Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Genre: Cookbook, World Travels Release Date: April 25, 2023 Note: This review is based on a partial ARC and not the full book. A free section was provided by the publisher through Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I'm a fan of Gordon Ramsay, but not the Hell's Kitchen celebrity. He's reality show fake and unappreciated in my home. It's the British show, The F Word, that drew me into his world and made me realize he's great with his kids and can be very genuine and enjoyable. I started watching Uncharted for that reason. His episode in Maine was fantastic and brought me to many familiar areas. The travels he does on Uncharted are showcased in this National Geographic release. It offers 60 recipes from different regions of the world, ranging from Tasmania to Louisiana. While I didn't get to see the chapter on Maine, it is in this book.  The photography is lush, the recipes offer a decent mix of sides and mains, including dishes like ho

Genre: Mystery, Serial Killers Release Date: May 1, 2019 Four years ago, I couldn't get into Next Girl to Die. I don't ever completely give up. I do like to circle back. This time, I found myself far happier with the main character's mood and dislike of the small Maine community she fled. It's been 15 years since Claire Calderwood left Maine for Detroit, and she's thrown herself into her work. She gets a call from the police chief that another body has been dumped in the park, and the murder is very, very similar to the murder of her sister so many years ago. When Rachel was murdered, Claire's life changed. She hid secrets then and realizes that with what she does know, she may be able to solve these cases and finally bring her sister's murderer to justice. Bodies start turning up at a faster rate, and a very nosy investigative reporter keeps butting his way into each one. Noah is the last thing Claire needs standing in her way, but his sleuthing is also und

Genre: Apocalyptic Fiction, Sci-Fi, Time Travel Release Date: January 5, 2021 Wasteland is the second book in the Phoenix Cycle Series by John G. Doyle. If you've discovered his TikTok videos, you'll know who he is and have a good understanding of his wit. It's that wit that led me to his books, and the more I read, the more I cast him and certain friends in the different roles. I'm sorry, but I think we all know who the real Viking goddess is! Actually, I'm not sorry at all, and all fans know she is. Now, if you haven't read the first book in the series, stop and read that first. Otherwise, you'll be exposed to a few spoilers. ----------- When we last saw Jericho Johnson, he was in bad shape having been defeated. He wakes up three years later, strapped to a table in Arizona in the year 2344. While he was in bad shape, he's been patched up by the nefarious Dr. Cross, and he's now in possession of several man-made components that haven't truly bee

Release Date - April 11, 2023 Genre - Suspense, Mystery/Thriller Nine-year-old Katie Harmon's babysitter falls off the edge of a cliff while taking a selfie on their outing. Evidence, however, suggests that Anna's death may not have been a tragic accident. Instead, a shrewd detective is convinced there's more to the story and that someone killed Anna. As Katie was the only one with her, it has to have been Katie. Sara, Katie's mom, is terrified that her daughter is being suspected of murder, but she also has another fear. There are things that Sara knows of her past that she doesn't want anyone to figure out, and their sudden media status is making it very hard to keep old secrets. Sara is afraid her daughter may be a ruthless killer, but she also knows this is the daughter she loves who she could never believe would do wrong. But, are her instincts right or is she projecting her past onto her daughter's present and future? Everything She Feared wasn't baf

Release Date - January 27, 2020 Genre - Time Travel I'm never big on science fiction, but time travel I'm okay with. Post apocalyptic I'm fine with. John G. Doyle winking at me, and you know you're the master of the wink Mr. Doyle, well that's just something else. With all the TikTok buzz over this book, I was inspired to purchase all three knowing that they'd be right up my husband's alley if I didn't like them. So this review is one of the few that's based on a purchase rather than something an author or publisher sent my way. That said, I'll get to it. Gauntlet is the first in a series of three (so far) with another book in the works. It's self-published, and there are some fantastic books out there that are self-published and deserve praise (remember Eragon was originally self-published). Does Gauntlet have some grammar/typo errors, sure, but they're minimal. Is it a fun story that captures John G. Doyle's wit (snarky at times) a