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Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #2) by Andrea Penrose
Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book in a new series, Murder on Black Swan Lane, which was an exciting first book. I was anxious to read the next book and was thrilled to finally see it on Netgalley! In the first book, I loved getting to know the protagonist, Lord Wrexford and Mrs Slone. While each had something that I liked independently, the thing I loved most about them was the chemistry. This book would no doubt capitalize on that chemistry. When Lord Wrexford discovers the body of a gifted inventor in a dark London alley, he promptly alerts the watchman and lets the authorities…
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Special Feature: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn
The day is finally here…..A TREACHEROUS CURSE is finally out! I had this book on pre-order the instant I was done with the second book. This is one of my all time favorite mysteries and Deanna Raybourn is a fantastic writer of romance and blending it with mystery! If you haven’t read her books, start with the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series….you won’t be disappointed! If you have already discovered this series, then like me you have been waiting for almost a year for the next book and today it is finally available! London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t…
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Review: Hearts of Resistance by Soraya M. Lane
This if my first official book of 2018….the first one that I read and reviewed this year. I read Lane’s earlier novel, Wives of War, back in June and was really impressed with her ability to write interesting characters and a romance that I was invested in. When Hearts of Resistance came up, it was an easy yes for me to review and I was thrilled to read it and see how Lane’s writing grew in the next book and what sort of romance was in store. At the height of World War II, three women must come together to fight for freedom, for the men they love—and for each…
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Review: Death Below Stairs (Kat Holloway Mysteries #1) by Jennifer Ashley
This book kept hoping up all over my Twitter feed and I had my eye on it for so long. I had been searching for something a little different from the usual high society murder mystery series. And this looked like the perfect combo, cook from a big house tuned sleuth…sounds intriguing. So I was thrilled when I got the chance to review an early copy! Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds…
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Review: This Side of Murder (Verity Kent #1) by Anna Lee Huber
As many of you know, I binge read almost all of Anna Lee Huber’s books this year. I love the Lady Darby books and I also loved her Gothic Myths book as well! Huber rapidly became a favorite author of mine and I was eager to read her latest book series about Verity Kent. I saw a lot of this book on Twitter so I tried to procure a copy before it’s release but sadly I waited too long! So I had to resort to my local library….which I waited like 3 weeks for it to come in. By then I had almost lost interest in reading it but when…
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Review: The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12) by Lauren Willig
So this is the book that everyone has been waiting for in this series…..Jane’s romance with maybe the exception of me. I have never really been a fan of Jane in this entire series. Maybe in the beginning she had intrigue and promise but as the series has gone on I just have liked her less and less. But I had to finish the series all the same and Willig is always so good at making me fall in love with her heroines, I tried to keep an open mind. Portugal, December 1807. Jack Reid, the British agent known as the Moonflower (formerly the French agent known as the Moonflower),…
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Review: A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge #3) by Ken Follett
I was first introduced to Ken Follett back in 2009 when I took my first trip to London. I needed something long enough that I would not read it all by the time the flight was over and long enough that I wouldn’t have to buy another book while I was there. One of my friends recommended The Pillars of the Earth. I wasn’t going to read it but she brought it for me and I felt bad saying no. Ironically, all I remember of that trip was how much I loved that book! That book was fantastic. I loved everything about it. I remember staying up way too late…
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Review: Christmas in London by Anita Hughes
I feel like I gained 10 pounds just reading this novel. This is a great foodie lover novel if you are into that sort of thing. Foodie lit is a new phenomenon for me but one that my tastebuds love and my waistline doesn’t. I love how charming novels like this are and I am surprised how much I loved the food element….needless to say, I devoured a roll of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls while reading this book….#sorrynotsorry. It’s a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and…
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Review: The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla (Pink Carnation #11) by Lauren Willig
This was the book I was least excited about reading in the series. It sounded completely out of Willig’s usual formula….like so far removed from her usual style that I just wasn’t thrilled about it. Vampires? In this series. No, no, and just no. Plus the heroine, Sally Fitzhugh, is not one that has even been on the fringes of the series up until like the last book and even then it was minimal. However, as I have said before, I am continually impressed with her ability to hook me into a believable romance and prove all my misconceptions wrong. So I tried to keep an open mind when I…
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Review: The Passion of the Purple Plumeria (Pink Carnation #10) by Lauren Willig
I don’t know why but I always seem to go into the later Pink Carnation books with a preconceived notion of the romance. With the last book, I was so not looking forward to it but found it was one of the more enjoyable ones! So one would think that I would keep an open mind. But I didn’t. I was not really looking forward to an ‘old person romance’ in this book…not that I’m a spring chicken mind you but still…something about Miss Gwen and Colonel Reid just didn’t scream sexy to me. In my mind, Miss Gwen is this old lady chaperone with pursed lips and grey hair…