Cassie DeNisco

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The Hollywood Spy Book Review

Another month, another book! This month’s The Hollywood Spy book review is a good one! With historical fiction, romance, and murder mystery this book has something for everyone.

Not to mention this character is part of a series so you have plenty of reading if you love this book as much as I did! As always this book link is an affiliate link that I earn a small commission off off! No pressure to purchase but it’s definitely a good read!

The Hollywood Spy by Susan Ella Macneal

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hollywood spy review

I initially picked this book up at my local store because I loved the cover art. It really drew me and I’ve been on a thriller/mystery kick these days. I wasn’t anticipating the historical fiction aspect but if you’ve been here awhile, you know I love that! This book immediately hooked me in as the murder takes place immediately.

In order to set the stage Macneal, the author, spends each chapter with a different character. Whether its the spy herself Maggie or the cops or other nefarious groups, this book keeps you reading page after page.

The mystery itself seemed to come together pretty easily for me but what I appreciated most was the attention to detail. This might be one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. I finished the book learning something new about a time period I previously didn’t know about.

It was so well written and just seamlessly meshed in with solving the mystery of the murdered movie star. I ended up taking a lot away with this book because of how important the themes were. In the climate we’re currently in, this book was even more important to read with it’s themes of segregation and racism, nazis, and World War 2.

Another thing I loved about this book was I didn’t realize how much I liked it until it was over. When a book makes a lasting impact on you and you’re thinking of it even days after you’ve read it, you know it’s great!

You can check out more book reviews here!

The Last Thing He Told Me- Book Review!!

Today I’m sharing another book review for the month of November!! This book review is all about The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave! When I tell you I seriously could not put this book down, I’m not kidding!

I read this in like 3 hours on a Sunday night because I couldn’t start my week without knowing how it ended. If you’re into a good mystery thriller, this one is for you with twists and turns at every chapter!

The Last Thing He Told Me– Shop Here

The last thing he told me

This book follows a step mom and step daughter who are forced to worked together to find their missing husband and father. The scene starts when he goes missing and has a group of young girls deliver a note that says “protect her” meaning their daughter.

I was immediately taken in by the writing of this book. It continued to unfold bits and pieces. It paints a picture of this mans life that showed he definitely wasn’t who he said he was. I found it to be so refreshing to see the step daughter and step mom grow together while going through this difficult time.

My major issue with this book is the ending really didn’t do it for me. I felt like the writing and the twists were so good that the ending really just fell short for me. No spoilers here but it honestly was so underwhelming.

I love the thrillers that really get you at the end. This book just honestly ended without that final satisfying twist. Had the book done that, it would’ve really been a 10/10. The writing leading up to it was amazing, the end fell short.

You should still read this book if you love mystery and thrillers! The writing was so good and I was captivated by the story! If you like posts like these, check out my latest book post here!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover Review!

I can hardly believe that I’m sharing October’s book of the month! This month I went back to Colleen Hoover and gave her book Ugly Love a try! Colleen Hoover books are always so good when you feel like you’re in a book rut.

They always help me get back into reading because they’re so good! Her books are usually complex love stories with a twist at the end. I seriously love her writing style and wasn’t surprised when I loved this book!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover- Shop Here

ugly love

Ugly Love was my last read of the summer and it definitely did not disappoint! I loved the writing between current Tate and flashbacks to Miles’ past. It helped to paint a picture of who these people are and how they got to the places they’re in.

Tate first meets Miles drunk and crying in her brothers apartment. They don’t speak of that night again but it leaves this lingering feeling that Miles isn’t telling the entire truth to Tate. He essentially just wants to be friends with benefits but as we know, feeling started to evolve.

Tate and Miles end up falling for each other and we realize Miles has a traumatic history with being in love. This makes us understand why he is so against being in love with Tate and how important it is that he might actually be ready to move on.

Ugly Love is one of those books that makes you realize just how complex love can be. It does show that it is so worth it to find your person that helps you to work through your issues and create new happiness.

I truly believe you can just never go wrong with a Colleen Hoover book. No matter which one you choose they are all so good and make you want to just keep reading!

You can read last month’s book review here!

The Christie Affair Book Review!!

As we approach the warmer months, there’s nothing better to me than a good mystery book in the sun! I was excited to get my hands on The Christie Affair after hearing about Agatha Christie’s mysterious few weeks being missing.

I love any book from Reese Witherspoon’s book club so I had very high hopes for this one. If you’re interested in purchasing this book, I have an affiliate link below which means I earn a small commission. No pressure to purchase though!

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont- Shop Here

the christie affair

This book follows the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of Agatha Christie. This is about the true story of Agatha Christie’s car being found abandoned on the side of the road. And how she reappears days later far from it.

