Literary Criticism
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Review: City of Time and Magic (Found Things #4) by Paula Brackston
I have been a long time fan of Paula Brackston and I have read the other books in this series so naturally when this one came up for review, it was a no brainer to say ‘yes’. If you haven’t read the other books in this series, I would not start with this one. This book picks up where the last book left off and continues to build on the series and established characters. Brackston is known for the ‘witch books’ which I have enjoyed and they are not necessarily part of a ‘series’ but they all maintain similar themes of witchcraft and a bit of a love story. The…
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Review: Mistletoe Season (Carolina Girls #2) by Michelle Major
It’s officially Christmas reading season for me and I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. I loved the cover and it just screamed Christmas magic for me even if I haven’t read anything else by Michelle Major, this one just screamed read me for some reason. I know that Michelle Major is we well known romance author with quite a few series under her belt so I felt confident that I would enjoy this book by a beloved writer! While this is part of a series, it is not necessary for a new reader to go back and read the other books. I felt right at home in the…
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Review: Well Met (Well Met #1) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)
I saw the latest book in this series quite a bit on my IG and honestly I fully admit that this sounded kinda silly. However, I needed something silly to shake off the pain that was The Little Stranger. I just wanted something that was easy to read and would put me in a good mood because The Little Stranger was slow and I felt myself going toward a reading rut so I saw this one and thought why not. I downloaded the Audible version so I could listen to it at work and in the car. Something easy breezy and fun. The narrator was great and made the book…
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Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
I have had this book on my TBR for years. Like years. Every Halloween season, I tell myself that I am going to pick this one up. It’s on all the ‘most scary’ book lists and I have heard such great things about Sarah Waters. Not to mention this book features all the creepy things that I love best in the gothic—a family fallen from grace, a crumbling old mansion, a haunted house. I mean all the things that make the gothic what it is can be found in this book or at least promise to be! Well this year was finally they year for me to read this one.…
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Review: Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy
This book had me written all over it. Gothic romance—check. Brooding hero—check. Crumbling old creepy house on the moors—triple check. I needed this book so bad this Halloween season and I couldn’t wait to read it because it clearly had all the hallmarks of a quick read for me not to mention one that I would absolutely love for the ambiance. It literally took zero convincing for me to agree to read this book simply for all the atmosphere it promised. I think this book will delight readers who love Gothic romances (like me!) as well as historical fiction that is both familiar and yet different. This book has a…
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Review: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas
This was one of the few series that I have started and didn’t care for but actually decided to go back and give another chance to because everything about this book series promised to be right up my alley! I was so glad that I decided to give it another go because I have fallen in love with the characters (especially Lord Ingram) and I have loved all the books so far! Obviously when this one came up, I couldn’t WAIT to see what some of my favorite characters had been up to since the last book plus things are really heating up when it comes to the Sherlock Holmes…
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Review: Heavy Metal Symphony by Alyssa Palombo
I have read all of Alyssa Palombo’s novels so when this one came up for review, it was a no brainer. Although that’s not to say that I had reservations. Palombo generally writes historical fiction and this one was clearly not. I mean the title alone says it all right there and then I read the description—metal band romance. I literally wasn’t sure about this one. I am not a fan of metal bands or even rock bands. Music isn’t really in my blood in the way that it is for a lot of other people. It’s something that I enjoy but not something essential. For example I can workout…
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Review: The Woman at the Front by Lecia Cornwall
A WWI battlefield nurse romance? Yes please! I saw this cover and was instantly like YES WWI nurse romances are where it’s at for me! But as I dove into this one it was about a female doctor not a nurse which added a feel of newness for me to a tried and true genre. Lecia Cornwall has written a number of other romances so I was eager to see how much of a romance this book would be. I would say it contained a fair bit of romance but that wasn’t necessarily the focus—the focus was more about the main character, Eleanor’s, journey from fresh new doctor to battle…
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Review: Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women #3) by Evie Dunmore
When I first read Evie Dunmore’s debut novel, Bringing Down the Duke, I absolutely fell in love. I hadn’t been consistently reading a ton of historical romances (meaning, I hadn’t read Julia Quinn yet!) and all I could think of was ‘finally—-a romance novel I can get behind!’ I felt like I was reading something deliciously modern yet set in the Victorian era with all the things I love about historical fiction—strong women with untold stories. I read the second book in this series and while I didn’t love it as much as I loved the first book, I was eager to continue with the series. I was especially excited…
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Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Wrexford & Sloane #5) by Andrea Penrose
When I randomly picked up the first book in this series a few years ago, I knew I was reading something special. While not necessarily and earth shattering read or even something ‘new and different’ in the saturated genre of historical mysteries, there is something about Lord Wrexford that just makes me swoon and I just love him! Charlotte and Wrex have been solving murders and falling in love for the last five books and finally here we are just as they are planning their nuptials and Charlotte’s reentrance into society when another body pops up! This time Charlotte and Wrex don’t really have a reason to investigate this murder…