Review: Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Stephanie Thornton

Author Stephanie Thornton has an affinity for lost women in ancient history. I had the pleasure or reading her first book about Empress Theodora last year and absolutely loved it.

I was thrilled when I heard about her latest novel, Daughter of the Gods, about one of Egypt’s most notorious female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. 

This time we venture into ancient Egypt where the country has known peace for quite some time. Thutmose reigns and with one surviving son, Thut and two daughters Neferubity and Hatshepsut. 

Neferubity is to marry Thut to ensure the pure blood lines, while Hatshepsut is free to be as wild as her patron goddess, Sekhmet, is. The goddess of war is a fierce as the lion she embodies and Hatshepsut  worships her. 

Hatshepsut  is a skilled hunter and loves racing her chariot through the streets. With few responsibilities, she is free to love as she chooses and do what she likes as it is Neferubity who has the responsibility of carrying on the blood line. 

But when Neferubity dies suddenly, Hatshepsut’s life changes forever. 

Continue reading “Review: Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Stephanie Thornton”

Review: Long Live the King (Love & Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Fay Weldon

Like many fans of the show, Downton Abbey, I am constantly on the look out for upstairs/downstairs inspired books to tide me over until the next season of Downton comes out!

I stumbled upon Fay Weldon’s latest novel in the Love and Inheritance series, Long Live the King and was thrilled to learn that Weldon was actually the writer of the original series Upstairs Downstairs.

This novel is full of Edwardian era intrigue, not to mention a healthy dose of occultist practices such as seances and communicating with the dead.

Queen Victoria is dead and along with her, the restrictive lifestyle that had defined her reign. Her son, Bertie is to take the throne and London is buzzing with excitement about the upcoming coronation.

It’s to be the historic and  social event of the new century!

Continue reading “Review: Long Live the King (Love & Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Fay Weldon”

Cover Reveal: First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

I’m very excited to share with you the beautiful cover of Charlie Lovett’s upcoming novel, FIRST IMPRESSIONS, which will be published by Viking this October. This charming book is sure to appeal to the same readers who loved his novel The Bookman’s Tale, and will be especially exciting for Jane Austen fans (maybe the title rings a Pride and Prejudice bell?).

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen (Viking; October 16, 2014; 978-0-525-42724-7)

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the trueauthorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

Review: The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

In post WWII Montreal, Lily Azerov arrives to meet her betrothed for the first time.

But this stranger harbors a secret. In Eastern Europe she stumbles upon a dead woman and assumes her identity.

After fleeing Eastern Europe for Palestine, as a new woman, she becomes engaged via mail order to a Canadian names Sol Kramer.

After arriving in Montreal, Sol refuses to marry her rather quickly after the meeting. Luckily for Lily, his brother Nathan steps in and marries her.

At the wedding, a couple of uninvited guests of the groom arrive. Ida has heard from her cousin, Sonya,  in Tel Aviv that a woman has been there pretending to be their cousin Lily.

Ida and Sonya have both determined that Lily isn’t their cousin at all but rather a woman who assumed an identity in order to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.

Continue reading “Review: The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler”

Winner: Dark and Deadly Book Barrage Six in One Box Set

And the winner of the Dark and Deadly Book Barrage Six in One Hot Paranormal Romance Box Set is…..

Jasmine (commented on giveaway)

The winner will be notified via email.

Thank you to everyone who entered and a huge thank you to the publisher for making this giveaway possible!