Category: Books

Cover Reveal: Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

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Dreamland
by Nancy Bilyeau

Publication Date: January 16, 2020
Endeavor Quill

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

The year is 1911 when twenty-year-old heiress Peggy Batternberg is invited to spend the summer in America’s Playground.

But the invitation to Coney Island is unwelcome. Despite hailing from one of America’s richest families, Peggy would much rather spend the summer at the Moonrise Bookstore where she works voluntarily, than keeping up appearances with Brooklyn socialites and her snobbish, controlling family.

But soon it transpires that the hedonism of Coney Island affords Peggy more of the freedom she has been longing for. For one, she finds herself in love with a troubled pier-side artist of humble means, whom the Batternberg patriarchs would surely disapprove of.

Disapprove they may, but hidden behind their pomposity lurks a web of deceit, betrayal and deadly secrets. And as bodies begin to mount up amidst the sweltering clamour of Coney Island, it seems the powerful Batternbergs can get away with anything…even murder.s

It is up to Peggy to overcome the oppression of her family and clear the name of her vulnerable lover, before she or her beloved sister become the next victims of Dreamland.

Extravagant, intoxicating and thumping with suspense, bestselling Nancy Bilyeau’s magnificent Dreamland is a story of corruption, class and dangerous obsession. Continue reading “Cover Reveal: Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau” →

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Review: The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter by Mimi Matthews

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I have been being reading all of Mimi Matthews books in the last few weeks. I read her holiday book, A Holiday by Gaslight, last fall/winter and loved it but just didn’t get around to reading her other books.

Flash forward to the spring, I was asked by a longtime blogger friend if I would participate in the book tour for Matthews latest book, The Work of Art. I was so glad to put this book on my calendar and looked forward to reading it.

I burned through it and then was left wanting more Matthews! Since then I have read the two books in her Parish Orphans of Devon series, and decided to read her other two independent books immediately following. Continue reading “Review: The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter by Mimi Matthews” →

Special Feature: Polite Society by Mahesh Rao

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I love seeing all the new cultural twists on Jane Austen’s classic novels in recent years and this is one I have been looking forward to for quite some time.

I have read a couple of retellings this year and have loved them so much. The cultures add different and colorful things to learn about and love and this book promises to be an exciting take on the classic story of Emma.

A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma with a touch of Crazy Rich Asians set in Delhi, in which the daughter of a wealthy Indian family aspires to match-make for her friends and family, only to find herself caught up in an unforeseen scandal–and an unexpected match of her own.

Beautiful, clever, and very slightly bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. When Ania finds love for her spinster aunt, she realizes her potential as a force for good.

For her next match, Ania sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and, sure, poorest friend. But her good intentions may be misdirected, and when her aunt’s handsome new nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by money old and new, navigating gossip, scheming, and an unforgettable cast of journalists, socialites, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that when you aim to please the human heart, things seldom go as planned.

Using Jane Austen’s Emma as a springboard, Polite Society takes us into the lives of a group of characters we never want to part with. Pairing stiletto-sharp observation and social comedy with moments of true tenderness, this delicious romp through the mansions of India’s elite celebrates that there’s no one route to perfect happiness (summary from Goodreads) Continue reading “Special Feature: Polite Society by Mahesh Rao” →

Special Feature: This Poison Will Remain (Commissaire Adamsberg #11) by Fred Vargas

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The Commissaire Adamsberg is a long standing series in crime fiction! Fans of this genre will know that Fred Vargas’s series is much loved and will no doubt be looking forward to this latest installment.

In this brilliantly twisty crime novel, Vargas follows the quirky, intuitive commissaire as he investigates the deaths of three men killed by spider bites. Following a whim and a hunch, Adamsberg becomes convinced that these death by spider bite are not just unnatural; they’re actually murders.

And the closer he looks, the more suspicious they seem. Recluse venom is indeed poisonous, but it would take the venom of twenty-two spiders to kill like this. And what’s more, two of the three victims are linked by their childhood at an orphanage in Nîmes, where they belonged to a group of violent young boys known as “the recluse gang.” Is one of the victims of these childhood bullies seeking revenge at long last, or are there even darker secrets at play?

As more members of the old gang begin succumbing to recluse bites, Adamsberg and his team must race against time to find the perpetrator. The ragtag team of detectives crisscross France in an effort to uncover the tragedies of the past and prevent another murder from occurring on their watch. Intricate, imaginative, and peppered through with Vargas’ trademark dry humor, THIS POISON WILL REMAIN is full of twists and surprises that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Continue reading “Special Feature: This Poison Will Remain (Commissaire Adamsberg #11) by Fred Vargas” →

Review: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews

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Ahhh Mimi Matthews, where have you been my whole life?! Matthews writes such wonderful historical romance of the drawing room variety and she does such a fantastic job. I only recently started reading her books and now I simply can’t stop!

As soon as I finished The Work of Art, I started this series and polished it off in a matter of days. Now I am on to her other stand alone books and I absolutely love every single one of them.

I don’t know what I am going to read once I am done with her books! I need more authors like her to pick from! Her books are well written, romantic, and I find they read incredibly fast! I instantly cracked this one open as soon as I was done with the first book in the series as I couldn’t wait to read Tom and Jenny’s story. Continue reading “Review: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews” →