Take Two Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

Over the last couple of years, I have started re-reading the ASOIAF series. The first time I read all the books, I felt completely rushed and didn’t have a complete scope of everything that was happening.

And let’s be real….there is SO much going on in this series. So many layers of betrayals, history, lore, and the complexity of the characters and houses alone warrants at least a few re-readings.

This time through, I promised myself that I would savor each book and not feel rushed or like I was on a timeline to read each one.

This book is my absolute favorite in the series so I was happy to slow it down and leisurely read it rather than rushing to devour each chapter. And leisurely read I did. I started in back in Aug and didn’t finish until Nov. Granted I had a lot of other books on my review calendar and I got waylaid with the Pink Carnation series, but I finished this book all the same.

Continue reading “Take Two Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin”

Review: The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12) by Lauren Willig

So this is the book that everyone has been waiting for in this series…..Jane’s romance with maybe the exception of me.

I have never really been a fan of Jane in this entire series. Maybe in the beginning she had intrigue and promise but as the series has gone on I just have liked her less and less.

But I had to finish the series all the same and Willig is always so good at making me fall in love with her heroines, I tried to keep an open mind.

Portugal, December 1807. Jack Reid, the British agent known as the Moonflower (formerly the French agent known as the Moonflower), has been stationed in Portugal and is awaiting his new contact. He does not expect to be paired with a woman—especially not the legendary Pink Carnation.
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Review: Gin and Panic (Discreet Retrieval Agency, #3) by Maia Chance

I have just come off of reading two very very dense books with heavy subject matter. I needed something to just enjoy rather than something I need to digest.

Enter Gin and Panic. I was happy to read a cozy mystery even though I was jumping in on the third book. I didn’t care. I just wanted something that looked entertaining without epic battles in every chapter.

Former socialite Lola Woodby, not-so-discreet private eye in Prohibtion-era New York City, along with her grim Swedish sidekick, Berta, take on a piece-of-cake job: retrieving a rhinoceros trophy from the Connecticut mansion of big game hunter Rudy Montgomery. Continue reading “Review: Gin and Panic (Discreet Retrieval Agency, #3) by Maia Chance”

Special Feature: THE IT GIRL AND ME: A Novel of Clara Bow by Laini Giles

The It Girl and Me: A Novel of Clara Bow
by Laini Giles

Publication Date: March 25, 2017
Sepia Stories Publishing
eBook & Paperback; 341 Pages

Series: Forgotten Actresses, Book #2
Gere: Historical Fiction/Biographical

 

 

Daisy DeVoe has left her abusive husband, her father has been pinched for bootlegging, and she’s embarrassed by her rural Kentucky roots. But on the plus side, she’s climbing the ladder in the salon of Paramount Pictures, styling hair for actress Clara Bow.

Clara is a handful. The “It” Girl of the Jazz Age personifies the new woman of the 1920s onscreen, smoking, drinking bootleg hooch, and bursting with sex appeal. But her conduct off the set is even more scandalous. Hoping to impose a little order on Clara’s chaotic life, Paramount persuades Daisy to sign on as Clara’s personal secretary.

Thanks to Daisy, Clara’s bank account is soon flush with cash. And thanks to Clara, Daisy can finally shake off her embarrassing past and achieve respectability for herself and her family.

The trouble begins when Clara’s newest fiancé, cowboy star Rex Bell, wants to take over, and he and Daisy battle for control. Torn between her loyalty to Clara and her love for her family, Daisy has to make a difficult choice when she ends up in the county jail.

Here, Daisy sets the record straight, from her poverty-stricken childhood to her failed marriage; from a father in San Quentin to her rollercoaster time with Clara, leaving out none of the juicy details.

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Review: A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge #3) by Ken Follett

I was first introduced to Ken Follett back in 2009 when I took my first trip to London. I needed something long enough that I would not read it all by the time the flight was over and long enough that I wouldn’t have to buy another book while I was there.

One of my friends recommended The Pillars of the Earth. I wasn’t going to read it but she brought it for me and I felt bad saying no.

Ironically, all I remember of that trip was how much I loved that book! That book was fantastic. I loved everything about it. I remember staying up way too late reading it. Taking it with us on every single tour bus and reading every chance I got. I loved that book so much.

I didn’t read the second book in the series World Without End, because I honestly felt like there was no need to make this into a series. It was so good as a stand alone and when the first book ended–it ended. I didn’t think a follow up was warranted. Continue reading “Review: A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge #3) by Ken Follett”