Review: The Firebird (Slains #2) by Susanna Kearsley

Nicola Marter is a seemingly normal women, with an extraordinary gift. She can touch an object and see it’s past history.

But she doesn’t like using her gift. She is afraid of being called a ‘freak’ and that people won’t accept her.

So she hides her gift. While working in an art gallery specializing in Russian art, an old woman arrives with a wood carving of a firebird, claiming it belonged to Catherine the Great.

Nicola’s boss doesn’t have any way of authenticating it and thus, it has no value to an art dealer. But when she touches it she sees that it was in fact given to a girl named Anna by Catherine the Great…..but how can she prove it?

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Review: The Tudor Vendetta (The Spymaster Chronicles #3) by C.W. Gortner

Tudor lit is always a favorite sub genre for those who write historic fiction. And why not, it’s a ruthless age full of romance, intrigue, and political unrest. There is a lot for authors to draw inspiration.

One of the things I love best about C.W. Gortner as a writer is he tends to pick strong women in history to write about which is unusual for a male author.

I think having a male write about these women provides readers with a unique perspective. In this novel he utilized a male as the POV character which was different but no less entertaining.

Queen Mary is dead and the young Elizabeth takes the throne. One of her secret agents, Brendan Prescott, has returned from exile and plan on continuing to keep her safe as well as keeping a few secrets of his own safe. He is also hoping to reconcile with his beloved Kate.

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Review: The Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors #1) by Sarah Ladd

Amelia Barrett made her best friend a dying promise: to take care of her child, Lucy, at all costs….and Amelia plans on fulfilling that promise.

Lucy’s father has been away at sea and has never met the child but he is returning from his adventures soon and will meet her for the first time.

Amelia is fearful that he will take the child and she will never see her again. Lucy has become like her own daughter and she can’t stand the thought of never seeing her again.

So Amelia has devised a plan to keep her and Lucy together forever….her can Captain Sterling will need to get married.

There is a slight problem however, Amelia is set to marry another man who is to become part of her uncle’s business and ultimately the lord of Winterwood. While she expected a loveless marriage, Edward Littleton, has expressed a romantic interest in her. But he has forbidden Lucy to stay with them once they are married.

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Review: The Laws of Murder (Charles Lenox #8) by Charles Finch

Charles Lenox has just given up his Parliament seat to pursue his dream….running his own full time detective agency.

He has high hopes for this new agency. It’s essentially the first of its kind and with all the assistance he has provided to Scotland Yard over the years, surely the referrals will come.

Lenox and his colleagues have let a building and are currently taking new clients, things are looking promising. But while the others are bringing in steady business….Lenox is not.

What happened to all the potential referrals from the Yard and his friends within the agency?

Well,  it appears someone is trying to sabotage Lenox’s new agency. One day the great mystery is answered–Inspector Jenkins, Lenox’s long time friend, is quoted in the paper denouncing the agency, Lenox is crushed and business comes to a grinding halt.

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Review: Hallowe’en Party (Hercule Poirot Series #36) by Agatha Christie

Happy Halloween readers! And what better way to celebrate this holiday than with a Halloween inspired mystery!?

Confession alert…..I have never read anything by Agatha Christie. I know, sacrilege. I’m ashamed to call myself a mystery/detective novel fan!

For years my family has been telling me that I absolutely must read a Miss Marple or a Hercule Poirot mystery as they are all so wonderful.

So when Hallowe’en Party came up on my Amazon recommendations and was only $1.99, how could I resist downloading and reading it as my Halloween read?!

While the staff and children at Woodleigh Common, decorate for a Hallowe’en party, they have a famous mystery author in their midst, Ariadne Oliver. One child in particular, Joyce, quickly boasts to Ariadne that she saw a murder once.

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