Christie’s marriage wasn’t the greatest. It has allegations of cheating from her husband so Nina de Gramont writes this book from the point of view of the mistress. I think it’s a very interesting take on the story and gives it a new perspective.

Christie’s disappearance was actually a way for her to try to save her marriage and get the mistress to go back to her ex boyfriend. I think the story line had a lot of potential with twists and turns but to be honest, it was hard to follow.

The story of Christie is one I already know so I was looking for more of a mysterious adventure, not a revenge plot. I also felt like there was too much emphasis on the mistress when the book is marketed as what happened to Agatha when she disappeared.

This might be the first book of the month that I actually wouldn’t say run to read. It is well written but just did not live up to the hype . I seem to be leaning more and more into historical fiction so this just didn’t do it for me.

Final Thoughts

I really just did not love this book. It wasn’t what I thought it was and I just feel like I wouldn’t want to recomend it. I’m super interested to hear if you read this and liked it though!

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The Most Beautiful Girl In Cuba- Book Review!

This month I’m sharing with you my book review of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton! I have fallen in love with Chanel’s books based around historical fiction. As a child, this was my favorite genre and to be honest, finding her books has opened my eyes to it again.

If you read my book review for 2021, I shared my thoughts on Next Year in Havana and When We left Cuba both by Cleeton. These books are connected and are such great reads. I decided to pick this book up at my local book store because I seriously just love her writing.

I was definitely not disappointed by this book and am excited to share my thoughts with you! Historical fiction has seriously become some of my favorite books to read so this was perfect for me.

The Most Beautiful Girl In Cuba- Shop Here

the most beautiful girl in cuba

The themes of this book are that of girl power, bravery, and love. This book takes place during the Spanish invasion of Cuba in the late 1800s. This backdrop of war really shows how tough it was for women.

We follow the stories of 3 women: a writer in the US, a rich woman turned war prisoner, and a woman who has to live in an encampment. I love that each chapter discusses how different each’s life is. This book is actually based around a true story about a woman who American media deemed “The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba”.

As the story progresses we learn more about the conflict and see how American media is trying to influence the war after the American government does nothing. I couldn’t help but be in awe of the bravery of these women.

The writer is trying to make a name for herself in a male dominated industry. One woman is acting as a spy and smuggling notes into the war prisons. The beautiful woman in prison eventually gets aid from the writer and the spy to break out of being wrongfully imprisoned.

I loved this story because it kept me on my feet and really made me think. Chanel Cleeton does a great job of weaving a great story into actual historical events. If you are interested in history, this book is seriously for you!

Wrap Up

Let me know in the comments below if you like these posts! If I’m being honest, they’re some of my favorites to write. Be sure to subscribe here to my mailing list so you never miss a post from me! Stay tuned for next month’s book, it’s a good one!

Reminders of Him By Colleen Hoover -Book Review

I am so happy to be sharing our 4th book of the month with you- Reminders of Him! This month I went with a newer release by one of my favorite authors, Colleen Hoover. Colleen Hoover books are the best because she’s able to write a really wide variety of pieces.

I initially was introduced to her through Verity, which is an absolute must read if you haven’t already. It Ends With Us, also by CoHo is a completely different vibe but another must read. Colleen Hoover books are always so good so I was happy to get my hands on this one when it came out!

Reminders of Him–Shop Here

reminders of him

The cover of this book immediately draws you in, so I knew just from the outside this was going to be good. This book follows Kenna and Ledger, both dealing with the grief of losing someone they both love. We learn Kenna is a single mother, who was actually in the accident with her boyfriend Scott died.

Kenna went to prison for the accident and was never able to see her child. Scott’s parents blamed her for the accident and the after math. When she got out, Kenna goes back to the small town. She wants to see if she can meet her daughter for the first time.

Kenna meets Ledger, the bartender at the local pub and they hit it off. It gets a little steamy between them until Kenna realizes Ledger is Scott’s best friend who she never got to meet. With this beginning alone, it really draws you into the book.

The details surrounding the accident are not what they seem but everyone in the small town wants Kenna to go, except Ledger. As he learns more about her and the day of the accident, he realizes how terrible Kenna was treated due to everyone’s grief. By the end of the book, Ledger helps to make it possible for Kenna to see her daughter and they end up falling in love.

Final Thoughts

I really liked how Kenna got a happy ending. You could feel how much pain she was in throughout the book from the accident. It was great to see that Ledger ended up helping to create a relationship between her and Scott’s parents.

Ledger lost his best friend but was able to see what Scott saw in Kenna. Ledger took care of Scott’s daughter like his own so this book was just so heart warming and a great read. It wasn’t as heavy as some of her other books.

I hope you enjoyed this book review of Reminders of Him! I have been loving this book club we created so be sure to subscribe to my list here so you don’t miss one! You can read last month’s, Death By Dissertation here!

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