Yours, Eventually

 

Yours, Eventually- Nura Maznavi

Dutton

Release Date: February 18, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚 (3.5)

Synopsis: The Ibrahim family is facing a crucial Their patriarch just lost his fortune as the result of a Ponzi scheme, and the family is picking up the pieces. At the family’s core is Asma—successful doctor and the long-suffering middle daughter who stepped into the family center after the death of her beloved mother years ago. Despite what the prying aunties think, Asma is living the life she has always wanted, fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a doctor . . . or so she thinks.

In walks Farooq Waheed, Asma’s college sweetheart whose proposal was cruelly rejected by Asma’s aunt and father. Now, eight years later, Farooq has made his fortune by selling his Silicon Valley startup and is widely considered one of the most eligible bachelors in California. As he enters Asma’s social orbit, she finds herself navigating a tricky landscape—her pushy sisters, gossiping aunties, and her father’s expectations—on her path to reconciling the past and winning Farooq back in the present. If there is still time. 

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Asma Ibrahim has always played by the rules: taking care of her family after her mother died, breaking off her engagement when her father dispproved of the man she loved. Becoming a doctor instead of marrying young was her one rebellion. Now her ex, Farooq, has returned having made his fortune just has Asma's family has lost theirs. And Asma needs to decide if she will continue to follow her family's expectations and do what is easy, or figure out what will make her happy and take a chance with Farooq.

I'm always up for Jane Austen re-tellings and Persuasion is one of my favorite Austen books. This modern day Pakistani-American community retelling fit Austen's vibe in many ways- the pressures of following community and family expectations come across clearly to the reader. Asma thinks her chance of happiness has passed her because she listened to her father and turned Farooq down eight years ago. She looks at her friend Fatima and younger sister Maryam, at the people in their social circles, and can't see happiness by following expectations. 

As much as I enjoy when modern authors stick to the Austen original, I also respect some twists- and Yours, Eventually provides twists as the book progresses. Without giving away too many spoilers, Asma has growing to do throughout the book. She isn't Anne Elliot. She isn't perfect. She makes mistakes, doesn't communicate with family or friends, and takes a long time to learn from and admit her mistakes. But the growth happens, eventually. 

A good modern day Desi retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, fans of Sonali Dev will enjoy Yours, Eventually. 

I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Bonded in Death

 

Bonded in Death (in Death #60)- J.D. Robb

St. Martin's Press 

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear―because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must―not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain―and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…

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The newest In Death book is a fast paced thriller that takes readers where they've probably always hoped to get more info on: the Urban Wars of the 2020s. Eve Dallas' latest victim is an elderly man who, at first glance, has no reason to be dead at all, let alone in the brutal way he was murdered. But when Summerset identifies Eve's victim as an old friend of his- and a former operative during the Wars- everything changes. Because Rossi wasn't the only man identified as having a target on him- just the first on a kill list.

We get all of the good stuff in Bonded. Flashbacks of the Urban Wars, more background than we've ever seen before on Summerset, and an entire network of his comrades coming together to help Eve and the NYPSD to help stop a killer. The pacing stays fast, the dialogue is Robb's go-to blend of sharp wit and suave charm (depending on the character!) that makes for a delightful blend of personalities. The intensity of the story made me not want to put this one down!

A really enjoyable and intense read, this is J. D. Robb at some of her finest.

I received a DRC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Realm of Ice and Sky

Realm of Ice and Sky- Buddy Levy

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: January 28, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.

American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location. 

However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.

Realm of Ice and Sky is the thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.

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I've become fascinated in a trainwreck kind of way with Arctic exploration and really enjoyed Levy's Laybrinth of Ice, so I was eager to give Realm of Ice and Sky a try. I had no idea people were trying to explore the Arctic by dirigible in the early 20th century so this was all new for me. The idea sounded crazy and dangeous, but then, so did going to the Arctic in the first place!

Ice and Sky is three different stories in one book, covering the highlights (and lowlights) of aerial Arctic exploration. There was a lot of science on what the dirigibles needed, most of which went over my head, but I found the human stories of how difficult it was to put the missions together and estimate when the weather would be best for flying to be interesting. The crews faced surprising levels of danger in the air beyond wind currents buffeting the ships.

The third story, of the Italia, is the longest and the bigest tragedy- so probably the one I found most interesting. With it you get the familiar Arctic land dangers as well as the new aerial dangers. You get people of different nations banding together to try and help find the explorers but a surprising lack of coordination among the searchers. I would have been interested to hear if this was common in past searches as well or more unique to the Italia, but Levy doesn't go into that aspect.

Overall an intersting chapter of Arctic exploration I had never heard of before. Readers interested in adding to their knowledge of Arctic exploration will definitely enjoy this book.

I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Shattering Dawn

 Shattering Dawn (Lost Night Files #3)- Jayne Ann Krentz

Berkley

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Amelia Rivers, a member of the Lost Night Files podcast team, hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to catch the stalker who has been watching her. Amelia suspects the stalker may be connected to the shadowy organization responsible for the night that she and her two friends lost to amnesia—a night that upended their lives and left them with paranormal talents.

Gideon suspects that Amelia is either paranoid or an outright con artist, but he can’t resist the chemistry between them. He takes the case despite his skepticism. For her part, Amelia has second thoughts about the wisdom of employing the mysterious Mr. Sweetwater. She is wary of the powerful attraction between them, and deeply uneasy about the nightmarish paintings on the walls of his home. She senses they were inspired by his own dreamscapes.

Amelia knows she doesn’t have time to find another investigator, and Gideon is forced to reckon with the truth when he disrupts what was intended to be Amelia’s kidnapping. Now the pair is on the run, with no choice but to return to the haunting ruins of the old hotel where Amelia’s lost night occurred. They are desperate to stop a killer and the people who are conducting illegal experiments with a dangerous drug that is designed to enhance psychic abilities. If they are to survive, they will have to trust each other and the passion that bonds them.

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Amelia Rivers is a logical, practical woman with a problem. She has a stalker who is very likely connected to the night she and her friends lost to amnesia, their enhanced psychic talents, and the serious problems her friends have recently had (Sleep No More, The Night Island). There are people in the organization that experimented on them that don't want The Lost Night Files podcast to keep searching for the truth- and Amelia and her friends aren't about to stop. So she hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to help her with her stalker problem. 

There's instant attraction between the two, even if Amelia has serious doubts about Gideon as a PI and is pretty sure he thinks she's crazy. But after stopping a kidnapping attempt Gideon realizes how serious things are- and that the hotel where Amelia's lost night occured may be the place to find the answers. The more time Gideon and Amelia spend together the more the get to know each other, which leads to fun misunderstandings, getting on each other's nerves, and learning how well they can work together. 

Amelia is a fun character, dealing with everything life has thrown at her with stubborn determination. Her attempts to psychoanalyze Gideon and 'help' him would have sent most men fleeing for the hills and were pretty funny. Anyone who's read any of JAK's other books with members of the Sweetwater clan will be happy to add Gideon to their ranks. His curiosity, talent, and chemistry with Amelia are delightful. I enjoyed the witty one liners and banter between them.  

Overall a fun way to wrap up the trilogy. You don't need to necessarily read the trilogy in order, though I think it is more fun that way. 

Another excellent addition to the Jayne Anne Krentz cannon!

I received an DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley