Review: His Last Mistress by Andrea Zuvich

The illegitimate son of King Charles II is nothing more than a treacherous rake with nothing to look forward to except war and whoring.

For James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth life doesn’t get much better than drinking, fighting, and whoring…..but after many years of meaningless sex and one too many hangovers, Monmouth knows there must be something more to life.

Sweet and innocent Lady Henrietta Wentworth has been brought up the way that every respectable girl at court should be…..virtuous.

For a woman in Tudor England virtue is the most treasured of things next to position and wealth. Without her virginity a woman’s reputation and marriage prospects are ruined.

For a woman like  Henrietta who has little to offer in the way of a dowery, she can only hope to bring some position and purity to marriage, so she guards it above all else.  Until she meets Monmouth.

Continue reading “Review: His Last Mistress by Andrea Zuvich”

Review: The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields

As the Victorian era transition into the ‘modern’ era, women were finally discovering that sex and sexuality could be for their enjoyment, not just a wifely duty performed for the pleasure of their husbands.

We see evidence of this shift with the rise of female authorship. Many women started writing real books for women about women and things women cared about or longed for. One of the best known authors of this time was Edith Wharton.

Wharton wrote popular and influential novels such a The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocents that addressed issues of class (notably the upper class), manners, and of course love and sexual desire.

Like many female authors before her, Wharton had a story all of her own…..a story which author Jennie Fields explores in her historical fiction novel, based on a the true life story of Edith Wharton, The Age of Desire.

Continue reading “Review: The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields”

Review: The Age of Ice by J.M. Sidorova

In an ice palace in eighteenth century Russia, two twin princes are born—Prince Alexander and Prince Andrei.

Prince Andrei is the more ambitious, bold, and daring of the two brothers, while Alexander is more reserved and shy.

The boys grow up in an idealistic life, residing in the families country home with many animals and servants.

Andrei is seemingly always unhappy while Alexander seems more well adjusted and happy.

As the two boys reach adulthood the both enlist in the military and through an unexpected situation Alexander makes a startling discovery–he is immune to the cold.

This revelation brings about many different questions for Alexander. Why is Andrei not cursed with this affliction? Why is it only effecting Alexander? Not only is he immune to the cold, he is able to create ice and create feelings of ice in others.

Continue reading “Review: The Age of Ice by J.M. Sidorova”

Review: The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

Nora Fischer wants a new life.  Any will do really. She just wants things to be different and she doesn’t really care how…just different. Well you know what they say….be careful what you wish for because you just may get it.

Nora is crashing and burning on her English thesis and post graduate work, her serious boyfriend just broke it off with her to marry someone else and suddenly this plain Jane finds herself at her friends wedding forced into an awkward social situation with her ex.

She just needs to take a little breather before the wedding. She wakes up one morning to go for a brisk walk in the countryside to regroup and maybe do a little reading. Grabbing a beat up copy of Pride and Prejudice, she sets off in the morning mist and disappears.

She happens to stumble upon a little graveyard in the hills and somehow ends up in a parallel world where she meets Ilissa, a beautiful fairy who is practically royalty. Ilissa’s world is full of beauty, extravagant parties, and love. She introduces Nora to her son Raclin who is the perfect prince charming.

Continue reading “Review: The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker”

Review: Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

In Russia, the Cold War has never really come to an end.

The young Dominika Egorava has been training as a ballerina since she was a little girl but when an accident leaves her unable to continue dancing, she must look other places for a way to support herself.

Her father is dead and her mother lives in an apartment which is maintained by her uncle, Vanya, who is the head of Russian Intelligence. When Vanya sees Dominika at her father’s funeral, he sees her beauty and sees it as a way to manipulate a source he has been after.

Vanya approaches her and asks if she would be interested in helping him gain valuable information from this source by any means necessary. Dominika agrees to help and suddenly finds herself in the world of international espionage and spies.

Continue reading “Review: Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews”