Library of Clean Reads

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley (Review)

2025-10-19T20:08:00.000-04:00

Book Details:

Title: The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley
Category: Adult Fiction, 544 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Release date: April 26, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 (violence not graphic)

Book Description:

A suspenseful new novel of love, lies, and loyalty, set against the sweeping backdrop of the early Jacobite rebellions, from New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley.

There are many who believe they know what happened, but they do not know the whole of it. The rumours spread, and grow, and take their hold, and so to end them I have been persuaded now to take my pen in hand and tell the story as it should be told...

Autumn, 1707. Old enemies from the Highlands to the Borders are finding common ground as they join to protest the new Union with England, the French are preparing to launch an invasion to carry the young exiled Jacobite king back to Scotland to reclaim his throne, and, in Edinburgh, the streets are filled with discontent and danger.

When a young widow, Lily Aitcheson, comes forward to collect her lost husband’s wages, former soldier Adam Williamson is assigned to investigate her petition and the veracity of her claim. As Lily tells her story, Adam has only days to discover if she’s being honest, or if his own feelings are making him blind to the truth. But sinister figures lurk in the background—is Adam being used as a pawn in an increasingly treacherous game?

Told in dual timelines, The Vanished Days is a captivating story of intrigue, adventure, romance—and the bold courage to hope when it seems all hope is lost.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The Vanished Days is the sweeping saga of a woman named Lily Aitcheson and her coming of age during the turbulent time in Scotland's history, the Jacobite rebellions. The story is told by Adam Williamson, a soldier who is assigned to verify if her claim to collect her lost husband’s wages is real or false.

The story begins in 1707 and goes back and forth between that time and late 1600 when Lily was a child. For the most part, I found the story compelling but sad. As is Kearsley's trademark, there is lots of history here, sometimes it bogged down the story, but there is also mystery, intrigue, and great storytelling.

There is a great twist at the end that I did not see coming, which delighted me and made the whole story worthwhile because it gave the otherwise sad story a happy ending. It's a memorable tale but I did feel that it could have been a little shorter. The comparison of it to Outlander is misleading, as the only similarity is the time in Scottish history.

I've read many of Kearsley's books and enjoyed them all, including this one, however, it's not my favorite by her. This is the 3rd book in the Slain series, (The Winter Sea being #1 and Firebird #2) however all three books are standalone with different storylines. The Firebird was my favorite. If you've read any of Kearsley's other books you may want to look into this one too.

Note: Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

The New Rules of Attachments: How to Heal Your Relationships, Reparent Your Inner Child, and Secure Your Life Vision by Dr. Judy Ho

2024-06-14T21:58:00.000-04:00

I love self-improvement books and this one is a winner.

Book Details:

Title: The New Rules of Attachments: How to Heal Your Relationships, Reparent Your Inner Child, and Secure Your Life Vision by Dr. Judy Ho
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 359 pages
Genre: Mental Health, Self-Development, Self-Help, Relationships, Motivation
Publisher: Hachette
Release date: March 26, 2024
Content rating: G

Description:

Discover a revolutionary approach to attachment theory that teaches readers how to heal their inner child to change their anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style in relationships, friendships, at work, and home—perfect for readers of How to Do the Work, Polysecure, and Amir Levine’s Attached. Did you know that attachment style impacts more than romantic relationships? As it turns out, most of us are thinking about Attachment Theory all wrong, and triple board-certified clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho is here to set the record straight.

Grounded in the science of attachment, Dr. Judy’s game-changing approach shows that our attachment style impacts every aspect of our lives: friendships, career, goal setting, and, critically, our sense of self. Moreover, we can all learn to become securely attached—no matter what attachment style we developed in childhood—meaning that we can reclaim our ability to feel safe, loved, and capable of achieving the life we’ve always wanted.

Through Dr. Judy’s innovative program, readers will learn to identify their attachment style, recognize their core needs and wounds, and implement evidence-based practical tools to heal their inner child as they develop the secure attachment we all need to thrive.

Readers will also benefit from:

A new attachment style quiz to identify your attachment style in all areas of life.
A personalized approach that allows you to start making positive change today.
More than two dozen transformative exercises to support your journey to healing.

With warmth, authority, and a bias to action, The New Rules of Attachment is a call to achieving unconditional self-love and a meaningful, joyful life.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

As a Special Care Counsellor, I have always been drawn to learning more about neuropsychology and anything to do with behaviours. When my children were young, I practiced attachment parenting, carrying my babies in a sling, co-sleeping, and doing long-term breastfeeding. But with baby #2 came post-partum depression, and I struggled with everything, feeling like a failure most of the time. It took me years to get back on track. Now my kids are adults, and I'm successful in my career, but when Dr. Judy Ho's new book came out, I knew I wanted to read it, fascinated, as I am, with this topic.

I was somewhat familiar with the attachment styles in a very general way but I wanted a more in-depth look at them. As I began reading and then filling out the questionnaire, I began to see clearly my attachment style and how it explained a lot of my behaviours! It was truly eye-opening...and surprising. Suddenly, my brain was flooded with childhood memories and I began to better understand myself.

The book is divided into chapters that explain the four different attachment styles and how to heal from those that prevent you from being securely attached and thriving in all aspects of your life. I particularly liked chapter 2 on self-concept, and the appendixes that offered self-compassion strategies and tips on how to deal with triggers. As I dived deeper into the information about my style, I realized two things. First is that throughout the years I have worked at making the changes Dr. Ho talks about. No easy feat, but I am in a much better place. Second is that there is still more I can do to make sure I use the right coping strategies, hence the usefulness of this book. The exercises included are insightful but not easy to do at times because they require much self-reflection. However, that is the only way to change for the better. Even if you start with only a few things, this book can really empower you to make the changes that will help you reach your full potential.

The New Rules of Attachment is an excellent resource for everyone, yes everyone, because we all have attachment issues that we can eliminate or improve. It's for individuals who want to understand themselves or others better. It's for the parent who wants to raise securely attached children. I also recommend it for professionals who work in social sciences, psychology, and in the health and wellness fields. Thank you Dr. Ho for your insights and guidance in this book that leads to self-exploration and self-transformation.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON ~ Hachette

Dr. Judy Ho Website

add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Dr. Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP, ABPdN is a triple board certified and licensed Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, a tenured Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, and author of Stop Self-Sabotage. An avid researcher and a two-time recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Services Research Award, Dr. Judy maintains a private practice where she specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological assessments and expert witness work. She is often called on by the media as an expert psychologist and is also a sought after public speaker for universities, businesses, and organizations. Dr. Judy received her bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from UC Berkeley, and her masters and doctorate from SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She completed a National Institute of Mental Health sponsored fellowship at UCLA's Semel Institute.

Enter the Giveaway!

Author-signed copy of The New Rules of Attachment: How to Heal Your Relationships, Reparent Your Inner Child, and Secure Your Life Vision by Dr. Judy Ho (one winner) (USA and Canada) (ends June 20)

The Prime Suspect by Lauren Carr (Review)

2023-11-17T21:04:00.000-05:00

A brand new series by Lauren Carr! Also, enter the giveaway to win $50 Paypal.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Prime Suspect (A Sam MacKade PI Mystery) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult Fiction, 430 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: Oct 26, 2023
Tour dates: Oct 26, to Nov 30, 2023
Content Rating: PG-13

Book Description:

Two murders with one common denominator. Both victims betrayed Bryce Greyson. How could she not be the prime suspect?

Four years after Bryce’s cheating husband is gunned down, her boyfriend-stealing former roommate’s remains are found buried under a statue at her alma mater.

Declared the prime suspect by both detectives and the media, Bryce has no choice but to hire someone to clear her name.

Enter Sam MacKade, private eye.

To solve two murders, the former police K-9 officer and his canine partners must sift through the clues and the lies to reveal the true prime suspect.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I've been reading book series by Lauren Carr for quite a few years, so I was excited by this newly released Sam Mackade PI Mystery series. As is her trademark, Lauren Carr delivers a mix of multiple murder mysteries that somehow all nicely tie in by the end of the story. How she does it, I don't know, but it all comes together to bring a satisfying end.

Sam Mackade gets hired by Bryce Greyson, the prime suspect in two murders, one of her husband four years ago and the other of her university roommate sixteen years ago. Along with Sam's canine partners Cleo and Gus, Dutch Shepherds also known as Goody Two-Shoes and The Filthy Beast, both Sam and Bryce work to put together the clues to solve the mysteries. They also begin to form an attraction for each other, although compared to her other novels there is very little romance in this one.

Well, Cleo and Gus stole the show in this book, hands down! I just loved, loved their internal banter with Sam who knew them so well he could read their minds. They cracked me up. Carr understands animal behavior so well that she does an excellent job of developing these canine characters, so much so that they become beloved characters and not just afterthought pets in the background. Oh, and there's always a rival cat in the mix. Misha plays THAT part exceptionally well!

Right from the start, the readers quickly get pulled into the mysteries and it took me a while to get warmed up to the characters. I liked Sam. He is an introvert, feels more comfortable with animals than humans, and has trust issues because of a serious betrayal in his past. Bryce...well, I still don't know much about her. She started out displaying what seemed to be a meek character. She's described as "a geeky sidekick" but then she puts on her detective hat and seems pretty self-assured. I think her character could have been more developed. For me, she's not memorable enough as a character. When I think of Carr's other characters such as the Geezer Squad (a fantastic bunch), Chris Matheson, or Mac Faraday, I can easily picture these characters.

If you're a murder mystery fan, and especially a fan of Lauren Carr's fun dog characters, you'll enjoy this novel.

Disclosure: Although I'm participating in the book tour, I bought my own copy of this book and was not compensated in any way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon

Meet the Author:

Selling over half a million books worldwide, Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—thirty titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:

website ~ amazon ~ facebook

instagram ~ twitter~ pinterest

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Dec 7, 2023

THE PRIME SUSPECT by Lauren Carr Book Review Tour Giveaway

Always Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende (Review)

2023-10-17T18:33:00.002-04:00

This last book in the Goodbye, Orchid series is a satisfying ending to a memorable trilogy.

Book Details:

Title: Always Orchid (Book 3 Goodbye, Orchid Series) by Carol Van Den Hende
Category: Adult Fiction, 346 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Azine Press
Release date: October 24, 2023
Content rating: PG -13 (Mature topic: traumatic injuries)

Book Description:

He almost let her go. Her past could tear them apart. But a love like theirs is worth fighting for...

Phoenix Walker will never be the same. Nine months after a heroic act leaves him forever changed, he refuses to hurt Orchid Paige ever again.

Orchid is ready to forgive. Convincing her guy she still loves him, no matter his injuries, she works to rebuild their intimacy. But their move to her family's ancestral country unveils China's superstitions against people with disabilities. Worse, their friend's life has been upended by those prejudices.

Will Phoenix and Orchid find a way to beat the odds and turn discrimination into compassion?

Always Orchid is the riveting third book in the Goodbye, Orchid contemporary fiction series and can be read as a standalone. If you like relatable characters, surprising twists, and stories that pull on your emotions, then you'll love award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende's journey to unconditional acceptance.

Book Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Because this novel is the third and last book in the series, I decided to read the first book Orchid Blooming before diving into this one. I'm glad I did because the first book in a series is the best way to get introduced to the main characters. Having said this, the author does a great job of including the backstory from the previous two books in this one. I chose not to read the second book and this didn't affect my enjoyment of this one.

Nine months after Phoenix's accident, he and Orchid decide to give their relationship a second chance. Orchid is returning to China for at least another year and Phoenix has decided to go with her. Here is where this book shines: we see the lives of two people who love each other but need to adjust to the reality of living with physical and psychological disabilities. I appreciated the author's research into what life is like for those who suffer from traumatic injuries and need to rebuild their lives.

Orchid and Phoenix were great characters. I thought Phoenix was a bit too perfect, never showing anger at the dramatic and life-altering change he was experiencing. Maybe some of this was addressed in the second book. I loved the ending and it brought the various themes that ran through this trilogy to a satisfying and touching finale.

If you like stories of triumphing over adversities, cross-cultural relationships, altruism, forgiveness, and resiliency, you will find this trilogy satisfying and memorable.

Disclosure: Thanks to Book Sparks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book

Amazon ~ Goodreads

About the Author

CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her novels Orchid Blooming and Goodbye, Orchid draw from her Chinese-American heritage and have won 30+ literary and design awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness.

Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named Carol’s books a most anticipated read. Glamour Magazine recommended her “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens selected Goodbye, Orchid as a 2022 Bonus Book-of-the-Month and Orchid Blooming as a 2023 International Book-of-the-Month.

Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Board member and Climate Reality Leader. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous hubby and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.

Connect with the author on her website.

The Prime Suspect by Lauren Carr (New upcoming release!)

2023-10-10T07:06:00.001-04:00

Today I'm spotlighting Lauren Carr's upcoming release! It's the first book in her brand new Sam MacKade PI Mystery series. Look for my review on November 14. In the meantime, check out the details and enter the giveaway for a possibility to win a $25 Paypal gift card.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Prime Suspect (A Sam MacKade PI Mystery) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult Fiction, 430 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: Oct 26, 2023
Tour dates: Sep 5, to Oct 11, 2023
Content Rating: PG-13

Book Description:

Buy the Book:

(available for pre-order)

Amazon

Meet the Author:

Connect with the author:

website ~ amazon ~ facebook

instagram ~ twitter~ pinterest

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Oct 18, 2023

Enter here

A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne MacLean (Review)

2023-09-30T20:04:00.000-04:00

Julianne MacLean's latest release is perfect for readers who love well-written women's fiction.

Book Details:

Title: A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne MacLean
Category: Adult Fiction, 300 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release date: September 12, 2023
Content rating: PG-13 for mature subject matter

Description:

From the bestselling author of Beyond the Moonlit Sea comes an atmospheric tale of how one woman’s search for the truth uncovers long-hidden secrets and rocks the very foundation of her world.

Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legend—a singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon. But Scarlett dies tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes…

Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett’s life. She’s also the sole heir to Scarlett’s fortune as a descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen’s world. She’s dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer, and photojournalist, comes to the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett—a life of exile in Alaska, a baby born in secret—Gwen’s whole world is turned upside down. Again.

Determined to uncover the truth, Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together but soon find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.

A Storm of Infinite Beauty takes readers on a breathtaking journey from a lush vineyard in Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska where old family secrets are revealed and the quest for true happiness begins.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This is the first time I read a book by Julianne MacLean and it won't be the last. This was an interesting dual-timeline story with a great setting: Alaska, which almost felt like a character in this novel.

Gwen is the museum curator of her late relative, Scarlett Fontaine's legacy. Scarlett is a legendary Hollywood star who died young. Gwen is separated and mourning a loss so deep she can't seem to get past it. Her world is suddenly jarred when a writer shows up at her museum with shocking rumors about Scarlett. Gwen is pulled in to search the past to verify if any of it is true. As she discovers aspects of Scarlett's life she never knew, she begins to heal from her own trauma.

I love Scarlett's story which takes place in the 1960s. She is sent from Nova Scotia to Valdez, Alaska because she is pregnant and disgraced in her parent's eyes. In a rustic lodge in Alaska, among the majestic mountains and glaciers, and a couple who love her as their own daughter, Scarlett discovers herself and what she wants in life. The book opens up with a heart-wrenching prologue scene in the 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake, so that throughout the story it builds suspense as to what really happens to Scarlett on that day.

This is a novel about family, young love, deep loss, reconciliation, and change. The author succeeds in creating believable characters that I cared about. I researched the Alaskan earthquake after reading this novel and appreciated the author's notes at the end of the book. I love it when authors share their inspiration for a story and include a historical event that is little known.

A Storm of Infinite Beauty is perfect for readers who love well-written women's fiction. I, for one, will be reading more from this author.

Disclosure: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful,” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from the Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a business degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. She currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter. Readers can visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com for more information about her books and writing life and to subscribe to her mailing list for all the latest news.

Connect with the author: http://www.juliannemaclean.com/

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (Cover Reveal!)

2023-09-19T21:48:00.000-04:00

Last year I read Bloomsbury Girls and loved it. This upcoming spring (I know, I know...it's so far away!) author Natalie Jenner is releasing her third novel Every Time We Say Goodbye with one of the characters from that book. It's set in post-war Rome, one of my favorite cities in the world.

What was the author's inspiration for writing this novel? I'll let her tell you in this message to her readers:

A MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR NATALIE JENNER

Hello Dear Readers,

Every Time We Say Goodbye was the hardest book I will ever write, and the most rewarding.

It all started when I learned about the world-famous Cinecittà movie studio in Rome being used as a war refugee camp in the 1940s. People who had been stripped of everything—homes, possessions, even their most basic humanity—suddenly found themselves confined to life inside a “dream factory.” I decided to set my third novel during a very specific, very cool time in history—la dolce vita of mid 1950s Rome—while exploring the incredibly complex and haunting legacy of that city under German occupation during the Second World War.

I also wanted to know why Vivien Lowry, a character from my book Bloomsbury Girls, had been so angry all the time! I wondered if a woman could make the biggest mistake of her life and move past the regret in a way that benefitted her and the world around her. I never intended to write a dual timeline. I had been working on Every Time We Say Goodbye for nearly a year when the voice of a young female Italian resistance fighter codenamed la scolaretta—the schoolgirl assassin—suddenly showed up on the page one day. Having witnessed the bravery and sacrifice of so many to keep us safe during our world’s most recent challenge, I wanted to pay tribute to them. How fortunate am I, through the intimate and emotional power of historical fiction, to have the opportunity to do so.

I packed everything I could into this book: love and conflict, faith and religion, censorship and resistance, art and moviemaking, fashion and food, and cameos by favorite actresses such as Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner and characters from both The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls (I, myself am terrible at goodbyes!).

I hope, more than anything, that Every Time We Say Goodbye gives readers the entertainment, inspiration and food for thought that nourished me throughout its writing.

Best wishes,

Natalie

Thank you Natalie for giving us a glimpse of what promises to be another fantastic read.

And now for the cover reveal:

Isn't that a stunning cover! I just love it, and it makes me so eager to read the novel.

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 14, 2024)
Length: (336) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook
ISBN: 978-1250285188

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is at a crossroads in life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Vivien's last chance for theatrical success. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant moviemaking scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeate the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also searches for the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the fate of her deceased fiancé lost in battle. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a bold and moving exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

(Every Time We Say Goodbye is linked to The Jane Austen Society, and Bloomsbury Girls by characters, but is a stand-alone novel.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Natalie Jenner is the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, which have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer and career coach and once owned an independent bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman (Review)

2023-08-07T13:14:00.006-04:00

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, with its catchy title and witty heroines, was a gem!

Book Details:

Title: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
Category: Adult Fiction, 464 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Romance

Publisher: Berkley
Release date: May 30, 2023
Content rating: PG-13 for mature subject matter (child prostitution, ill-treatment of the mentally ill)

Book Description:

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.

Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

My Review

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, with its catchy title and witty heroines, was a gem! It was better than I expected, keeping me up late at night as the Colebrook twins became embroiled in dangerous adventures that highlighted their smarts and feminist views.

Lady Augusta and Lady Julia are two "spinster" twin sisters who, at the mature age of forty-two, are bored with high society and are too smart to sit back and do nothing when opportunities present themselves to help out women disadvantaged by their position or status. I love historical fiction with women who are ahead of their time. The sisters perform daring rescues, but the one that takes place in an insane asylum, as they were called back then, was an eye-opening read, as the author does not spare us the abhorrent treatment of its patients.

There is much to like about this novel. First off, it's witty, with a clever plot and memorable characters. There's a bit of romance too. It's well written with never a dull moment. And it's fun for a change to have the heroines be of a more mature age.

This first book in the series starring the Colebrooke sisters is off to a fantastic start. Don't let the page count deter you. I raced through this one and it turned out to be one of my best reads this year. If you like entertaining historical fiction with worthy themes, adventure, mystery, and heart-pounding rescues, you will love this book.

Disclosure: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book

Amazon ~ Thrift Books

Add to Goodreads

About the Author

Alison Goodman lives in Australia with her husband and their terrier, Buckley. Her latest book is The Dark Days Deceit, the final in the Dark Days Club trilogy which Alison calls Pride and Prejudice meets Buffy (or Georgette Heyer goes demon hunting!). She is happily learning how to dance the quadrille, hoist herself into boned stays, and handle a small sword...all in the name of research.

Alison is also the author of New York Times Bestsellers, EON and EONA (also known as The Two Pearls of Wisdom and The Necklace of the Gods). The award-winning fantasy duology is set in a mythical China and has sold into 20 countries, and translated into 12 languages.

Alison's other novels are the SF thriller, Singing the Dogstar Blues, and her wickedly dark adult crime novel, A New Kind of Death, which has just been re-released as a Kindle e-book. Her artist husband painted the cover, which is - Alison says without any bias, whatsoever - totally brilliant and the best cover she has ever had on any of her books.

Visit Alison's website at www.alisongoodman.com.au

Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews (Review)

2023-08-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

Book Details:

Title: Appointment in Bath (Somerset Stories, Book 4) by Mimi Matthews
Category: Adult Fiction, 298 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press
Release date: June 27, 2023
Content rating: G

Book Description:

A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father’s sworn enemy.

Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in love…

My Review

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I love reading Mimi Matthews' books because I know I will encounter a well-written romance with beautifully flawed characters whose personal dilemmas drive the story forward. I enjoyed Appointment in Bath but I did not love it.

Ivo Beresford and Meg Burton-Smythe, come from neighboring families who are considered enemies. Ivo and Meg become friends in secret and their feelings for one another begin to grow. This Romeo and Juliette theme could have produced some good angst and moments of real tension, but for me, it ended up flat. I felt that the internal and external conflicts were too easily resolved when there was potential for more stirring of the reader's emotions. As it was, nothing much seemed to be happening and the big climax didn't really happen.

This book didn't stand out for me as much as some of the other books I've read by Mimi Matthews. However, if you're looking for a clean historical romance, or a quick read, this one will do.

Disclosure: Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

Connect with the Author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST |

BOOKBUB |

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In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer (Review)

2023-06-12T12:14:00.002-04:00

Having read a lot of time travel novels, I found this one to be quite original. A new favorite series!

Book Details:

Title: In This Moment (Book 2 Timeless Series) by Gabrielle Meyer
Category: Adult Fiction, 400 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release date: May 2, 2023
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives--and everyone she knows in them--forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she's a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

As soon as I saw this book, I wanted to read it. Time travel with a twist? I'm in. So I promptly bought the first book When The Day Comes, and I loved it! And you know what, I loved this second book in the series even more. If there is a third book, based on the ending of this one, I know it's going to be even better, because, with each new book, the author adds a new element to the time travel plot. In case you're wondering, each book is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhanger endings.

Having read a lot of time travel novels, I found this one to be quite original. The main character Maggie simultaneously lives three different lives in three different time periods. She falls asleep in one time period and wakes up in another, but only until she turns 21 at which time she will choose which time period to continue her life for the rest of her days. This adds an element of suspense to the story because we become so invested in all three of her lives that we wonder how she will choose when she has so much to lose in her other lives! I loved this fantastical element of the story.

I must applaud the author for skillfully writing about Maggie's life in each time period with all the challenges Maggie faced. What impressed me was how in each time period, Maggie is authentically herself, yet also a woman of that particular era, understanding the societal expectations and what is to come because of her foreknowledge of the future, yet not being able to change history. There aren't many books that surprise me in the historical fiction genre but in both books, I was surprised at the strong emotions I felt and at the twist in the endings. So well done.

If you like time travel, time-slip, and time-crossing novels, with strong characterization, unpredictable plots, and good historical settings, this one adds novelty to this popular genre. Highly recommended for a fun satisfying read.

Disclosure: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.ca ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Rakuten Kobo

Goodreads

About the author:

Gabrielle lives on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing historical and contemporary novels inspired by real people, places, and events. The river is a constant source of inspiration for Gabrielle, and if you look closely, you will find a river in each of her stories.

When Gabrielle is not writing, you might find her homeschooling her children, cheering them on at sporting and theatrical events, or hosting a gathering at her home with family and friends.

Connect with the author: https://gabriellemeyer.com/

I Feel Your Stare: An Autobiography by Cheryl Gillespie (Review)

2023-06-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

An autobiography of a Canadian woman who continues to overcome a crippling disease so she can lead her best life.

