Reading
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Review: Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese
What are the odds that the first few books that I’ve reviewed this month have all been so good? That rarely happens to me but for some reason the stars have aligned and this month has been a fantastic kick off to the new year book-wise! The last few novels have all been set during war time and I love love love the drama and romance that comes from a war era novel. This novel was full of beautiful language and writing. From the dawn of the twentieth century to the devastation of World War II, this exhilarating novel of love, war, art, and family gives voice to two extraordinary…
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Review: No Man’s Land by Simon Tolkien
So an embarrassing full literary disclosure….I have never read any of The Lord of the Rings books so I have no first hand knowledge of JRR Tolkien’s writing abilities but the popularity of the series speaks for itself. Many have praised this debut novel by Simon Tolkien (JRR’s grandson), as worthy of the Tolkien name in the literary world. When this novel came across my desk for review, the last name of course immediately captured my attention and I was eager to see what the novel was about. Obviously the Tolkien name carries a lot of clout in the literary world but I wondered if this new author would be…
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Review: The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo
2017 has started off as a very good year for me when it comes to reading choices! This book, THE FIRE BY NIGHT, sounded so full of potential and interesting that I couldn’t pass it up. This is the story of two nurses who meet during WWII. In war-torn France, Jo McMahon, an Italian-Irish girl from the tenements of Brooklyn, tends to six seriously wounded soldiers in a makeshift medical unit. Enemy bombs have destroyed her hospital convoy, and now Jo single-handedly struggles to keep her patients and herself alive in a cramped and freezing tent close to German troops. There is a growing tenderness between her and one of…
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Release Day: CHEATING DEATH (The Immortal Descendants #5) by April White
Happy release day to April White and her latest novel CHEATING DEATH! CHEATING DEATH is the fifth book in the Immortal Descendants series and it’s been a favorite of mine for some time now. I will be reviewing it soon so stay tuned for a full review but in the mean time here is a little summary of the new novel! There are also links at the bottom of this post if you are looking to purchase a copy for yourselves! In the thrilling conclusion to The Immortal Descendants series, a life has ended, the future is lost, and a war has just begun. An explosion has split Time and…
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Special Feature: LEOPARD AT THE DOOR by Jennifer McVeigh
Jennifer McVeigh burst onto the literary scene in 2013 with The Fever Tree, an exquisite novel that earned rave reviews (see below) and elicited comparisons to Gone With the Wind, The Thorn Birds, and Out of Africa. McVeigh now delivers on the promise of that debut with LEOPARD AT THE DOOR, a sweeping saga and January 2017 IndieNext Pick that spotlights East Africa in all its fierce beauty. McVeigh offers an unforgettable portrait of life in mid-twentieth-century Kenya, a British colony in violent transition with political and racial tensions erupting against the fading backdrop of the British Empire. Kirkus Reviews raved, “Readers who want a story that keeps them on…
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Review: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
Hello 2017! Even though I read this book in 2016, it’s my first official book review of 2017 and I couldn’t be happier with this new year kick off! Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. Even though she’s graduated at the top of her class from college and things seem positive in her life, everything takes a turn for the worst. She was unceremoniously dumped by her “almost fiancé” she abandons her grad school plans and instead spends her days lolling on the couch, watching reruns of Sex and the City, and leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it. Her friends don’t know what to…
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Book Blast: Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich by C.W. Gortner
Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich by C.W. Gortner Paperback Release Date: December 13, 2016 William Morrow, Harper Collins ISBN: 9780062406071; 432 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction/Contemporary Women/Biographical Marlene Dietrich’s femme fatale persona defined her, but behind the glitz of 1930s Hollywood was a remarkably modern woman, determined to live by her own terms. A rebellious girl, Marlene’s genteel family expectations curtail her until Germany’s defeat in the Great War gives rise to the decadence of Weimar Berlin. Here, Marlene finds her niche as a cabaret actress. With her sultry beauty, smoky voice, and androgynous tuxedo, she performs to packed houses and has a series of stormy love affairs that push…
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Book Blast: You’re the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo
You’re the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo Publication Date: September 15, 2016 Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas eBook & Paperback; 292 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian In 1928, Chicago rocks to the rhythm of the Jazz Age, and Prohibition is in full swing. Small-town girl Marjorie Corrigan, visiting the city for the first time, has sworn that coffee’s the strongest drink that will pass her lips. But her quiet, orderly life turns topsy-turvy when she spots her high school sweetheart–presumed killed in the Great War–alive and well in a train station. Suddenly everything is up for grabs. Although the stranger insists he’s not who she thinks he is,…
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Review: Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
When it comes to romance, there are few better than Jojo Moyes. Her stories are always so full of emotion and heart. Over the years I have read quite a few of her novels and each novel is unique and I always have a hard time putting them down. The main characters are always interesting, well drawn women and the romance elements are tenderhearted and emotionally charged. I don’t read a lot of short stories or collections of stories as I prefer a fully developed novel where I can focus on one character but because Moyes novels are always so enjoyable, I thought I would give this one a go. Initially…
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Book Blast: The Semper Sonnet by Seth Margolis
The Semper Sonnet by Seth Margolis Publication Date: April 19, 2016 Diverson Publishing eBook & Paperback; 374 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery/Thriller READ AN EXCERPT. In this stunning thrill ride, perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Steve Berry, a long-lost manuscript, written for Elizabeth I, holds the key to unlocking the past—and to eliminating the future. Lee Nicholson is ready to take the academic world by storm, having discovered a sonnet she believes was written by William Shakespeare. When she reads the poem on the air, the words put her life in peril and trigger a violent chase, with stakes that reach far beyond the cloistered walls of…
