Review: Murder on the Île Sordou (Verlaque and Bonnet #4) by M.L. Longworth

Judge Verlaque and his girlfriend, law professor Dr Marine Bonnet are taking a much needed vacation on a secluded island off the coast of France, Sordou.

The island was once a haven for the rich and famous in the 1960’s but was long forgotten but the elite in favor of other island destinations in the south of France.

However the Le Bon family, Cat-Cat and Max, just bought the hotel and hope to restore it to its former glory.

With the opening weekend on their life’s savings on the line, they need everything to go perfect….the last thing they need is a murder.

This novel totally reminded me of Clue, set in France. It was full of a number of eccentric characters each seemingly with no motive.

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Review: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

I think most know the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Rapunzel.

The child sold to a witch for a handful of bitter greens who grows up to be the beautiful girl in the world with long golden hair.

Destine to live in a tower forever, a prince rides by and hears a voice and is enchanted by her.

He learns how to get to her by climbing up her hair and ultimately rescues her for the witch and the tower and they live happily ever after.

Sound familiar? But what of the original fairy tale by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force that was published in 1698?

In Kate Forsyth’s book Bitter Greens,  Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force is one of the main characters and we see how her story could have potentially come together.

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Review: Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony by Leslie Carroll

Don’t we all wish we could be a fly on the wall of a royal marriage. There is something about royalty, romance, and marriage that lures us in and doesn’t let go.

With Leslie Carroll’s new book we get all the juice from some of history’s most notorious marriages!

Let’s just put it this way…..everything that could go wrong in these marriages, often did! And how could they not when marriages were often arranged for political gain and purpose, rather than love and affection.

I won’t go into too much detail as far as background info on the book based on the way it is structured. It’s pretty straight forward and a collections of short stories.

Carroll’s novel spans some 500 years covering stories that some readers will know well and introducing us to others we might not otherwise have known.

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Review: Inceptio (Roma Nova #1) by Alison Morton

This is my first experience reading an alternative history novel. Inceptio is not just an alternative history novel though…it’s part political thriller, part romance, and part fantasy.

Karen Brown leads an unassuming life. She grew up in rural Nebraska and moved to New York where she continues living a quiet life.

She works in a cubicle with no major responsibilities. She isn’t seeing anyone special, and like most young women on their own, she’s barely making ends meet.

But all that is about to change, in a big way.

When she starts working on a new account for a Roma Nova organization, she has no idea they are actually there surveying her. She soon learns that her mother, a fellow Roma Novan, made arrangements for her to be rather well off.

But as the saying goes, more money, more problems….someone wants her to disappear.

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Review: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

This book has been flooding my social media feeds for the last month. It seems like everyone has been reading this new YA series. So naturally I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

And really, how can you ignore this stunning cover? I’m in love with it….yes I am totally judging a book by it’s cover right now.

Princess Lia is a First Daughter of Morrigham and with her regal status comes obligations. One of those obligations is to marry.

Her father arranges a marriage with a prince from the neighboring kingdom of Dalbreck to secure a much needed peace in the realm.

As a First Daughter, Lia is also supposed to have The Gift. That is another reason for the marriage…..but she doesn’t have it.  This isn’t the only issue….Lia has never met this prince and how can she marry a man she barely knows let alone love him?

On the day of her wedding she makes a rash decision–she runs like hell.

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