Book Details:

Title: I Feel Your Stare: An Autobiography by Cheryl Gillespie
Category: Adult Non-fiction, 242 pages
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher: Fingertip Books
Release date: July 22, 2022
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Imagine yourself in a position of maneuvering through aspects of our everyday living we simply take for granted. Would we see our existence as a beautiful opportunity to explore and live our moments fully, or spend our time lamenting our perceived hardships? Throughout I FEEL YOUR STARE you will be transported to a place in time whereby Cheryl Gillespie’s descriptive scenes allow the reader a glimpse into a life of an individual assuming control of her future, and who excels far beyond the most hopeful of expectations. ~Mary McGinley

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's not often I read autobiographies, but when I do it's because a particular aspect of the person's life has grasped my attention. In I Feel Your Stare, it was the fact that Ms. Gillespie has suffered from a chronic illness since childhood that led to her blindness. And she is Canadian.

The author begins her story from childhood and it is filled with her memories of family events, life in the Maritimes (eastern Canada), her experiences at the School for the Blind away from her home, and the profound role her mother played in her life.

I enjoyed reading Ms. Gillespie's life story. It's easy to read because it feels like she is sitting in front of you telling her story. It's not a long autobiography since the author does not go into many details about some aspects of her life, but there is enough to learn that resiliency, determination, and courage are needed to overcome large obstacles and build a satisfying life no matter what the circumstances.

This book pulled at my heartstrings because as a mother myself, I know some decisions we make believing to be the best option for our children, are not always easy to make. The author recognized that her parents did the very best they could for her at a time when the Internet and online learning did not exist. I think this book is an ode to her mother, and the writing process a way to reflect and come to terms with the PTSD triggered by her multiple surgeries, hospital stays, and time away from her loving family.

One of the best lines from this book: We are all a little broken, that's how the light trickles in.

This autobiography shows us the impact of chronic childhood illnesses and how the love of family and friends, and one's own inner strength, plays a significant role in helping such children lead successful lives.

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Amazon.ca ~ Goodreads

Rakuten Kobo ~ Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

In her home province of New Brunswick, Canada, Cheryl Gillespie, along with her cat Mattie, will often be found basking on the backyard deck beneath the warm sunshine, the very spot where many of the chapters for "I Feel Your Stare" were written.

A childhood diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, with associated blindness, coupled with physical and societal barriers, has proven only to strengthen her resolve. Following graduation from Fredericton High School, Cheryl advanced in her private studies through the Royal Conservatory of Music, attaining First Class Honours in piano, theory and history.

Today, well established in her teaching career, she takes pride in the education of her students, highlighted by a two-time provincial medal winner through Mount Allison’s Local Centre Examinations Department of Music. Through her active role within the Fredericton Music Teachers’ Association, Cheryl has built invaluable, longstanding friendships with her colleagues. In 1993, Cheryl was the recipient of the Stanley B. Cassidy Memorial Award, presented by the Fredericton Music Society, recognizing her dedication to excellence and personal achievements.

Cheryl’s first work for adults, "I Feel Your Stare" was preceded by her children’s book, "Tigger and Jasper’s New Home."

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester (Review)

2023-03-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

If you love WWII historical fiction and the fashion world, this book blends both very well. A very good read!

Book Details:

Title: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester
Category: Adult Fiction, 432 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, WWII Fiction
Publisher: Forever
Release date: January10, 2023
Content rating: PG-13

Book Description:

An unforgettable and “fascinating tale” of an orphan turned WWII spy turned fashion icon in Paris (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye).

Alix St. Pierre. An unforgettable name for an unforgettable woman. She grew up surrounded by Hollywood glamor, but, as an orphan, never truly felt part of that world. In 1943, with WWII raging and men headed overseas to fight, she landed a publicity job to recruit women into the workforce. Her skills—persuasion, daring, and quick-witted under pressure—catch the attention of the U.S. government and she finds herself with an even bigger assignment: sent to Switzerland as a spy. Soon Alix is on the precipice of something big, very big. But how far can she trust her German informant…?

After an Allied victory that didn’t come nearly soon enough, Alix moves to Paris, ready to immerse herself in a new position as director of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. In the glamorous halls of the French fashion house, she can nearly forget everything she lost and the dangerous secret she carries. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past …and finally find justice.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I've been wanting to read a novel by Natasha Lester and I'm happy to have read The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre. It was immersive, atmospheric, thought-provoking, and at times heartbreaking. Alix St. Pierre with the perfect name for the fashion world, but practically penniless, arrives in Paris ready to lead a new life. With her quick wit and determination, she works for the new House of Dior and helps launch it with her brilliant marketing strategies. But Alix is haunted by her past as a WWII spy.

The novel goes back and forth through several time periods which at times I found confusing because I read this as an ebook, which for me, made it cumbersome to quickly go back and forth in the book. However, despite this, and the length of the book, I found this novel captivating because it was not at all predictable. Alix is a feminist at heart, a survivor, fiercely proud but broken, at the cusp of an era when women who had stepped up to help with the war effort (many as spies) are now forgotten and expected to go back to housewife roles. It opened my eyes to what women lived through in the late 1930s into 1940s.

If you love WWII historical fiction and the fashion world, this book blends both very well. Best of all, we get to see the aftermath of the war through one woman's many transformations, hence the title. This was a very good read.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review via NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book

Amazon.ca ~ Barnes and Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Natasha Lester was a marketing executive for L'Oréal, managing the Maybelline brand, before returning to university to study creative writing. She completed a Master of Creative Arts and has written several novels including A Kiss From Mr. Fitzgerald, Her Mother's Secret, and The Paris Seamstress. Her sixth novel, The French Photographer, will be published in April 2019.

In her spare time, Natasha loves to teach writing, is a sought-after public speaker, and can often be found playing dress-up with her three children. She lives in Perth.

For all the latest news from Natasha visit:

www.natashalester.com.au

Twitter: @Natasha_Lester

Instagram: natashalester

Facebook: NatashaLesterAuthor

Chris Crossed Murder by Lauren Carr (Review and Giveaway!)

2023-03-13T20:26:00.004-04:00

As soon as I read the title with its clever play on words, I cracked a smile. Carr has delivered another twisty and complex mystery in her fourth book in the Chris Matheson Cold Care Mystery series!

Book Details:

Book Title: Chris Crossed Murder by Lauren Carr (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #4)
Category: Adult Fiction, 422 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery, Books in a Series
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: Feb 22, 2023
Tour dates: Feb 22 to March 31, 2023
Content Rating: PG (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

Book Description:

It proves to be a Christmas to remember when the Matheson family receives the horrendous news that Chris Matheson’s body has been found in the woods near an international airport.

Everyone is stunned—especially Chris Matheson.

The mystery deepens when they discover the victim has Chris’s federal agent badge and appears to have been investigating one of his old cases.

The Geezer Squad’s latest case is not only a whodunit but who-got-dun. Is this a case of mistaken identity? Was Chris the intended victim? If not, then they must identify the murder victim to find his killer.

With Christmas days away, join the Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad as they race to piece together the clues to their most puzzling case yet.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

As soon as I read the title with its clever play on words, I cracked a smile. Not only is the title a good pun but this novel is the fourth book of one of my favorite series, the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Once again, Lauren Carr creates a good mystery within a mystery. How she can keep it all straight makes me marvel. For readers, the list of characters at the front of the book is helpful, especially for this one where there are also multiple aliases!

An unidentifiable body is found with Chris Matheson's federal agent badge on him. Who is this person and why does he have Chris's ID on him? As they dig deeper, they discover the body is somehow connected to one of Chris's cold cases, the murder of a young actress named Sky Belmont. The Geezer Squad gets busy looking for leads and using their know-how to help Chris solve this mystery. Carr ties all the loose ends by the end of the story except one unlikely escape that was never explained, but then again this is fiction. I loved the way it ends though! I suspected it because I caught on to some clues, and it was clever as a twist.

Of course, as in all her stories, the animals have their star moments. Sterling, Chris's service dog was a great detective. Chompers cracked me up. I'm still trying to warm up to Helen, Chris's wife. She annoys me with her sarcastic remarks and the snatching of papers out of Chris's hand on more than one occasion. I would have liked a quick review of the members of the Geezer Squad since it's been a while I read the last book. Apart from these small things, this was another entertaining read from a fun series.

