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Special Feature: That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall
Any time I see a historical fiction WWII novel, I always wonder how will it distinguish itself from the sea of others? Now I love historical fiction WWII novels just as much as the next person—-I mean come on I read a TON of it ! But there are times when I feel like I have read something similar before. So I am always looking for ways in which new novels of similar content will be ‘new’ or ‘different’ than the others and for this one it was having the Olympics as a backdrop. This novel also takes place prior to WWII starting, it is set in 1936 when the…
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Special Feature: The Duke’s Rules for Engagement by Jennifer Haymore
There is something about the romance genre that I just can’t get enough of! When I was younger (like late teens and early 20s) I thought that the romance genre was just for lonely housewives with nothing else better to read. Then I started reading more and more romances and next thing I knew, I had to admit I was so wrong about romances. I love reading romances now. There is something so satisfying about KNOWING I am going to get a HEA when the book is over. Within the romance genre, there are tons of sub genres to choose from. Historical romances are really my jam. I love historical…
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Review: One Woman’s War by Christine Wells
Ya’ll should know by now that I am a sucker for basically any historical fiction, but I have a soft spot for war time historical fiction. This book has a strong espionage angle that I thought sounded interesting. I love spy novels and espionage, lately a lot of historical fiction novels include an espionage angle so naturally I gravitate towards book that include this. When I saw this one come up for review, it was an easy yes. I loved that the real life story of Victoire Bennett, was the inspiration for the classic James Bond character, Moneypenny! For someone who loves spy novels, there can be no passing on…
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Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose
I have really enjoyed this series from the very beginning. It has great characters that while perhaps not unique in their description (wealthy titled man turned detective), when you get right down to their characters they distinguish themselves for readers. Charlotte is the character who has changed the most throughout the series. Wrexford has remained fairly constant in his persona, but Charlotte’s changes have been exciting to watch. Naturally when this come came up for review, I couldn’t pass it up. I am fully invested in watching the series continue to grow and am excited to see that more books will be forthcoming! If you are a fan of historical…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B Moore
Queen Victoria is absolutely my favorite queen. I love her dedication to her duty but also her family, even if the life time of mourning was a little extreme. I just love her and the time that she reigned so anything written about her even if it’s in the abstract is normally a yes for me to feature at the very least. My review calendar fills up so quick so when this one came up, I couldn’t squeeze it in for a review but I was absolutely on board for a feature and excerpt! While this book isn’t about the Queen Victoria herself, it’s about her daughter, Louise, I was…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: All is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne
I have been a long time RaeAnne Thayne fan! Every fall I look forward to her upcoming holiday releases. I usually hold off reading them until it’s closer to the holiday season but I am always down to feature them in early fall! For me personally, I am all about spooky mysteries in the fall so I don’t actually pick up any Christmas-y books until usually November, but I know that in the publishing world, the Christmas books start hitting shelves in September! To be honest though, RaeAnne Thayne is an excellent choice any time of year. She has written so many wonderful books and series that I have enjoyed…
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Review: Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
Big big big fan of Susan Elia MacNeal here! I have loved her Maggie Hope series over the years and when I saw this one was coming out, I actually thought it was maybe a novella or something tied to the Maggie Hope series. If you are familiar with the Maggie Hope books, then you will know that spying and familial connections play a big role. So just based on the title I thought surely this book would tie into the Maggie books some how. However, it’s actually a stand alone book! No connection to the Maggie books. I I know that for some authors it’s hard to branch out…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: An Autumn Kiss by Annette Lyon, Lisa H. Catmull, and Laura Rollins
This book cover is giving meals the fall vibes! I am absolutely in love with this dress! I wish I could wear something like this to work, it looks so cozy! This book is coming in hot with the fall theme not just in the cover but in the title as well and I am absolutely here for it. I am ready to usher in fall and all the cozy reading and this book seems like a nice way to do that! Today I have an excerpt to share with you guys and I am really looking forward to hearing what you guys think! This series is in it’s seventh…
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Special Feature: The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck
I love reading historical fiction that is based on a true story. There are, naturally, tons of stories throughout history that are just waiting to have an author give voice to. Some might be family stories, some might be big figures in history, or just random people that an author stumbled upon in their research for a new novel. Sure an author could come up with their own story, but as the saying goes—-truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. And for me, often the stories based on real events and characters, are often the best. Author Kristin Beck has written a lovely historical fiction novel that is based no real…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards
I love historical fiction with a new twist and this book sounded like it fit that bill! So many war time historical novels follow similar plot narratives or settings—typically the novels are set in London, France, or Germany. But this novel follows the Spanish experience and location which promises to give readers a fresh new perspective while still being a familiar bit of history to follow and orientate themselves with. I was super excited when I saw this one. Author Karen Robards is no stranger to historical fiction. Her book, The Black Swan of Paris, received rave reviews a couple of years ago and this book promises all the magic…