Books
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Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St James
I discovered Simone St James by happenstance this month. I have her latest novel The Broken Girls to review in March–side note, order this book now, it’s fantastic. After reading The Broken Girls, I was so in love with her prose and style, that I picked up all of her novels to read as soon as possible! The first one to come into my library was The Haunting of Maddy Clare so I picked it up and almost read it in one sitting because it was that good! Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis-rich, handsome, scarred by…
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Review: Agent in Place (Gray Man #7) by Mark Greaney
I’m one of those people that really really really loves government thrillers, military operatives, spy novels, and conspiracy stories. Admittedly I haven’t read a lot of classic ‘spy novels’ but secretly my dream job would be international spy master or CIA operative. Travel the world with unlimited resources and loose rules with no one to report to….it all sounds horribly romantic to me, which I am sure in real life it is anything but. However a girl can dream. In addition to my rose colored view of the world, I also have all the latest spy movies queued up ready to watch at any time. I love espionage and seeing…
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Review: A Brush with Shadows (Lady Darby Mystery #6) by Anna Lee Huber
The last Lady Darby book was a little bit of a left down for me. That said, I was eager to see what this book held because I really love Anna Lee Huber’s books, not just the Lady Darby books, but all of her books! The thing that excited me most about this book was the eye catching cover. I totally need this sunny yellow dress to wear around town….it’s beautiful. I was absolutely in love with this cover…..yes I know that’s terrible but it’s the truth. I was happy to read this because the happy yellow dress made it so….especially on the cliffs of the moors. SOLD. July 1831.…
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Review: The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
WWII romances are so my thing, but this book was so much more than just another romance. It’s story about family, loss, children, and life choices. It’s not very often that I find a book set during WWII that is set in some place other than England or France but this was that unique and rare occasion. In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s…
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Review: She Regrets Nothing by Andrea Dunlop
Lately I have had a desire to read a few more contemporary novels that are out of my traditional review genre. I have been particularly interested in books about ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ but with a darker twist. That was what caught my eye about this book…..it sounded like something a little more complex than regular contempo lit. I liked that it featured the wealthy and privileged society but at the same time showed the seedier side of money. It was not a hard sell for me to read this book. In the tradition of The Emperor’s Children and The House of Mirth,the forgotten granddaughter of one of…
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Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
While recovering from surgery on my foot, I had my TV and book lineup ready for six weeks of unadulterated reading and TV watching time. One of the TV shows on the top of my list was the HBO series BIG LITTLE LIES. My sister raved about how good the series was and I was intrigued by the description, that was until I saw that it was based on a book. I immediately changed up my reading lineup so I could read this book before watching the show. I have been reading a lot of historical fiction and historical mysteries lately and I actually got excited about reading something more…
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Review: The Phantom’s Apprentice by Heather Webb
This book has been on my radar since I finished Webb’s cowritten novel, THE LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS. I loved that book and was eager to read more by her. Plus throw in that Phantom of the Opera is indeed one of my favorite films/operas and you have a reader who was EXTRA eager to read this book. This book is told from Christine’s perspective which intrigued me. I have never read the original Phantom of the Opera novel by Gaston Leroux, but I’m curious about how much of the original influenced this retelling. Christine Daaé sings with her violinist father in salons all over Paris, but she longs to…
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Special Feature: An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis
An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis Publication Date: June 19, 2017 Penmore Press Paperback & eBook; 369 Pages Series: Oath and Crown, Book 1 Genre: Fiction/Historical/War William, the nineteen-year-old duke of Normandy, is enjoying the full fruits of his station. Life is a succession of hunts, feasts, and revels, with little attention paid to the welfare of his vassals. Tired of the young duke’s dissolute behaviour and ashamed of his illegitimate birth, a group of traitorous barons force their way into his castle. While William survives their assassination attempt, his days of leisure are over. He’ll need help from the king of France to…
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Review: Still Me (Me Before You #3) by Jojo Moyes
As many of you know, I have been a huge fan of Jojo Moyes novels for quite some time. I loved the first book in this series, Me Before You, and many of her other books have indeed been my guilty pleasure over the years. So for me, Me Before You did not need a sequel or to be made into a series. For me it ended on a high note and I didn’t think that it needed to be followed up by any more books which is why I didn’t really want to read After You. In fact I didn’t read the second book in this series. Which begs…
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Review: Killer Choice by Tom Hunt
The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the description. I liked the premise and thought it sounded different and unique. I wasn’t prepared for how quickly I would read it nor how much I would get hooked on the plot after only a few pages. His wife is sick. He needs $200,000 to save her. A mysterious man offers to give him the money with just one catch: He has to murder someone to get it. Gary Foster’s life is finally heading in the right direction. After years of trying, his wife, Beth, is pregnant, and he recently opened a business with his brother. But one…