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Review: Lost Among the Living by Simone St James
After finishing two of Simone St James novels in less than a week, I was thrilled when this one came into the library and was waiting patiently in the holds section for me to pick up. I had read a lot of great reviews for this book and was eager to see what kind of ghost and romance this story would hold. It sounded a little different than The Haunting of Maddy Clare but still within the same wheelhouse of that style, so I was intrigued. England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion…
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Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St James
I discovered Simone St James by happenstance this month. I have her latest novel The Broken Girls to review in March–side note, order this book now, it’s fantastic. After reading The Broken Girls, I was so in love with her prose and style, that I picked up all of her novels to read as soon as possible! The first one to come into my library was The Haunting of Maddy Clare so I picked it up and almost read it in one sitting because it was that good! Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis-rich, handsome, scarred by…
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Review: A Brush with Shadows (Lady Darby Mystery #6) by Anna Lee Huber
The last Lady Darby book was a little bit of a left down for me. That said, I was eager to see what this book held because I really love Anna Lee Huber’s books, not just the Lady Darby books, but all of her books! The thing that excited me most about this book was the eye catching cover. I totally need this sunny yellow dress to wear around town….it’s beautiful. I was absolutely in love with this cover…..yes I know that’s terrible but it’s the truth. I was happy to read this because the happy yellow dress made it so….especially on the cliffs of the moors. SOLD. July 1831.…
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Review: The Villainous Viscount Or The Curse Of The Venns by Lucinda Elliot
This is a new author for me and frankly I only agreed to read this novel because of the tag line: “An appreciative satire of the cliches of classical Gothic”. I love Gothic romances. I lived for Gothic romances as a little girl and as I’ve gotten older I cannot tell you how much I love them. It’s embarrassing. So how could I pass up this book about Gothic romances? I couldn’t! When Clarissa Greendale inherits the fortune of disreputable uncle she hardly knows, she does not expect to find herself forced into marriage with an aristocratic fortune hunter and wild, brawling, debauched social outcast. Not only that, but her…
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Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco
Having a library card is the best thing in the world. After seeing this book on a few Instagram pages, I was lured in by the cover and title. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to buy it though so I put a hold on it at my local library. After waiting three weeks for it to be returned, I was finally able to pick it up! This is one of those times that I am so thankful for library cards. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings,…
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Review: Romancing the Werewolf (Supernatural Society #2) by Gail Carriger
I first discovered Gail Carriger in early 2010. I loved her Parasol Protectorate series so much for a number of reasons, but mostly because of how well she developed her world. Since completing the series she has gone on to write a number of other novels/series and novellas in the same world. When the second installment of the Supernatural Society came out, I was happy to review it and see what characters would find a HEA. Werewolf in trouble… Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on…
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Review: The Silent Fountain by Victoria Fox
There is nothing like fall to make you want to read a mystery or a Gothic novel…..well at least for me! Fall is the perfect time to curl up with a creep or suspenseful book and spend the day lost in the mystery. That’s exactly what I did with The Silent Fountain! I read this book as part of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon, it was hard to break with my Pink Carnation book but somehow I found the ability to read something else, and I was not sad in the least. This book was a great Gothic novel! Hollywood, 1978: Tragedy sends troubled film star Vivien Lockhart into the arms…
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Review: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn
I’ve had my eye on this book since before it even had a title! I finished the second book and immediately started counting the days until this one was going to be released. Fortunately I had the good luck to be approved for an ARC way back in Oct, because I literally don’t think I could have waited for the release in Jan 2018! London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the…
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Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia
There was something about this book cover that reminded me of Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series. I kind of thought that I was going to read a steampunk-esque romance with a little paranormal thrown in. But considering that I have not actually read the Finishing School series, I think I can safely say that I had no idea what this book was going to be about other than maybe something YA with magic. In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be. Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle…
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Review: The English Wife by Lauren Willig
I first fell in love with Lauren Willig with her Pink Carnation series but I never ventured into her other stand alone books because I simply liked her where she belonged—in the Pink Carnation series. Her Pink Carnation series was so fantastic and I didn’t want to spoil it with a stand alone book that was subpar, so I avoided anything by her that wasn’t the Pink Carnation series. That was until this stunning cover screamed READ ME! Just looking at this book promised something fantastic, especially for fall. I needed this book more than I knew and I was reminded exactly why I love Lauren Willig and why I…