I hope Carr has another book in the works with more cold cases to solve for Chris and his Geezer Squad. If you're looking for a mystery series with good themes of friendships, family, and team spirit, this is a good one. Start from the beginning, it's worth it.

Here are my reviews for the first three books in the series:

ICE: Book 1

Winter Frost: Book 2

The Last Thing She Said: Book 3

Disclosure: I bought a copy of this book and also chose to participate in this tour. I was not compensated, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.com ~ B&N ~ BAM

BookBub
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

connect with the author:

website ~ blog ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ interest

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends April 7, 2023

https://gleam.io/jREk7/celebrating-the-release-of-chris-crossed-murder

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel (Review)

2023-02-23T11:07:00.004-05:00

The Maid of Ballymacool is a lovely story that is part romance part mystery set in the town of Ballymacool, Ireland in the 1930s.

BOOK DETAILS

Title: The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel

Category: Adult Fiction, 352 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Co

Publication date: February 21, 2023
Format: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, & eBook
Rating: PG for theme physical and emotional abuse

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room.

When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover may change everything.

Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story, complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at redemption.

MY REVIEW

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The Maid of Ballymacool is a lovely story that is part romance part mystery set in the town of Ballymacool, Ireland in the 1930s. Ballymacool House actually exists, and the author expounds more on this in her notes at the end of the book which I also enjoyed reading.

Brianna Kelly is an orphan who is mistreated by the schoolmistress of the Ballymacool House and Boarding School where she was raised from infancy and where she now works hard as a maid. Despite the lack of parental love in her life, Brianna's spirit is not broken because she loves the woods and nature and finds refreshment for her soul there. She is a lovely character and my heart ached for her. When Michael Wray is sent to the school to see about his young mischievous cousin, he meets Brianna and is immediately attracted to her.

Yes, this has the definite feel of a Cinderella story and I was curious about the mystery surrounding Brianna, which kept me engaged in the story. Irish history comes alive as the author describes life in the boarding school and small town, with its characters, some of which make an appearance from her previous book A Dance in Donegal, which I read. The dialogue is interspersed with Gaelic expressions, which I liked, but they were not followed by a translation so I had no idea at times what the phrase meant.

The ending was very satisfying and finally, Brianna goes through an emotional period as she comes to understand what was taken from her. Throughout the story, she seemed accepting of her mistreatment and never rebelled against the schoolmistress, but as the plot moves along we finally get to see how Brianna is truly affected by all that has happened to her and how she gains the courage to stand up for the respect of which she is deserving as a human being.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, but may be triggering for those who've experienced physical and emotional abuse. However, the themes of jealousy, isolation, self-respect, resilience, and justice make this an interesting novel, especially after coming out of a global pandemic.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

PURCHASE LINKS

AUTHOR BIO

Jennifer Deibel is the author of A Dance in Donegal (winner of the Kipp Award for Historical Romance) and The Lady of Galway Manor (a Parable Group bestseller). Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and in other publications. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz (Review)

2023-01-08T22:21:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed this Scottish historical fiction romance! And that book cover....so beautiful.

Book Details:

Title: The Rose and the Thistle: A Novel by Laura Frantz
Category: Adult Fiction, 416 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Co
Release date: January 3, 2023
Content rating: G

Book Description:

In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies--and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.

My Review:

Review by Laura Fabiani

It's been a while since I read a very good Scottish historical fiction novel. Intelligently written, with a plot set during the Jacobite rebellion, The Rose and the Thistle is a slow-burn romance with a cast of likable characters and an interesting storyline.

Lady Blythe isn't the typical high society lady. She is a bookworm and a historian. She is also an only child and heiress to a large fortune. Lord Wedderburn, on the other hand, is the eldest of seven siblings, all brothers, with the youngest, Orin, being only eight years old. I think he was my favorite character.

After a bit of a slow start, the story picks up the pace when Lady Blythe escapes for her life in Scotland. She is hidden in Lord Wedderburn's castle tower and has a few good spats with him, she being English and he Scottish. Neither like the situation they are in. But it's hard to keep a lady hidden in a house full of men, and soon Lady Blythe's kindness seeps into Lord Wedderburn's life.

This was a good clean read. The author skillfully transports us to a time in Scottish history well-known for its succession of Jacobite risings. If you like well-written historical fiction without graphic scenes, this book is a very good read. And isn't that a beautiful book cover?

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

About the Author:

Christy Award-winning author, Laura Frantz, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State.

Connect with the Author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

A Spying Eye by Michelle Cox (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-11-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

The latest book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series is another winner by Michelle Cox!

Book Details:

Book Title: A Spying Eye: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
Category: Adult Fiction, 365 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release dates: Oct 25, 2022
Content Rating: R: There are some swear words peppered throughout (not many) and 2 explicit sex scenes (tasteful, but more than a PG-13 scene)

Book Description:

In A Spying Eye, Clive and Henrietta return to Europe in an attempt to resurrect their failed honeymoon. While in London, they are approached by their old friend, Inspector John Hartle, who convinces them to search for the missing panel of the Ghent Altarpiece, a famous Renaissance painting, of which Hitler’s top men are also in pursuit.

Meanwhile, back in Chicago, Oldrich Exley threatens to cut off financial support for the entire Von Harmon brood if Elsie continues with her plan to marry Gunther―a situation made worse by the sudden appearance of one Heinrich Meyer, who claims to be little Anna’s father and threatens to take her away. Desperate, Elsie seeks the help of Clive’s sister, Julia, who is herself the victim of domestic abuse and who has fallen under the spell of a handsome Texas millionaire bent on acquiring a rare painting from the Howard collection.

Clive and Henrietta’s search takes them to Chateau du Freudeneck in Strasbourg, France―the ancient seat of the Von Harmons and home to three eccentric distant relatives. What begins as a wild goose chase turns decidedly more deadly when several Nazi officers also arrive at the chateau in search of a “valuable item.” When Henrietta and Clive attempt to flee after Henrietta uncovers a shocking truth, they are forced to trust themselves to a suspicious French servant who seems all-too willing to help . . .

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I have been a fan of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series since I opened the pages of the first book A Girl Like You. I was eagerly anticipating this 6th book, and once again, I enjoyed being totally immersed in the 1930s with one of my favorite couples. Although these books can be read as stand-alone, I think it's better to read them in order since the stories continue from where the previous books ended. Also, these characters have become so familiar to me because I have been following their stories and character development throughout, but a new reader may not get that without reading the rich history of these characters.

Clive and Henrietta return to Europe and this time visit Chateau du Freudeneck to meet Henrietta's long-lost relatives on her father's side, the Von Harmons. While in Europe, they are also asked to investigate the whereabouts of a missing agent who was searching for a lost painting. Of course, not being able to resist getting involved in a mystery case, Clive and Henrietta accept and become embroiled in far more than they expect with the Nazis in hot pursuit. As is her trademark, Cox revs up the danger and action, as we try to figure out who the villain is. I loved that the plot revolved around a famous missing Renaissance altarpiece painting with a fascinating history. I appreciated the author's notes at the end of the book giving the reader information and additional reading on this topic.

Interspersed in Clive and Henrietta's story is also the continuation of Elsie's (Henrietta's sister) and Julia's (Clive's sister) stories. I have to admit, both these secondary characters' own personal dilemmas caught my attention, especially Julia's. But this book was a tad shorter than the previous books and by the end of the novel there were several loose plot threads...so I'm guessing book 7 will resolve that. I have to admit I was disappointed not to have everything resolved in this book.

As in all her other books, the author includes references to past events and gives the backstory from the previous books so they were fresh in my mind and added to my enjoyment of the series. I read so many books that it's easy to forget details when reading books in a series, but Cox skillfully adds these past details without bogging the story down, making her series a pleasure to read.

Cox has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to her next book in this series...or any other novel she writes. With vivid scenes, unforgettable characters, and twisty plots, this book, and this well-written series are a must for historical mystery lovers.

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book

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BookBub
Add to Goodreads

See my other reviews:

Book 1: A Girl Like You

Book 2: A Ring of Truth

Book 3: A Promise Given

Book 4: A Veil Removed

Book 5: A Child Lost

Meet the Author:

Michelle Cox is the author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. Her books have won over 50 international awards and have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Foreword, Elle, Redbook, Brit&Co., POPSUGAR, Buzzfeed, and many others.

Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade. She lives in Chicago with her husband, three children, and one naughty Goldendoodle and is hard at work on her latest novel.

Connect with the Author:

website ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ instagram ~ tiktok ~ goodreads ~ bookbub

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End Nov 28, 2022

The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-10-24T22:04:00.001-04:00

I've read the first book in the series and it was one of my favorites by Mimi Matthews, and this one is just as good!

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: The Belle of Belgrave Square: Belles of London (Book 2)
Author: Mimi Matthews
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley Romance (October 11, 2022)
Length: (432) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook
Tour Dates: October 3-23, 2022

Content: PG-13

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A BookBub Best Romance of 2022

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a
marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I love immersing myself in a Mimi Matthews novel because I know I will lose myself in a good story. Once again, as in many of her other books, the author explores a condition not understood well in the past: social anxiety. I cringe at the ignorance of the medical world at that time.

Julia does not like going to balls, she feels awkward and panicky, wishing to escape to go riding off on her beloved horse or ensconcing herself in her room where she can read books and not have to deal with the London season to find a suitable husband. Captain Blunt is a formidable man, with a disfiguring scar on his cheek that gives him a menacing look. He has his eyes set on Julia but she is at first terrified of him. But when he seems to be the answer to her problems, she makes a bold move, only to discover things are not as they seem.

I was pulled into this novel quickly and it was entertaining throughout. Julia was easy to like. Her family situation was sad, but she finds the courage to move forward even though this is very frightening for her. Captain Blunt is mysterious and I was intrigued by him. I liked the way they come together and fit into each other's lives. Matthews comes up with original plot twists that keep me turning the pages. Of course, the romance is always well done, in good taste, and swoon-worthy, even with atypical characters.

This was another winner by Mimi Matthews and I look forward to the next book in the series. Note that even though this is the second book in the series, it's definitely a stand-alone novel, making only references to some of the characters in the first book. If you like good historical romance novels, delve into a Mimi Matthews novel. You won't be disappointed.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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Attribution by Linda Moore (Book Spotlight & Author Interview)

2022-10-10T20:48:00.002-04:00

Today I'm spotlighting a debut novel that has one of my favorite subjects (art) as one of its main themes. Check it out.

Book Details:

Title: Attribution by Linda Moore
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release date: October 11, 2022
Content rating: PG-13

Book Description:

Art historian Cate Adamson, desperate to succeed to console her grieving parents, leaves the Midwest to complete her doctorate in New York—only to find herself assigned to an impossible sexist advisor. She struggles to impress him until she discovers a hidden painting, possibly a Baroque masterpiece. Risking her career, financial disaster, and further alienation from her family, she flees to Spain with the painting to consult art experts.

Antonio, an impoverished duke, meets Cate on the train to Seville and joins her search while attempting to rescue the decaying legacy of his family. They find clues and uncover evidence that will shock the titans of art history, may destroy her prospects as an art historian, and shatter her future with Antonio.

Written with vivid prose, rich references to seventeenth-century Spanish art, compelling characters, and a historical puzzle, Attribution is the story of one contemporary woman’s journey to understand the past and unlock her future.

Buy the Book:

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Interview with Linda Moore:

LCR: When were you first inspired to write your debut novel, Attribution?

LM: Over twenty years ago, I attended a presentation by a former curator at Yale University who worked on attributing a painting from Spain’s golden age. I was riveted by all the components of the process—the science, the connoisseurship (using the educated eye), the history-- and the controversy it created. A little voice in my head said this would make a great novel, but I put it aside while I worked on something else. I began research and writing on what became Attribution about 2015, so seven years ago.

LCR: Can you tell me more about your new book Attribution?

LM: Cate Adamson struggles to deal with her family’s grief over Cate’s brother’s death and she leaves the Midwest to complete her art history doctorate in New York in an attempt to focus her parents on the future. An impossible faculty advisor blocks her dissertation, and she despairs she will fail the program until she finds a painting in the basement of the university. She believes the artwork is a Baroque masterpiece and she takes it to Spain to search for experts and documents to prove it.

LCR: What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?

LM: I completed the novel with the subplot about Cate’s younger brother drowning. I know you might find this hard to believe, but when I’d finished that draft, it hit me that this was my story, my younger sister drowned in the north of Spain when she was twenty. While I wrote it, I did not think consciously about that connection. It was a story that came from deep inside me and obviously, I needed to tell it.

LCR: Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?

LM: Many, so many. Some are in my home and I say hello to them every morning. I love Velázquez's Rokeby Venus or Venus at Her Mirror a detail of which appears on ATTRIBUTION's cover. It's in The National Gallery, London and I have seen it many times. The painting has many unanswered questions: Who was the model? Whose face likely not the model by the angle, is in the mirror? How did Velázquez manage to paint a nude in the religious Spanish court where he had his studio? Did he paint it in Italy? In the early 1900s, a suffragette entered the gallery and slashed the canvas with a knife because she felt the work objectified women.

LCR: When choosing a vacation, do you prefer a City or Rural destination? Why?

LM: I am a city girl who enjoys museums, restaurants, and yes, shopping, but I enjoy untouched remote places like Antarctica where I have been three times. I have been to over 100 countries and that sounds like a lot but there are, depending on how you count, over 200 countries. I want to see places I have not visited like the Gobi desert in Mongolia, Tunisia and oh, Turkey, would love to go to Istanbul.

LCR: What is your most memorable travel experience?

LM: One standout is Aldabra Island in Seychelles. Seven researchers live with 100,000 giant land tortoises who roam this atoll. The lagoon stretches twenty-four miles across and each day empties with the tide and refills again. Unlike anywhere. I have a long list of memorable experiences from all the continents and over 100 countries I’ve visited.

About the Author:

Linda Moore studied art history in the Prado while at the University of Madrid. She earned degrees at the University of California and Stanford before opening an art gallery that showcased contemporary Hispanic artists. She has served on art museum boards, edited and published exhibition catalogs, contributed to anthologies, and written for art journals. Born in the Midwest, she enjoys traveling the world, spending time in Kauai with her grandchildren, and she lives in California with her husband. Attribution is her first novel.

The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-06-30T08:11:00.000-04:00

I love it when I find a new author that captivates me, that knows how to spin a good story with flawed realistic characters and a good historical setting. This is the first book I read by Amanda Skenandore and it won't be the last.

Book Details:

Title: The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release date: June 28, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 + M (for a few religious expletives and graphic medical procedures)

Book Description:

From acclaimed author and registered nurse Amanda Skenandore, The Alienist meets The Light of Luna Park in a fascinating historical novel based on the little-known story of America’s first nursing school, as a young female grifter in 1880s New York evades the police by conning her way into Bellevue Hospital’s training school for nurses…

In the slums of 1880s New York, Una Kelly has grown up to be a rough-and-tumble grifter, able to filch a pocketbook in five seconds flat. But when another con-woman pins her for a murder she didn’t commit, Una is forced to flee. Running from the police, Una lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital.

Based on Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors’ endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect.

Just as she finds her footing, Una’s suspicions about a patient’s death put her at risk of exposure and will force her to choose between her instinct for self-preservation, and exposing her identity in order to save others.

Amanda Skenandore brings her medical expertise to a page-turning story that explores the evolution of modern nursing—including the grisly realities of nineteenth-century medicine—as seen through the eyes of an intriguing and dynamic heroine.

“A spellbinding story, a vividly drawn setting, and characters that leap off the pages. This is historical fiction at its finest!” – Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of The Codebreaker’s Secret

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Una Kelly is a young woman who had a rough childhood and who now survives as a con woman, pickpocketing and selling the stolen goods as a means of living. But one night, an encounter goes terribly wrong and she partially witnesses a murder that later she is accused of having committed. Una manages to escape and hide. Using all the skills and knowledge she acquired from the years of studying people and conning them, she succeeds in passing the interview to get into the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital. Although she never dreamed of being a nurse, the slums of New York City in the late 1800s became the school of hard knocks, that in some way paved the way and led her to a vocation that would build her character and heal the pain from her past.

