Books
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Review: Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft
I was first introduced the Jenny Ashcroft’s wonderful writing ability in her novel Meet Me in Bombay last year and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t read anything by her before. So when I saw she had another historical fiction novel coming out this year I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s now a foregone conclusion, I need all of her books. I love that she writes historical fiction novels that are set in exotic locations—Egypt, Singapore, Bombay and now Australia. This book is set in WWII (her other books also have a war backdrop) and I think this is such a wonderful pairing because so many…
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Special Feature: The Love Con by Seressia Glass
Am I into ‘cosplay’? No. Am I into dressing up for Halloween and other events? Yes. Am I a big ass nerd? Also yes. Am I into quirky romances with costumes and nerdy things? YES. I cannot wait for this book! It sounds absolutely brilliant and guess what? The wait if over! Today this book is out in the world and it’s just what you need for the holidays and any last minute shopping you might need to take care of! The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover. A plus sized woman of color with a white guy? Instantly I knew I needed this…
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Review: Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen
I read one of Julie Klassen’s books a few years ago and absolutely loved it. She reminds me of a modern Victoria Holt and by modern I don’t mean her stories, as they are all historical fiction, but modern in that Klassen is a modern woman and she writes strong, vibrant heroines! I was super excited to check out this latest novel from Klassen so when it came up for review, naturally it was a no brainer as a YES! In the historical fiction world, there are a ton of Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart fans and for good reason. Their novels really took the small ‘Gothic romance’ genre and…
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Review: Beneath a Starless Sky by Tessa Harris
You had me at forbidden romance with this one. I am an absolute sucker for forbidden romances and this book sounded like it had the ultimate forbidden romance—German soldier and a Jewish woman during WWII. I mean come on how could I pass on that? I was super excited to dive into this one. Author Tessa Harris has written two other historical mysteries series (which I now need to read) but this is her first stand alone historical fiction novel. While her other novels are set in the Victorian era, this one is set during WWII and I thought she did a wonderful job with her historical research and presentation…
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Special Feature: From a Dark Horizon (Gregor Reinhardt #4) by Luke McCallin
It’s no secret how much I love WWI historical novels but so many of them have a strong romance element which is totally fine and in fact I often prefer it, but there are times when I want something a little different to sink my teeth into. When I saw this book I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for—a WWI thriller. I am a bit of a military history nerd and when I saw that this book had a lot of military history as well as a strong mystery/thriller component I was all about it! This is the fourth book in the Gregor Reinhardt series and…
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Review: All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy (Wyoming Cowboys #1) by Jessica Clare
After reading Holly Jolly Cowboy on vacation, I immediately needed another cowboy book to keep me entertained so I snagged the first book on my Kindle the second I finished with the other book. This series has quickly become my guilty pleasure and I am not even a little bit sorry about it. I love small town romances and this series has made me want to move to Wyoming and buy all the cows and do all the ranch things not to mention transform my husband into a sexy cowboy. If you are looking for some steamy holiday romances, this series has you covered. Now not every book in the…
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Review: Holly Jolly Cowboy (Wyoming Cowboy #7) by Jessica Clare
I literally have no idea where I saw this book or why but I think it must have been on Amazon and I was like ‘awwww look at that cute dog on the cover’ and next thing I know, this book is arriving in my mailbox. In all honesty, I didn’t think I would read this one. I thought it would be a holiday book that I picked up and then sat on my bookshelf for the next 12 months until next holiday season and by which time I would have forgotten all about. But I left it sitting on my coffee table and that cover just kept calling to…
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Special Feature: Someone Perfect (Westcott #9) by Mary Balogh
When my mom first put a Mary Balogh novel in my hands, I was shocked. She handed me this book with a cheesy cover (hello shirtless man in an awkward pose) and I didn’t really know what to say. Honestly I just wanted to put it on my shelf and forget all about the shirtless man with a suggestive look on his face. But then she kept bugging me and bugging me to see if I had read it yet so I did what any good daughter would do and that is read what your mother tells you to. Besides the frequent references to being a ‘lusty man’, I actually…
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Special Feature: Finding Paradise (Paradise, Alaska #2) by Barbara Dunlop
A few years ago, I might have frowned upon romance novels—especially small town romance novels. But that was then—this is now and my bookshelves are FULL of small town romance novels! There is something about a romance novel that I just love. I love that I am guaranteed a happy ending and I can breeze through the book with a smile on my face. Romances are just so wonderful and I can’t believe it took me this long to really get into the genre! I attribute this new found love of romance novels to discovering a few really outstanding authors, Barbara Dunlop being one of them. Dunlop has written a…
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Review: A Class Coveted (A Matter of Class #4) by Susie Murphy
Over the years I have read so many historical fiction novels all with varying degrees of subject matter, time period, and sub genre. I am always on the lookout for the next hot historical fiction novel especially from up and coming new authors. I love having a ‘secret’ book that no one knows about that I can share with everyone. A few years ago I reviewed the first book in this series, A Class Apart, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I first picked it up but then I was quickly involved with Bridget and Cormac’s story and devoured the book. Author Susie Murphy is an independent…