Reading
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Review: The School for German Brides by Aimee K. Runyan
I have only read one of Aimee Runyan’s books but I adored it! I have had the others are on my TBR list and she is always one that I keep an eye on when I see new historical fiction coming out. When I saw this book I was instantly intrigued! A school to make the perfect German bride?! What in the world? I knew it was one that I couldn’t pass up as it would no doubt explore a plotline and history that I never even imagined before! One of the things that always stands out about Runyan’s books is the attention to historical detail. Historical fiction writers often…
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Review: Singapore Sapphire (Harriet Gordon Mysteries #1) by A. M. Stuart
I have had this book on my TBR shelf for A WHILE now. I randomly picked it up at a used bookstore forever ago and thought it sounded good. I liked that it was set in a different location than I was used to reading and perhaps might have a hint of adventure in ways that I haven’t experienced before in some ‘far east’ mystery books. But like so many readers, I took it home and set it down on my bookshelf for another day. Every time I would go looking for something to read, I would pause at the title but then keep going in favor of another lady…
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Review: The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan
Over the years I have read and enjoyed many or Rachel McMillan’s books! I especially loved her book The London Restoration that I read in 2020. It was a standalone novel with lots of historical detail and some romance. While I enjoyed her historical mysteries, it was the standalone novel that really made me love her writing! When I saw that she was coming out with a new standalone piece of historical fiction, I was eager to get my hands on it. I love books about espionage and spies especially when they are women spies! I have read a lot of historical fiction with female spies in WWII and while…
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Review: The Key to Deceit (Electra McDonnell #2) by Ashley Weaver
This series captured my heart last year with it’s debut! I have read other books and series by Ashley Weaver but this is the series that has captured my attention the absolute most! After book one I was so eager to see what happened with Ellie next! Did she go back to safe cracking and stealing or did she keep on the straight and narrow? I grabbed this book as soon as it was released and since it was on the shorter side (under 300 pages) I basically read it in one sitting—on my flight to Cabo. It was a super quick read and I found that the magic and…
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Special Feature: The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
I absolutely love the message this books sends! Like it or not, representation in all forms matters! When I was growing up, I was not necessarily a ‘big girl’ but I certainly wasn’t a Kate Moss either! Kate Moss was the quintessential ‘ideal woman’ of the 1990s. She was on the cover of every magazine I read at that time and I just couldn’t understand why I didn’t look like her. I knew from a very young age that there just weren’t ‘plus’ or ‘athletic’ women on any covers or ad campaigns. Now everywhere I look, I see thicker women, plus size models, and athletic women on covers, in ad…
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Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
I have to say that Tessa Arlen has been an author that I have enjoyed in different ways over the years. I started reading her earlier books years ago which were mostly historical mysteries. Later on I discovered her new heroines and historical fiction series as well and later on a standalone historical fiction novel. Some times, some authors are better at writing mysteries while others thrieve with general historical fiction. Arlen is wonderful at all of them! I have loved many of her books for different reasons as they are always well written and researched. This book was a no brainer! First I featured an excerpt for a tour…
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Special Feature: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
While some people like their summer reading fluffy and warm, others prefer their summer beach reads with a little spook and creep factors! Personally I can go wither way but with a sea of warm fluffy beach reads on my list I thought it might be nice to add a litlte bit of the unknown into my summer reading line up! Enter this book which I thought would be more ghost story but from the sound of it, it’s going to be more about a ghostwriterbut might have an element or two to satisfy your spooky reads urning. I am so excited for this book that merges the paranormal, chick…
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Review: The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth
It’s been a hot minute since I read anything by Kate Forsyth. Generally she writes more fantasy and fairytale retellings but this book is firmly in the historical fiction genre. So needless to say when it came up for review, I was intrigued because it was different than what Forsyth typically writes and she is such a wonderful writer that I knew this one would be on par with her other books! Obviously it was an easy ‘yes’ to review but beyond just the author and genre of the book I didn’t know too much going in. I mean of course I get an officially summary of the books I…
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Special Feature/Excerpt: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
Who else is a massive sucker for stunning book covers? I know I am! When I saw this one come up for review, I knew I wanted to read it based on the cover alone, but then I saw that Tessa Arlen wrote it and I was instantly excited! I have read and loved many of Arlen’s books, most of which are historical mysteries. She always writes such great books and the historical parts are on point! Seeing this book cover and the summary with the Titanic connection, really made me excited because I know how well Arlen does historical fiction and since this is a little different than her…
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The Ultimate Must-Read Rom-Coms for Pride Month
Many books with LGBTQ+ characters and queer themes have been banned in the past. NBC reports that five out of ten books that were most banned in 2021 were flagged for having LGBTQ+ content. With pride month coming to a close, reading these works can help people explore perspectives from different sexualities and gender identities through the stories these books tell. More importantly, genres like rom-com can show that queer joy is possible, despite it being a month of protest for rights and respect. Here are just a few queer rom-com books you might enjoy: The Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee If you are a fan of young love and the…