Rebecca Serle and Lori Nelson Spielman, TO SICILY WITH LOVE offers readers a dazzling Italian escape filled with love, family, secrets, and the courage to know one’s own heart."

 

You can purchase your own copy of To Sicily with Love at Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Books A Million. You can learn more about Jennifer Probst by visiting her website and connecting with her on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.  

So, let me know in the comments if To Sicily with Love is on your TBR list and if you are a fan of Jennifer Probst. 

Blog Break

 

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm taking a much-needed break to spend quality time with my family over the holiday weekend. I will return mid-week next week with more reviews and giveaways. Wishing you a fantastic holiday weekend, and I hope it includes some good reading!

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Say You'll Remember Me

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating! 

 

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Pub. Date: April 1, 2025

Goodreads says, "From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong…

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering."

 

I'll read anything Jimenez writes and can't wait till spring comes, so we can enjoy this one! Did you add it to your TBR list?

 

 

Book Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: February 11, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin's

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

 

Goodreads says, "London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels."

Dorothy Sayers, a crime writer, has banded together with other phenomenal mystery writers of her time: Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. They want to prove to their male counterparts that they have what it takes, which was a difficult feat in the 1930s when women were treated much differently than they are today. What better way to gain some respect than solving a real-life crime? May Daniels, a nurse, disappeared after a day drip and her body was found by a local farmer; she appears to have been attacked and strangled. The French police did a shoddy job of investigating and even implied she wasn't worth their time as she was a drug addict. So, the ladies leave London for France and they are determined to solve this case. Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy The Queens of Crime, an immersive who-done-it from Marie Benedict.

I have read several books about Agatha Christie, so I was excited to dive into The Queens of Crime. This novel is presented from Dorothy Sayers's perspective, which was a refreshing approach, especially since Christie has been the focus of numerous recent novels, including Benedict's previous work, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. I really enjoyed how Benedict incorporated the sleuthing aspect into the story, and I appreciated the novel's feminist twist. It’s worth mentioning that this novel is based on a true event, which definitely enhanced my enjoyment.

As the ladies figure out who killed May, it looks like all the clues point to a particular person in May's life, but if you have ever read a Christie novel, things are never what they initially appear. I think Benedict did a good job bringing characteristics of a classic mystery novels to the forefront in The Queens of Crime. Who doesn't love a bunch of strong women really showing the patriarchy what they are capable of? I recommend this one to fans of historical mysteries and Benedict's previous novels.

Have you read The Queens of Crime? Is it on your TBR list? Are you a fan of Marie Benedict? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.