Books
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Review: The Paris Spy (Maggie Hope Mystery #7) by Susan Elia MacNeal
The Maggie Hope mystery series is part mystery and part spy….probably heavier on the spy side but it has murder mystery elements woven in for variety. Some might argue that this series isn’t sure what it is….is it spy or mystery but in my opinion, I like the variation. It keeps thing exciting for me, having a character solve murders in one book and then go on a spy mission in another book. I’ve been a fan of this series for some time now and though I haven’t loved every book, I love Maggie as a character and always excited to see where life will take her next. Maggie Hope…
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Review: The Dream Keeper’s Daughter by Emily Colin
This book has a lovely cover which is what caught my eye enough to read the description as well. I am a huge fan of authors like Menna van Praag and this one is marketed to fans of her work so I instantly felt like this one was worth a read…….eye catching cover and the promise of a time slip romance, easy yes for me. Eight years after the unsolved disappearance of her boyfriend Max Adair, archaeologist Isabel Griffin has managed to move on and rebuild her life with her young daughter, Finn, her last tie to Max. But after a series of strange incidents, Isabel begins to wonder if Max…
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Review: Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables #1) by L.M. Montgomery, Colleen Winton (Narrator)
Every time that the Anne of Green Gables movies was on TV when I was a young girl—I watched it. Religiously. I loved the 1985 version….a true childhood classic for me. Anne with an E was my idol. Mostly because I too was an Anne with an E so I felt like in some way we had a special connection. Now as an adult, I can’t tell you a single thing about the movie I watched many many times over as a girl, but I remember loving it and I remember that it made me fall in love with all things turn of the century and that I wanted desperately…
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Special Feature: CASANOVA’S SECRET WIFE by Barbara Lynn-Davis
Casanova’s Secret Wife by Barbara Lynn-Davis Publication Date: July 25, 2017 Kensington Books eBook & Paperback; 304 Pages Genre: Fiction/Historical/Biographical Set in eighteenth-century Venice and based on an actual account by Giacomo Casanova—here is a lush tale of desire and risk. Caterina Capreta was an innocent girl of fourteen when she caught the attention of the world’s most infamous chronicler of seduction: Giacomo Casanova. Intoxicated by a fierce love, she wed Casanova in secret. But his shocking betrayal inspired her to commit an act that would mark her forever … Now twenty years later on the island of Murano, the woman in possession of Caterina’s most devastating secret has appeared…
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Review: The Sumage Solution (San Andreas Shifters #1) by G.L. Carriger
I have been a fan of Gail Carriger for YEARS. Her series The Parasol Protectorate has been one of my favorites since reading it for the first time like six years ago. I’ve read some of her short stories as well which have a distinguishable cheek. I love just about everything she puts out. I haven’t read a lot of LGBTQ books, in fact I think the only one I have read was also by Carriger. It’s not really a genre that I readily pick up to read, but Carriger has such fantastic writing skills that I am always eager to read her latest book or story! Not to mention…
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Review: Arrowood by Mick Finlay
I absolutely love the tagline of this book: London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood. That totally caught my eye when I was scanning Netgalley in search of new books to read this summer. An anti-Sherlock Holmes sounded refreshing and new. I have been watching the TV show Sherlock (which if you haven’t watched it, go right now to Netflix and start!) and I love the modern take on it, so I thought that something like an anti-Sherlock read would be complimentary. The Afghan War is over and a deal with the Irish appears to have brought an end to sectarian violence, but Britain’s position in the…
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Special Feature and Q&A: Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead by Deborah Beatriz Blum
Though I have a Master’s in American History, I rarely read biographies. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve spent so much of my academic career reading history books and researching topics….but when I sit down to read I like reading fiction….preferably with history. Now that said, I do on occasion read biographies or nonfiction if the subject sounds interesting etc. I was so sad that I couldn’t fit this book into my review schedule this summer because it sounds like one of those books that would be right up my alley! So instead I decided to do a special feature complete with a Q & A from the author…
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Review: The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer
This book was marketed to fans of Outlander and I can totally see why. Lady doctor some how time travels back hundreds of years and falls in love. Sounds a lot like Outlander right? If you want to get that basic, then yes it is similar to Outlander, however this book is not Outlander so if you are looking for another book series that’s basically like Outlander, then I suggest looking elsewhere. Now that said, if you liked Outlander this book has similarities that you might find intriguing and interesting so if you like time slip novels then keep reading this review. Accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato knows that her deep…
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Book Blast: The Babe Ruth Deception by David O Stewart
The Babe Ruth Deception by David O. Stewart Publication Date: June 27, 2017 Kensington Books Hardcover & eBook; 304 Pages Series: A Fraser and Cook Mystery (Book 3) Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mysteries/Baseball As the Roaring Twenties get under way, corruption seems everywhere–from the bootleggers flouting Prohibition to the cherished heroes of the American Pastime now tarnished by scandal. Swept up in the maelstrom are Dr. Jamie Fraser and Speed Cook… Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, is having a record-breaking season in his first year as a New York Yankee. In 1920, he will hit more home runs than any other team in the American League. Larger than life on…
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Review: Murder on Black Swan Lane (A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery #1) by Andrea Penrose
While combing through the catalog of titles on Netgalley, I happened to come across this one and admittedly, was captivated by the cover. I am not really sure why, I mean it’s not like it’s really that new and eye catching….I feel like I’ve seen a ton of books with similar titles that I was passed by in favor of something more eye catching. But for some reason I paused on this one long enough to read the summary. Again, nothing terribly fresh but yet it sounded like just the thing I was looking for…..something predictable. I was dying to read another British detective mystery novel and this sounded like…