Review: Lamb Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston

Artist Laura Matthews and her husband Dan and decided to move to the Welsh countryside for a couple of reasons. They have enjoyed their lives in the city but for Laura, she hopes that living in the country will inspire not only her artwork, but also a baby.

Dan and Laura have tried repeatedly for a baby and nothing has seemed to work. Laura hopes that the relaxed environment will help them achieve what they both desire, and she hopes that living there will help ease some of the other difficulties in their marriage. Dan on the other hand is not terribly excited about living in the remote area but he does hope that they will have a baby.

The Welsh mountains are full of legend and lore….and a host of other characters. There is Rhys the charismatic loner who pursues Laura with fervor. And Anwen, the wise old woman from the neighboring farm who seems to know so much but talks in riddles. And then there is the mysterious Merlin.

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Review: Avelynn by Marissa Campbell

Avelynn, a Saxon noblewoman in 869, has enjoyed luxuries that most women of her time haven’t. Her father is a lord and allows her to attend gatherings and she eventually hopes to rule her lands….the last things she expects is for her father to marry her off.

Her father has allowed her to have a say in her suitors but with the threat of a Viking invasion and growing tensions abroad, his patience is wearing thin with her being picky. Avelynn continues to reject just about every suitor that  presents himself….her parents’ marriage was a love match so why shouldn’t her’s be one as well?

Well, her father has tolerated just about enough and arranges a marriage for her. When she learns of the arrangement she sets out with a trusted adviser to pray to her goddess for guidance. While performing an ancient ritual to the gods, Viking raiders surprise them.

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Review: A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell Mystery #1) by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is finally free from her spinster aunts! Not that she is rejoicing in their deaths or anything but she has longed to be free to travel the world in pursuit of butterflies and a few romantic liaisons. She is not just an amateur butterfly collector, but a scientist, lepidopterist, and lover of natural science in particular.

When a mysterious German baron shows up on the day of her aunt’s funeral proclaiming that it is a matter of life and death that she come with him to London, she agrees but not because she is afraid for her life but because he promises a free ticket to London.

When they arrive in London, the Baron leaves her in the care and custody of a washed up scientist named Stoker….supposedly only for the night but when the Baron is murdered Stoker and Veronica are forced together into a mystery that’s resolution could alter the course of English history. Pursued by persons unknown, they know that their lives are in danger, but the question becomes who can they trust?

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Review: The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck

Sophia is a talented artist and writer. Her well known Salem family has discouraged her from pursuing traditional women’s roles such as marriage, in favor of pursuing her creative and educational talents. Plagued by debilitating headaches, Sophia spends a lot of time in bed and her parents even send her to Cuban in hopes of curing her headaches.

While she is in Cuba, she begins writing about some of the slavery she has witnessed in her journal, when she returns to Salem, Massachusetts she catches the eye of upcoming writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.  From their first meeting, Nathaniel and Sophia begin an intense romantic relationship that despite many setbacks leads to their marriage.

Together, they will cross continents, raise children, and experience all the beauty and tragedy of an exceptional partnership. Sophia’s vivid journals and her masterful paintings kindle a fire in Nathaniel, inspiring his writing. But their children’s needs and the death of loved ones steal Sophia’s energy and time for her art, fueling in her a perennial tug-of-war between fulfilling her domestic duties and pursuing her own desires.

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Review: The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg

Intense is about the only word I can use to describe this novel!

This book is about one woman’s quest to find herself on the John Muir trail in the western U.S. for 18 day of backpacking.

Liz Kroft’s 30th birthday is coming and she is literally heading for the hills. Liz, is in conflict over secrets she harbors and is suffering remorse over her past actions. Her emotional baggage weighs her down more than her backpack, but a three week trek promises the solitude she craves—at least until her inexperienced hiker boyfriend, Dante, decides to tag along. She is clearly less than happy about that situation.

His broad moral streak makes the prospect of confessing her sins more difficult, but as much as she fears his judgment, she fears losing him more. Maybe.

They set off together alone under blue skies, but it’s not long before storms threaten and two strange brothers appear along the trail. Amid the jagged, towering peaks, Liz must decide whether to admit her mistakes and confront her fears, or face the trail, the brothers and her future alone.

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