I was captivated from the first page down to the last. Una was a multi-layered character, hardened by life's brutal lessons that she carried like a shield. She was quick-witted, resourceful, and a survivor. This made her partly selfish and able to spring back from failed attempts. But it also made for a lonesome life without honesty, love and altruism. Nursing helped Una understand responsibility, teamwork, and discipline. I loved how friendship and love were the positive forces for change in Una's life.

The Nurse's Secret had a good plot, great secondary characters, a bit of romance, a murder mystery, an excellent setting of a nursing school in 1880 NYC with its limited understanding of medicine, and a spunky heroine. I was engaged and entertained throughout. As a woman, I bristled at the disrespectful and insulting manner of doctors toward women's intellect. The pandemic has made my respect for the nursing profession increase a hundredfold. This book seamlessly exposes the beginnings of nursing as a respected profession, and how difficult it was to practice it among a dominant male-only mentality in the world of medicine. Kudos to the women who trumped these men!

Fans of historical fiction will be very pleased with this latest novel from Amanda Skenandore.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

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About the Author:

Amanda is the author of Between Earth and Sky, winner of the American Library Association’s 2019 Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction, and The Undertaker’s Assistant, released from Kensington in July 2019.

She grew up in the mountains of Colorado and sang and danced her way through 68 cities on both sides of the Atlantic with the service organization Up with People before starting college. Her love of historical fiction started early with the stories of Kenneth Thomasma, Mark Twain, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

When she’s not writing, Amanda works as an infection prevention nurse. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle Lenore.

Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction writer and registered nurse. Between Earth and Sky was her first novel. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Readers can visit her website at

www.amandaskenandore.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BookBub, and Goodreads.

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Ends on July 22, 2022

The Art of Revenge by Joe Giordano (Review)

2022-06-21T17:45:00.001-04:00

Fans of crime fiction, Italian mob stories, and well-written thrillers will certainly enjoy the Anthony Provati thrillers including this one.

Book Details:

Title: The Art of Revenge (An Anthony Provati Thriller Book 3) by Joe Giordano

Category: Adult Fiction, pages
Genre: Thriller, Crime Fiction
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Release date: June 1, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 + M (for a few graphic violent scenes associated with organized crime, no sex, no f-words.)

Book Description:

The Art of Revenge is a riveting, action-packed, suspenseful and at times terrifying chase around the world that will have gritty thriller lovers salivating for more - a must-read for those who like hanging on the edge of the cliff by only their fingers.

The Art of Revenge features two unlikely heroes. Anthony Provati is a jazz pianist, art gallery owner, and sailor, who has a mob boss uncle. Valentina Esposito was orphaned at birth but is rewriting her destiny by becoming a brilliant computer programmer. They undertake a global pursuit of murderous Russian and North Korean operatives to foil a terrorist plot funded by forgeries and the ransom of stolen paintings.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I was eagerly anticipating the third book in the Anthony Provati thriller series after having read the first two books. I enjoy Giordano's writing style and the way he can so easily create flawed characters we care about. With a few bold phrases, crisp descriptions, and smart dialogue, he can seamlessly transport us into another country and easily shift the mood from one scene to the next.

In this third novel, Anthony's story continues from where it left off in the previous novel, Drone Strike. His baby daughter Angelica and his former girlfriend Nori are in Portugal. Nori needed some space after her accident and Anthony is still trying to adjust to her fall into depression and the fact that he is now a father. Typical of Anthony, he gets mixed up in unsavory business in Greece and ends up running to New York, where his Uncle Frank, a Mafia underboss, resides. But trouble always follows Anthony, and he once again gets in over his head. Fortunately, he has help from newcomer Valentina, a kickass and whip-smart female protagonist.

One of the things Giordano does best is characterization. Each character is distinct and jumps off the page. He knows how to create memorable characters, both good and bad. I could very well see this novel as a movie. Interspersed throughout the narrative are moments of humor, and for me who understands the Italian culture, I couldn't help but smile at some of the expressions. I never know what to expect when it comes to the plot because it's unpredictable with great twists, except that it will be satisfying with a very good ending and no loose plot threads. And if you are an art aficionado, this particular plot will satisfy all the more.

Fans of crime fiction, Italian mob stories, and well-written thrillers with lots of action will certainly enjoy the Anthony Provati thrillers including this one. Although this is a stand-alone novel, I suggest starting with the first book Appointment with ISIL to increase your enjoyment of the core characters who show up in all three books.

If you want to know more about the first two books in the Anthony Provati thrillers, here are my reviews: Appointment with ISIL and Drone Strike.

Note: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Joe Giordano was born in Brooklyn. His father and grandparents immigrated to New York from Italy. He and his wife Jane now live in Texas.

As a former 3M International Executive Vice President, Joe experienced the global cultures and locations he writes about.

Joe’s stories have appeared in more than one hundred magazines including The Saturday Evening Post, and Shenandoah. His novel, Birds of Passage: An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story (2015), and Appointment with ISIL: an Anthony Provati Thriller (2017) were published by Harvard Square Editions. Rogue Phoenix Press published Drone Strike in 2019 and his short story collection, Stories and Places I Remember, in 2020.

Joe was among one hundred Italian American authors honored by Barnes & Noble to march in the 2017 Manhattan, Columbus Day Parade.

Visit Joe’s website at https://joe-giordano.com/

Midnight's Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-06-20T19:50:00.001-04:00

A well-written Christian novel focusing on the themes of belonging, loss, forgiveness, and redemption.

Book Details:

Title: Midnight's Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller
Category: Adult Fiction, 312 pages
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release date: May 31, 2022
Content rating: PG - 13 (for serious subject matter, attempted suicide)

Book Description:

Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend's rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family's estate, he can't be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father's stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn't until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?

When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?

Click here to read an excerpt.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Midnight's Budding Morrow is part of the Regency Wallflower series. It is well-written and focuses on the themes of belonging, loss, forgiveness, and redemption. I enjoyed it, for the most part, however, this story may be difficult to read for readers dealing with depression and grief.

Sarah Drayton is invited to stay with her former schoolgirl friend Beatrice, who lives in the impressive dark run-down Langly castle by the sea. One thing leads to another, and Sarah gets duped into marrying Beatrice's brother James Langley, an irresponsible, hard-drinking, rake who runs back to the army the day after his wedding. He returns ten months later, seemingly a changed man because he has learned the ways of God from a captain friend in the army.

Sarah was an interesting character. She was an orphan who was kind and humble and longed for a place to belong. She was clever, but at the same time naive. She was bold, yet lacked confidence in herself. She was hard-working, yet paralyzed by those who thought less of her. She loved deeply and suffered deeply too. I truly felt her pain. James on the other hand was unlikable and his sudden change a little unrealistic. He had a lot of changes to make in his life and these changes were not easy, and they would take time. I struggled with his character, and I thought Sarah's recovery and trust came too quickly when her despair had been directly linked to his actions.

Although it had a Gothic setting, I did not feel this atmosphere in the novel as fully as I had expected. It had the potential for it, however, with unsavory secondary characters, a crumbling castle, the mysterious death of its former mistress, etc. What's more, those unsavory characters were an unresolved plot point in the novel, without any consequences for their bad behavior.

Apart from these issues, I was invested in this novel because the author succeeded in hooking my emotions, particularly through Sarah. I was also very curious to see how it would all turn out, with one bad event after another happening at the castle.

For fans of historical Christian fiction who like emotional stories with broken characters who heal together.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy The Book:

Amazon ~ ChristianBook ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.

Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.

Learn more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor).

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Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner (Review)

2022-05-30T20:26:00.000-04:00

Fans of women's fiction who love stories that take place in bookstores, and post-war London will have much to love about this one.

Book Details:

Title: Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Category: Adult Fiction, 368 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction, 20th Century Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release date: May 17, 2022
Content rating: PG

Book Description:

Natalie Jenner, the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, returns with a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world in Bloomsbury Girls.

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare bookstore that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager's unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiancé was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances--most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she's been working to support the family following her husband's breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she's working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time--Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others--these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals, and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Bloomsbury Girls is a spin-off of the author's first novel The Jane Austen Society since it continues the story of Evie Stone from where she left off in the first book. There are enough references and explanations that I did not have to read the first book to enjoy Bloomsbury Girls. However, fans of the first book will certainly love this one too.

