Review: The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

I have only read two novels by Susan Meissner but she is an author that I am constantly following. She has written a number of books with content that is right up my alley, so when this book came up for review, I jumped at another chance to read one of her lovely books!

The subject matter sounded interesting and unique which in of itself would appeal to me but I was also interested in how it was going to unfold. A lot of times war time books are often turned into historical fiction, heavy on the romance. This book sounded like it was going to be more about friendship than romance.

Frankly I wanted something ‘meatier’ and more than just another WWII novel. Now I love a good war time romance, but something like this sounded new and fresh so it was easily a ‘yes’ for me when the book came up for review so many months ago! Not to mention the cover art screams read me! Continue reading “Review: The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner”

Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama (Audiobook Version, Narrated by Michelle Obama)

The amount of times I ugly cried during this book was obscene. Let’s just get that out of the way right off the bat. Have tissues ready.

When I saw this book was coming out, I wasn’t waiting with baited breaths like everyone I knew, mostly because I’m not really into biographies and I am not all that into politics.

However, when the reviews started pouring in on this book, my interest grew more.

I ended up deciding to try Audible and with my free book credit, I snagged this book and for one reason—it’s narrated by the author. Continue reading “Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama (Audiobook Version, Narrated by Michelle Obama)”

Review: The Blameless Dead by Gary Haynes

I think that a lot of people feel that the war ended on VE Day in 1945, but it wasn’t like VE Day came and suddenly everyone put down their arms and went about rebuilding their lives rebuilding everything.

That is the reason this book caught my eye. This book is set in the final days of WWII there Red Army makes its way through a dying Nazi Germany….I thought this book had a lot of historic potential that would be interesting and new for me. Plus it sounded like it was going to look at how the ramification of war would be felt throughout the generations.

In some ways I thought it was going to be more of a mystery novel, it definitely had mystery component but it ended up containing a lot more history than I anticipated and it was that history that shined in the novel for me. Continue reading “Review: The Blameless Dead by Gary Haynes”

Review: The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag

Earlier this year I read The Alienist, yes I know I’m about a million years late to the party for The Alienist. In short, I loved The Alienist and I found that it was a completely different and unique story and prose.

Though I had to take it in small doses, I still loved it and thought that it will forever stand out as an excellent historic thriller not only for the time when it was written, but that it has a lasting appeal. So when this book came across my desk for review and was marketed to fans of The Alienist, I couldn’t say no.

That’s a tall order to fill for me, so I was eager to see if this book was going to live up to the hype. Continue reading “Review: The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag”

Review: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Thornton

I have read all of Stephanie Thornton’s books. She’s a wonderful writer that singles out strong female characters in history and writes their stories. I love her novels and was so excited to see that she was coming out with a new book.

If I am being 100% honest here, I was a little on the fence about reading this one. Thornton has written about Empress Theodora, the wives of Genghis Kahn, Hatshepsut and even Alexander the Great’s wife. These are strong women in the ancient world, so when I saw that she was writing a book about Alice Roosevelt I felt a little disappointed.

I was hoping for a novel on Boudicca or something, but instead it was sounding like she was going to abandon the ancient world and move into something more mainstream like a President’s daughter. But I have faith in her writing and storytelling so while I was worried she would be abandoning the ancient world, I was also excited to see how this novel would be different than her others. Continue reading “Review: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Thornton”