Book Critic
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Review: The Secret Woman by Victoria Holt
Anna Brett was born abroad in India but was sent to live in England with her spinster aunt, Charlotte, where she would be educated. Anna’s parents promise that it will be a short stay only but when tragic circumstances occur, Anna finds herself stuck in England indefinitely. Anna’s Aunt Charlotte is we well known antiques dealer in the busy port town of Langmouth. There the wealthy Crediton family runs the town. They live in a ‘fake castle’ on the hill and the family is the talk of the town. When Anna and her aunt visit the castle to purchase some antiques, Anna meets the dashing Captain Redvers “Red” Stretton. Though she…
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Review: The Venetian Bargain by Marina Fiorato
When young Feyra wakes up late for her morning doctor ’rounds’ in the Sheikh’s harem she doesn’t realize that her tardiness will have dire consequences. As a female doctor to the Sheikh’s mother, Feyra is responsible for her health at all costs. When she arrives in the Sheikh’s mother’s chambers she finds her delirious and raving. As suddenly as she has taken ill, she is perfectly fine with little recollection of the terrifying delirium that over took her not moments before. Feyra immediately suspects a poison and quickly deduces which poison. Sadly there is no antidote for the poison and the Sheikh’s mother dies but not before revealing a tragic secret…
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Review: Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
On the storm coastline of Cornwall lies Mount Mellyn, a magnificent old family home. The Mount is home to the TreMellyn family, Connan and his daughter Alvean. Connan is recently widowed and looking for a governess for Alvean, who seems to go through governess’ at an alarming rate. Martha Leigh has agreed to take the governess post at the house, and she is dreading it. Having had her season she has not obtained what every Victorian woman dreams of–a husband. So after a couple of unsuccessful seasons her only option is to find a position. When she arrives at Mount Mellyn the house is imposing, dark, and basically all around creepy! When…
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Review: The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte by Ruth Hull Chatlien
If you have managed to make it through fifth grade world history, you probably have heard the name Bonaparte at least once. Most of us associate the Bonaparte name with the infamously small emperor with a big name: Napoleon Bonaparte. But what of Napoleon’s younger brother? Is his a name one you can recall with certainty? Unlikely. Jerome Bonaparte was supposed to make a diplomatic marriage according to Napoleon. But when the ambitious Elizabeth “Betsy ” Patterson puts her mind to something, little can dissuade her. Betsy was a prominent member of Baltimore society with ambitions and designs of her own. She dreamed that she would marry a man who would whisk…
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Review: Bhalla Strand by Sarah Maine
On the scarcely populated islands of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands, lies the deserted remains of a once great house–Bhalla House. Hetty is grieving the loss of her parents as well as her grandmother and is toying with taking Bhalla House, which she just inherited, and turning it into a hotel. But before she can make any decisions, she travels to the remote island looking for something, though she doesn’t quite know what. Something right perhaps? When she arrives things are worse than she imagined. Hetty thought she would find an Edwardian era mansion that needed little more than some updating. What she found was a crumbling ruin that would cost millions to…
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Review: The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston
In Edwardian London, change is on the horizon. War is eminent and the days of the strict Victorian caste system and societal expectations are on their way out….the modern era is upon the world. For Lilith Montgomery, this new world is not yet a reality. She is the daughter of a duke and engaged to marry Viscount Louis Harcourt, her long time childhood friend and social equal. Her father has just passed away which means society demands she be in full mourning for a year. Lilith struggles to adjust to her new life without her father but there is one thing that makes this new life particularly difficult for her…..she is…
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Review: The Collector of Dying Breaths (Reincarnationist #6) by M.J. Rose
Jac L’Etoile is still struggling to come to terms with her gift of reincarnation and channeling the past lives of those around her. She still doesn’t believe in her abilities and isn’t quite comfortable using them, though those around her encourage her to do so. She is called to France by her brother, Robbie, who is a well known perfumer and of late has been dabbling in the occult aspect of his profession. Robbie is dying and he wants to share his latest project with Jac–how to collect dying breaths to reanimate the spirit. He has been working with an eccentric and wealthy couple trying to unlock the key to the…
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Review: Queen Elizabeth’s Daughter by Anne Clinard Barnhill
Mary Sheldon has grown up in the glittering court of Queen Elizabeth I. Mary is an orphan and as a young cousin to the Queen, she is taken in as a ward and raised at court. Over the years, the Queen has groomed Mary for a prestigious marriage, perhaps to a prince to secure an alliance. Mary has been taught by the best tutors and has even serves on Queen Elizabeth’s council meetings. She is well prepared to be in a prestigious marriage but she longs for love. The Queen’s ideal match would be a prince or at the very least, an Earl. Edward, the Earl of Oxford, would make…
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Review: The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
In the Lake District of northern England, the estranged Earl of Askew has returned to his crumbling country estate after years abroad. He has run out of money and needs to start selling off some of his belongings to pay for his eccentric life style and habits. He places a call to a well respected auction house in London, Hardy’s, and Gerald Stanton and his apprentice Joanna (Jo) Roswell, are dispatched to the estate to evaluate some of the finer pieces. Jo’s mother has just died in a terrible plane crash and she welcomes the opportunity to throw herself back into her work. When Jo and Gerald arrive at the…
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Review: The Queen’s Dwarf by Ella March Chase
In the court of King Charles I, his homesick bride, Henrietta-Maria, longs to be back in the comfort of her French court. To distract herself she has created a kind of sideshow to entertain herself with. The Royal Menagerie of Freaks and Curiosities of Nature is a collection of sorts that consist of a giant, two other dwarfs, a rope dancer, an acrobat, animal trainer, and a special dwarf dubbed Lord Minimus. Lord Minimus is actually Jeffery, a dwarf who has been trained by one of the most dangerous men at court, the Duke of Buckingham, to be a spy. The Duke of Buckingham has taken Jeffery from his meager existence…