Reading
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Take Two Review: Who Slays the Wicked (Sebastian St. Cyr #14) by C.S. Harris
Last year in April, I read this installment of the Sebastian St Cyr series and I while I thought it was good, it was only my fourth book of the series I had read so naturally I was missing a substantial amount of the character nuances. This series as a whole, can be read as a stand alones for the most part, but there are a couple of books where the mysteries overlap and this being one of them. There are many characters from an earlier book, Where the Dead Lie, which was the first Sebastian book that I had read. The first time I read this installment, I felt…
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Special Feature: THAT HARLEQUIN FEELING
When I was around eleven or twelve, I was reading well above my age level and was obsessed with Victoria Holt. After devouring almost all of her novels, I went in search of more reading material on my mother’s bookshelves, which were full of scantily clad women in the arms of a handsome (often shirtless) man. I wasn’t entirely sure what the books were about, but I loved the gowns these women wore, so I picked one up. When my mother found me reading it a couple of hours later she was like no no no—and took it from me. I can remember asking her why and she said I…
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Review: Blame the Dead by Ed Ruggero
One of the main reasons that I decided to read this book was because the author was a former military officer. I am really into military history, especially Civil War and WWI/WWII. My dad was also in the military and I grew up with military history. I thought this one sounded like it would bring a lot of history to life mixed into a historical mystery. I also like that this book was going to be sent it Italy during the war instead of the traditional France or England. This book ended up being quite a different read than I was expecting. So many historical mysteries lean toward the fluffy…
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Special Feature: The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner
This book has been popping up all over my social media—and I can see why! That cover! It gives me all the heart eyes for sure and I am so excited to share some details about the book with all of you guys today as well! Holocaust historical fiction novels have been really popular lately and my own personal theory is that this genre and time period is ripe with untold stories of families, sisters, friends, brothers, lovers, individuals and everyone in between. This book in particular is going to focus on a mother and daughter fleeing the Nazi’s. Shira, the daughter, is a piano prodigy and she must stay…
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First Impression Review: Children of the Stars by Mario Escobar
There are so many WWII books out that focus on female relationships and bonds during the war. Often it’s a sister or two best friends who grew close during the war. I haven’t seen any books featuring two boys, in this case brothers, during the war for quite some time which is why this book stood out to me. I am only a couple of chapters in and have yet to finish it, but the novel touches on many heavy hitting themes, especially because the two boys are Jews during the Holocaust. This book shows promise in a number of areas. The writing is solid and emotional, packing am emotional…
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Review: This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán
This is a new to me author, but not entirely unfamiliar to me. I’ve seen her books popping up all over the Amazon charts, especially her release from last year, I’m Fine and Neither are You. When this new release, This Won’t End Well, came up for review, I jumped at the chance to read it! Everything I have heard about this book and this author, make it inevitable that I will love this book! I couldn’t wait to crack open my copy and let the good times roll so to speak! And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint! What a refreshing new voice in contempo lit!
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Special Feature and Excerpt: ETERNITY SPRINGS: TUCKER by Emily March
Spring is just around the corner and love is in the air! There is nothing like a great romance novel to warm you on an early spring day and Emily March’s long standing Eternity Springs series is a fan favorite! One thing that fans have been quick to point out is how well the characters enter act with one another throughout not just the individual stories but the series as a whole. There are 15 books in the principal series so far and 2 in this spin off series with this story being about Tucker. I am thrilled to be able to offer you guys a sneak peak of this…
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Review: Egg Drop Dead (A Noodle Shop Mystery #5) by Vivien Chien
I picked up this mystery series on a whim when it first came out. I had no idea what to expect but I was craving ramen noodles and when I saw the cover of the first book, I felt like I could enjoy ramen noodles without actually having to eat ramen noodles (spoiler, I still ate ramen). What I found with this series was a refreshing colorful series with lots of fun and quirky characters. When I pick up a cozy to read, so many of them are set in small towns and are full of baking or cat owning characters. Does this series have that? Well yes—-and no. I…
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Review: The King’s Justice (Maggie Hope #9) by Susan Elia MacNeal
When I first stumbled on Maggie Hope, it was early 2012. I was one of the first people to read and review Mr Churchill’s Secretary and I fell head over heals for Maggie right then and there! I have adored many of the books in the series thus far and I can’t believe we are on the 9th book already! Obviously when this book came up for review, I was thrilled to be reading more about Maggie’s journey and checking in with many of my favorite characters in the series. After the last book, I had high hopes for this one as well!
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Special Feature and Excerpt: Fair Weather Enemies by Sawyer North
Fair Weather Enemies by Sawyer North Publication Date: February 10, 2020 Entangled Publishing/Scandalous Paperback & eBook; 270 Pages Genre: Historical Romance The Hancocks and Ashfords have had a long-standing feud between their families long before Miss Jane Hancock couldn’t stand the sight of gentleman farmer Adam Ashford. But after both families fall on hard times and an unscrupulous creditor forces Jane and Adam to sign a devil’s bargain, they’ll finally understand the true meaning of keeping your enemies close at hand. The terms of this bargain? Locate a lost treasure shrouded in deception and mystery. The catch? Only one can claim it to win…the loser is left to…