Unorthodox Love

Title: Unorthodox Love
Author: Heidi Shertok
Published: July 11, 2023 by Alcove Press
Format: Kindle, 333 pages
Genre: Romance

First Sentence: On the scale of catastrophic things n the world, being a twenty-nine-year-old virgin isn’t that bad.

Blurb: Twenty-nine-year-old Penina longs for true love and marriage, but being infertile in the Orthodox Jewish community means she’s rarely matched with the cream of the crop—or even skim milk two weeks past its expiration date. Matchmakers either set her up with men twice her age or those with serious mommy issues. At this point, she might as well wear a sign around her neck that says “professional virgin.”

As if things weren’t bad enough, her sister Libby then shares a terrible her husband’s failed businesses have already put strain on their marriage, and now they might also lose their family home. Penina is desperate to help, so when a secretly gay Orthodox Jew offers a payout in exchange for a fake marriage, it feels like kismet. Who needs true love anyway?

Enter Sam Kleinfeld. Rude, secular, undeniably sexy, and also…Penina’s new boss. The last thing he wants is a relationship, especially not with a beautiful, smart-mouthed employee. But soon an attraction builds that they both can’t ignore. Will Penina follow her heart and find true love, or will she stick to the traditions she knows best?

My Opinion: I'm not typically a fan of the romance genre. However, from the beginning, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Unorthodox Love. The characters were so captivating that I found myself rooting for them and becoming invested in their lives.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this book was Heidi Shertok’s explanation of the Orthodox Jewish religion and how it was central to Penina's life. It wasn't just a typical romance novel; but a deeper exploration of faith and individualism.

What stood out to me was the strong and independent nature of Penina. She didn't conform to the expectations of a man and stayed true to herself, even if it meant making sacrifices for her loved ones.

I loved every character in this book and felt like I was leaving the best party of the year when I finished reading it.

Fatal Fudge Swirl

Title: Fatal Fudge Swirl
Author: Meri Allen
Published: June 27, 2023 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: Kindle, Paperback 320 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries #3

First Sentence: “Nothing like reading other people’s mail.”

Blurb: A movie production brings drama―and murder―to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long―each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice? (GoodReads)

My Opinion: When a book begins with a list of characters, I get nervous. Does that mean the author knows that they aren’t defining their characters with individual voices or that there are too many to keep straight? Although the recurring characters were not included in the list, readers should be familiar with the women of Penniman by the time they reach the third book in the series.

I read this Halloween themed book during a summer heatwave and just the thought of cold foggy nights and ice cream was refreshing.

The storyline was a bit twisty and the subplots were weak. There is unnecessary repetition and the clues along the way may cause the reader a moment or two to connect the dots. Am I the only one that removes luggage tags after each flight?

By the end, the male characters all melded together. Which brother was which, who was the manager of the Inn, the groom to be, and who was the chef? Maybe I should have paid more attention to the list of characters at the beginning of the book.

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Title: Einstein: His Life and Universe
Author: Walter Isaacson
Published: April 10, 2007 by Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover, 675 pages
Genre: Biography

First Sentence: “I promise you four papers,” the young patent examiner wrote his friend.

Blurb: How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson’s biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom.

Based on newly released personal letters of Einstein, this book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk—a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn’t get a teaching job or a doctorate—became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals.

These traits are just as vital for this new century of globalization, in which our success will depend on our creativity, as they were for the beginning of the last century, when Einstein helped usher in the modern age.

My Opinion: Let’s be honest, the science was over my head, but the people, places, and history are what kept me reading.

I had never put into context the history timeline of Albert Einstein from the time he was wondering what it was like to ride a light-beam, to his relativity theory, to challenging conventional wisdom, to fighting for what he believed in even though he, as a person, didn’t change that much from the lowly patient clerk where he started.

This book has sat on my shelf for years and I always made excuses not to read it since I just knew it was going to be a dry, boring slog throw an arrogant egotistical man’s life. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Albert Einstein, through the words of Walter Isaacson, is a warm, goofy, charming man who didn’t take himself seriously. His science was serious, but he was just a regular guy, who took regular walks and helped the neighborhood kids with their homework.

He lived in exciting time and with his little bit of fame, and a couple of awards, he was able to travel in renowned circles and influenced other great scientists. He was not a good husband, and it took years to be a decent father, but in the end, he got there.

I suggest reading this book for the history, the humor, and to be introduced to a man that you did not expect to jump off these pages.

Death Comes to Marlow

Title: Death Comes to Marlow
Author: Robert Thorogood
Published: June 6, 2023 by Poison Pen Press
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 286 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: The Marlow Murder Club #2

First Sentence: After the excitement of the previous summer, Mrs. Judith Potts spent the winter returning to the more solitary rhythms of life.

Blurb: Robert Thorogood delights in giving the Christie-mystery a busy-body twist. Judith (our favorite skinny-dipping, whiskey-sipping, crossword puzzle author), along with Becks the vicar's wife, and Susie the dogwalker find themselves in a head-scratching, utterly clever country house, locked-room murder mystery.

Holiday festivities are now January doldrums when Judith gets a call—Sir Peter Bailey, a prominent Marlovian is inviting notable citizens to his house the day before his wedding to celebrate.

Judith decides to go—after all, it's a few houses up the Thames and free champagne, for sure. During the party, a loud crash inside stops the festivities. The groom-to-be has been crushed to death in his study. The door was locked from the inside so the police say suicide, obviously. (the Poisoned Pen Press)

My Opinion: I cannot tell what year this book takes place. One aspect seems to be an old-fashioned 1950s mystery, but at the same time, they have cell phones and talk cryptocurrency. Then they talk extortion, but the number mentioned seems correct for the 50s but is missing a few zeros for the current day.

Once you get past that confusion, next up is a mansion without staff that conveniently, because that is what the plot needed, allowed people to wander unnoticed. That brings me to another quirk. How does a man on a boat hear a display case fall in a house quite a distance away?

Granted, I read an ARC, and I hope the editors caught onto the glaring issues in this 2nd book in the Marlow Murder Club series.

The book was slow-paced, repetitive, had problems with consistency, and lacked the same energy that the women brought to the first installment.