This book starts slowly, building its characters and its momentum like a train. It then picks up speed and comes to a very satisfying end. So many themes run through this book: post-war effects on men and women and their roles in society, friendships, feminism, racism, gender equality, love of literature, books, and bookstores.

All three women who work at the bookstore, Vivien, Grace, and Evie, have dreams of their own thwarted by circumstance and the very fact that they are women pushing for change after their country has survived WWII. I thought Vivien was confident, self-assured, and stuck; Grace was stoic, wise, and long-suffering, while Evie was brilliant, motivated, and awkward. Together, they discover their strengths and the real possibility of accomplishing their dreams.

I thoroughly enjoyed their stories, their individuality, and their tenacity. Post-war London was a great setting. The bookstore, too, which was almost a character in itself, undergoing change along with the arc of the characters. I couldn't help but root for these women, whose talents were undermined and overlooked simply because they were women.

Fans of women's fiction who love stories that take place in bookstores, and post-war London will have much to love about this one. Well researched and including real historical figures, this novel is entertaining and a testament to the power of female friendships.

PURCHASE LINKS

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About the Author:

Natalie Jenner is the author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. A Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel, The Jane Austen Society was a USA Today and #1 national bestseller and has been sold for translation in twenty countries. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer, career coach, and, most recently, an independent bookstore owner in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. Visit her website to learn more.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-05-23T08:45:00.000-04:00

This was a good murder mystery and a great sequel to the first book!

Book Details:

Book Title: Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 2)
Category: Adult fiction, 318 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: April 23, 2011
Tour dates: March 28 to June 24, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex. There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Book Description:

In Old Loves Die Hard, Carr picks up where she left off in It’s Murder, My Son. Mac Faraday is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up—and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.

The investigation leads to the discovery of case files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five stars—and more bodies—start dropping.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This is the second book in the Mac Faraday Mystery series. I've read 7 of the 14 volumes in this series, having read all of the latest ones but slowly catching up on the earlier novels. In Old Loves Die Hard, we learn more about Mac's past life when his ex-wife shows up. The story centers on her murder and touches on how this affects Mac, a hard-boiled private investigator who now becomes the prime suspect.

Mac is still adjusting to his changed lifestyle, having gone from a struggling PI to the heir of a large fortune left to him by his famous mother. He has fallen in love with Archie and has finally found a measure of happiness after his first wife cheated on him and kicked him out of their home. But old loves die hard, as they say, especially when they come creeping back into your life unexpectedly.

It never ceases to amaze me how Carr can create a diverse cast of characters, throw clues in every scene, lead the reader on twists and turns, and tie every loose end nicely with a bow by the end. And of course, there is Gnarly, the infamous German Shepherd kleptomaniac too smart for his own good. His antics always crack me up. Dog lovers will be delighted with the scenes involving Gnarly.

This was a good murder mystery and a great sequel to the first book. For me, it was fun to go back to the roots of the Mac Faraday mystery novels and I plan on reading more of the earlier volumes. They are entertaining and get the reader thinking hard to try to solve the murder mystery. Fans of this genre can look forward to seeing fresh covers of earlier novels that are now also available in various formats, including audiobook.

Buy the Book:

Audible ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ BookBub

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—over twenty-five titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:

website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads

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Ends July 1, 2022

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (Review)

2022-05-12T08:23:00.001-04:00

If you love stories of first love, missed opportunities, second chances, and redemption with an atmospheric summer setting, this one is sure to please.

Book Details:

Title: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Category: Adult Fiction, 320 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: May 10, 2022
Content rating: R for explicit sex scenes and language

Book Description:

"A radiant debut."—Emily Henry,#1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 —PopSugar

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually, that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic story of love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's been a while since I read a coming-of-age story that was so emotional, nostalgic, and full of love angst. Every Summer After is a great beach read. I read it in the sun, sitting on my porch, with summer just around the corner and it made me long for hot summer days. The summer cottage setting had me reminiscing of summer days spent at rented summer cottages next to Quebec lakes.

Percy Fraser finally returns to Barry's Bay where she used to spend her teenage summers at the cottage by the lake next door to Sam and his brother Charlie. Sam and Percy had been best friends; they grew up together, swimming and frolicking in the lake, watching scary movies, and sharing each other's dreams. They ended up falling in love, but eventually, distance, school, and life insecurities got the better of them. More devastating, though, was that Percy makes a life-altering mistake that keeps her away from Sam for twelve long years.

The story is told from Percy's point of view and it alternates between her teen years at the summer cottage and her life in the present at age 30. This is well done as the stories from the past meet up to finally merge with the present and help us to understand the emotional baggage both Percy and Sam carry. Stories of first love, missed opportunities, second chances and redemption always appeal to me. I had a hard time putting this book down. I was so caught up in their story!

Percy was a great character because we saw her through her own narrative as she grew up, experiencing true friendship, the first flush of love, accomplishing her swimming feats, discovering her writing talent, and navigating her insecurities. She was relatable. I have to admit my heart ached for Sam and Percy for their missed years together. One mistake can cost years of pain.

It's hard to believe this is Fortune's debut novel. The book's pacing was spot on without any dull moments, and she succeeds in creating believable and memorable characters. Regarding content, there are a few explicit sex scenes and some f-bombs. These happened three quarters into the book when I was heavily invested in the book.

If you like small-town coming-of-age stories set during hot summer days with a good romance story, you won't want to miss this one.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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About the Author:

Carley Fortune is an award-winning Canadian journalist who’s worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons. Every Summer After is her first novel. Connect with her: https://www.carleyfortune.com/

Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp (Review and Giveaway!)

2022-05-05T14:37:00.000-04:00

Janyre Tromp has written an atmospheric, suspenseful novel set in the 1940s in the town of Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas.

Book Details:

Title: Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp

Category: Adult Fiction, 288 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release date: April 19, 2022
Content rating: PG + M (Crime mobs and mature themes of PTSD, war)

Book Description:

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on—responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand—but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds—or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors' list.

To read an excerpt of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, click here.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Janyre Tromp has written an atmospheric, suspenseful novel set in the 1940s, in the town of Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. From the very first scene of Sam riding on a bus toward home, returning from the war after three years of being away, bone-tired, and battling with horrific memories of his life as a navy soldier, the story quickly caught my attention.

Once home, we become acquainted with his wife Annie and his sweet little girl Rosie who is a little over two years old. His best friend Doc and his brother Peter, along with his mother Dovie May have all worked along with Annie to keep the farm alive and to make ends meet. Sam is broken and does not know where he fits in this new version of his family. With backstory, we get to see that Annie too has a harrowing past, with a father in the Mob, and that all the characters are battling their own weaknesses and trials.

This book had a great premise and a good cast of characters, but I wouldn't have labeled it a psychological thriller nor an eerie Hitchcockian story. It was a story about a family working together to heal and adapt to change, post-war and with a backdrop of mob crime. It touched on mental illness, which I applaud the author for taking on since this is not an easy topic to write about. I feel that the book description, though, is not quite accurate. In my opinion, Annie seemed more broken than Sam, and I couldn't understand why after experiencing post-war reactions from Peter and her father-in-law, she still seemed naive about what to expect from Sam. She kept wanting Sam to be her hero, and her damsel-in-distress, hot and cold reactions were frustrating to read.

Annie kept making references to devils coming for her and initially I thought she may have experienced occult practices, but then it slowly became clear that this was her perception of how she experienced traumatic memories. It was off-putting for me. I think the word devil appeared more than references to God in this book.

I really liked Doc's character and I felt he was under-developed. His weakness was brushed off even as he performs a great act of redemption at the end that is barely acknowledged. My favorite character was Dovie May and her wise sayings.

Overall, this was a strong debut for Janyre Tromp. It had several good themes threaded throughout the narrative with interesting characters and post-war tension. If you enjoy mystery, suspense, and a Southern setting, this one makes for good reading.

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About the Author:

Janyre Tromp (pronounced Jan-ear) is a historical suspense novelist who loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.

A firm believer in the power of an entertaining story, Tromp is also a book editor and published children’s book author. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.

You can find her on Facebook (@JanyreTromp), Instagram (@JaynreTromp), Twitter (@JanyreTromp), and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com where you can download a free copy of her novella, Wide Open.

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