Reading
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Review: The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox
I read Hester Fox’s debut novel a couple of years ago and I was immediately drawn her to story telling style and characters. I adored her first book and the second book was even better. So to say that I was excited for this one is an understatement. I am such a fan of her Gothic story telling and how quickly I can read her books, while they might not be as spooky as some other books I have read this Halloween season, this one was still a spooky treat for fans of Gothic novels. Also this one is set in Boston which is such a great spooky city and…
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Special Feature: Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19) by Robyn Carr
I have only read a few of Robyn Carr’s novels but I have really enjoyed the ones that I have read. I haven’t watched the Netflix series, Virgin River, yet but I know that a lot of people have been raving about it! This is a series that I just haven’t picked up yet because there are so many books in the series. Though I think they could be read as standalone books, I would still like to read it from the beginning to get the complete experience. Carr is such a prolific writer with a large fan base, but I think this is probably her biggest and most well…
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Review: Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
This was a book that I was looking forward to all year. I was pitched it way back in March or April I think and I had it circled on my calendar for my fall reading. I don’t know that I loved the cover art but I thought the story sounded great. I don’t know much about the Russian monarchy but because I don’t know much about it, I always find books about Russian monarchs fascinating. Like many readers, whenever I think of Russian historical fiction I always think of the Romanovs but this book is not that which was just one more reason why it appealed to me—-something different.…
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Review: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
When HBO picked up this book to turn into a series, I was thrilled! I didn’t know anything about the book or the author but I know that HBO always turns out well done series so when I saw the previews for this one, I couldn’t wait. I also have been getting more and more into the horror genre and when I was approached to do a feature and interview with the author before the HBO series released, I was intrigued and immediately said yes. After doing the interview and reading more about Lovecraft Country, I decided to wait and watch the HBO series in favor of reading the book…
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Special Feature: Wolf Den Hollow by Donna Murray
This love story is based on a true story and I couldn’t be more excited about that! I love romanced but when they are based on a true story I always have a more special connection with the characters. The other things that caught my eye about this one were the setting, time period and the fact that one of the characters is Cherokee. All of these things together made it sounds like it was going to be a different sort of historical fiction and while I couldn’t fit it on my review schedule, I was thrilled to hear about it. Not only does this book sound like a different…
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Special Feature: Matrimony, Inc.: From Personal Ads to Swiping Right, a Story of America Looking for Love by Francesca Beauman
If this title doesn’t grab you then I don’t know what will! I don’t read a ton of non fiction books but this one jumped out at me and I think it would be a fun read or even a fun gift for the upcoming holidays. This could easily be the book I give me history loving intellectual family members and friends this year! Back in the late 1990s meeting someone online and dating them sounded so desperate and taboo but now in 2020 it’s how most people meet and fall in love. I don’t think twice when my friends talk about their Tinder matches when in the 1990s I…
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Review: Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed
The cover of this book looks so calming and elegant. The second I saw this cover it put me in the mood for some high brow literature. The only problem was that I wasn’t quite in that sam mood when I picked this one up to actually start reading. When I first read the description for this one, it was back in early spring and was due to be released in the early summer but then it got pushed back to the fall and while I might have been ready for some heavy reading in the spring/summer, I was not in the mood for that in the fall. But I…
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Review: Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan
When this book first came up for review, I simply couldn’t pass it up. I have had The Painted Girls on my TBR since it came out in 2013 so when I saw that this book was by the same author, I knew it was a no brainer….I simply had to read this book! I love historical fiction and it’s always so hard for me to pass on a historical fiction book because I always enjoy them so much. But sometimes with any genre, it can start to feel stale. Over the years, I have started taking systematic breaks from historical fiction in favor of thrillers or horror just to…
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Special Feature: The Christmas Table (Christmas Hope #10) by Donna VanLiere
Yes friends it might only just now be October, but the Christmas reads are coming out fast and festive right now! I actually don’t mind since it gives me a little time to get all my holiday reading list updated! If you love Christmas themed stories then you definitely want to get this one on your radar. While this one sounds a little heavy, it also sounds heartwarming and cozy. I love that it also has a duel timeline story but not a typical historical fiction, there is a 1970s plot and a 2000s plot so it’s not like a typical duel timeline story! If you are looking for a…
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Review: Murder at Queen’s Landing (Wrexford & Sloane #4) by Andrea Penrose
I absolutely fell in love with this series when I read the very first book. I can’t believe the series is only on book 4, I feel like so much has happened in these four books. It’s been quite the journey. When I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately downloaded it and couldn’t wait to dive in. The book wasn’t due to come out until September and I downloaded the book in June…..needless to say I read it in June because I couldn’t wait to see what happened between Wrexford and Sloane in this book! I read this book in only a couple of sittings and couldn’t put it…