Literary Criticism
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Review: A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes
I adore Anita Hughes. I have been a big fan for a while though I have only really read her holiday romances, I have enjoyed each one for a number of different reasons. I think the biggest thing that I have loved about her romances are the locations! Every time I crack open a Christmas romance by Hughes, I am automatically transported to some where cozy and even a bit magical. Her novels have been set in London and Paris at Christmas as well as other more ‘local’ locations for me like Vermont. Each location gets a heavy holiday makeover and I always find myself wondering why I don’t go…
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Review: The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul
Like so many people, ancient Egypt is a source of endless fascination for me. When I saw this one was coming out, it was a no brainer—I had to read this one. I actually listened to the audio version on my commutes in Arizona. The narrator had a pleasant voice and made the book interesting while I was stuck in the desert traffic. Not to mention the story was equally interesting. A few years ago I read a non fiction novel on the Countess of Carnarvon and I had a deep affection for Lady Almina when I finished it. This book does not portray the Countess in a favorable light…
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Review: On Location by Sarah Smith
This summer was the summer of National Parks for me! I explored quite a bit of Arizona this summer including The Grand Canyon NP and Saguaro NP along with a number of National Monuments. Then I came home to Oregon and visited Crater Lake NP and am heading the Mt Rainier NP and Olympic NP in Washington later this fall. So when I saw a book that was a travel/work place/vacation romance with National Parks, I was absolutely on board! This book sounded so promising and I just adore travel romances. Sarah Smith has written a few other romances which I haven’t read but it sounds like the general consensus…
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Review: When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
I have been on a major romance kick lately but most of the romances I have been reading are of the historical variety. There is something so romantic about historical romances in a way that modern contemporary romances just don’t have. I think it’s the constraints of society and class in the historical romances that make them compelling but at the same time I am a modern woman and as a modern woman, I want to also read about modern women like me, not just the lone countess trapped in a marriage of convenience. Enter this book. I decided it was time to take a bit of a break from…
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Review: First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys #4) by Julia Quinn
After finishing a couple of other books in this series, I was primed to wrap the series up with this final installment. Nicholas was the brother I knew the least about as he was the youngest and I don’t know that I was looking forward to this one perhaps as much as the others simply because I didn’t know enough about his character from the previous books to really be interested in him. But as I have said before, Julia Quinn is the master at historical romances so I was happy to see what Nicholas Rokesby got up to in this one. Not to mention this one was a marriage…
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Review: The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3) by Julia Quinn
After reading the second book in this series, I immediately closed it and opened this one up. I couldn’t wait to read more about the Rokesby brothers and their romances. Andrew was my favorite brother from the first book and I was really looking forward to reading his romance. I was actually really surprised by this one, it went in directions I just wasn’t expecting. Julia Quinn is the master of historical romances and after reading just a couple of pages, I had to remind myself of that fact. I definitely questioned some of this book initially, but by the end I was swooning right along with Poppy over Captain…
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Review: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys #2) by Julia Quinn
There is absolutely nothing like a Julia Quinn novel to get me through a reading rut. I can literally pick up any Julia Quinn and be transported by the charming story, romance, and witty dialogue. I adore her Bridgerton books and the Rokesby books are a prequel to the main Bridgerton series. I read Because of Miss Bridgerton earlier in the spring, and I quickly ordered the other books in this series. I actually meant to read this book while I was in Arizona but I forgot it at home and yes I could have downloaded it to my iPad but I already had a copy at home so I…
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Review: A Most Clever Girl: A Novel of an American Spy by Stephanie Marie Thornton
I started reading Stephanie Marie Thornton’s books years ago and absolutely feel in love with her story telling style! One of the things I found the most compelling was she wrote stories about women in antiquity. Women that wouldn’t be likely to have a ‘story’ that was well known. For example the Empress Theodora and the women of Genghis Kahn. I loved that she took well known women in antiquity, but were unlikely to generate mainstream stories, and then created a story for them. I adored her early books and when I saw that she was making the shift into the more modern era, I was a little sad. That…
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Review: Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Hank Phillippi Ryan has quickly become a favorite author of mine! I have adored all of her books that I have read and I was super excited to check out her latest novel, Her Perfect Life. One of the things that I have loved about Ryan’s novels is that she always writes compelling female characters that are flawed and complex and this book sounded like it would be right up my alley! Her mysteries are always a fun read and since Ryan is a former investigative reporter each book has this great investigative quality that feels modern and relevant. Ryan has also won numerous awards and accolades for her mysteries…
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Review: Among the Poppies by J’nell Ciesielski
After reading J’nell Ciesielski’s latest novel, The Ice Swan, I was craving more from her and I noticed that I hadn’t read one of her earlier books, Among the Poppies! So a real no-brainer here, as many of you know I am a huge Great War romance fan and this book was literally right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to read it! It was a super fast read—-because it was good! Ciesielski is a hidden gem author for me. She writes consistently well written and researched books and the romance always feels epic and believable. While Will wasn’t as charming and dashing as some of her other heroes,…