Reading
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Review: The Last Affair by Margot Hunt
As many of us know, domestic thrillers are quite the rage right now. I’ve read some that were outstanding and others that were just ok, but I’ll be completely honest…..even the just ok ones fascinate me! There is something about taking a peak into the lives of your neighbors and coworkers that just never gets old. You know the whole, the grass is greener situation never ceases to disappoint me. This book of course is a domestic thriller, but I thought it sounded promising. Torrid affair, perfect suburban family, secrets, lies, and of course murder. I couldn’t wait to start turning the pages of this one!
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Special Feature: Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra
Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra Publication Date: November 11, 2019 Entangled: Scandalous eBook; 289 Pages Series: Lords of Chance, Book 3 Genre: Historical Romance/Regency In an act of revenge, Lord Rayne kissed Lady Julia and was sent packing to America. But now he’s back to settle his affairs and give away his sister in marriage, until he meets up with the alluring yet innocent Lady Julia again. He doesn’t regret their first kiss, but he was never good enough for her. Lady Julia had two years to forget the moody and mercurial Earl of Rayne. But one look, and she knows they’re meant to be together.…
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Review: The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn
Do you ever have one of those days where you are just randomly searching Goodreads for ‘recommended’ reads and one just jumps out at you for no apparent reason? Well that’s what happened with this book. I saw it and normally would have kept scrolling but I liked the cover and saw that it was soon to be a Netflix show and I wanted to read something romantic so why not I thought! I had never read anything by Julia Quinn before but I have heard she is known for her snappy dialogue and charming romances so I downloaded the book and became instantly distracted by it and the characters.
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Review: A Jewel Bright Sea (Mage and Empire #1) by Claire O’Dell
This book had a lot to recommend itself….pirates, adventure, magic, romance, fantasy. So many things that made it sound like a fun book to escape into. I also thought the cover was pretty, though a little on the busy side. But ultimately I thought the promise of adventure and pirates sounded like a winning combo so picking up this one up when the time came, was full of promise for me. I haven’t read anything by O’dell before but I know she has written a couple of other books that are part of a series, so I was curious to see what her writing style was and how the magic…
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Excerpt and Feature: Entertaining Mr. Pepys by Deborah Swift
Entertaining Mr. Pepys by Deborah Swift Publication Date: September 12, 2019 Hachette Book Group eBook. Paperback, Audiobook; 400 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction London 1666 Elizabeth ‘Bird’ Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own. When Knepp goes away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her…
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Review: A Noël Killing (Verlaque and Bonnet #8) by M.L. Longworth
The Verlaque and Bonnet series is one that I came into a little late, but have always enjoyed the mysteries. They have a sophisticated feel to them but they still manage to maintain their charm. I think one of the things that always keeps this series in the forefront of my mind is the covers. The covers are incredible and eye catching. Every time I see one I instantly think, ‘oh yes another Verlaque and Bonnet mystery!‘. The covers are so recognizable and admittedly why I picked up the series in the first place. This book features the new redesigned covers and while I think it’s a pretty design, it…
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Excerpt: A Completing of the Watsons by Rose Servitova
One of my favorite authors in all of English Literature is of course, Jane Austen. She is the definition of classic if you ask me. She always writes timeless love stories and memorable but also relatable heroines. Because she is such a popular author, many contemporaries have admired her so much that they put their own modern spin and style to their Austen retellings. In this book, Servitova brings her own wit and humor to this lovely retelling and I am thrilled to be able to share an excerpt with you guys here!
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Review: Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber
I picked this book up because of the delicious looking pie on the front cover. I mean seriously, that pie looks so delicious and I hoped that the story inside would be equally satisfying. I don’t think I even stopped to read what it was about, I simply saw pie and said YES. So when I picked it up, I basically went in blind and without any real expectations other than I hoped to read it while eating pie of my own (which did happen by the way!) This book surprised me in a number of ways, both with the author’s practiced hand and with the little hints of magic…
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Review: Tidelands (The Fairmile #1) by Philippa Gregory (Audible Edition)
I have only read one Philippa Gregory novel and that was ages ago. I felt like I was long overdue for one of her books. When I saw that this was her latest book I was eager to check it out. I thought that it sounded like an interesting setting and kind of far removed from what she is most well known for—royal courts. I decided to pick it up on Audible instead of actually picking up a hard copy and I was glad I did because the narrator did a great job and made it very enjoyable to listen it, but that said I wasn’t sure that I loved…
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Excerpt and Special Feature: This Son of York by Anne Easter Smith
This Son of York by Anne Easter Smith Publication Date: November 10, 2019 Bellastoria Press eBook & Paperback; 504 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction Read an excerpt. “Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by This Son of York…” — William Shakespeare, Richard III Richard III was Anne’s muse for her first five books, but, finally, in This Son of York he becomes her protagonist. The story of this English king is one of history’s most compelling, made even more fascinating through the discovery in 2012 of his bones buried under a car park in Leicester. This new portrait of England’s most controversial king is meticulously…