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Review: The School for German Brides by Aimee K. Runyan
I have only read one of Aimee Runyan’s books but I adored it! I have had the others are on my TBR list and she is always one that I keep an eye on when I see new historical fiction coming out. When I saw this book I was instantly intrigued! A school to make the perfect German bride?! What in the world? I knew it was one that I couldn’t pass up as it would no doubt explore a plotline and history that I never even imagined before! One of the things that always stands out about Runyan’s books is the attention to historical detail. Historical fiction writers often…
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Review: Singapore Sapphire (Harriet Gordon Mysteries #1) by A. M. Stuart
I have had this book on my TBR shelf for A WHILE now. I randomly picked it up at a used bookstore forever ago and thought it sounded good. I liked that it was set in a different location than I was used to reading and perhaps might have a hint of adventure in ways that I haven’t experienced before in some ‘far east’ mystery books. But like so many readers, I took it home and set it down on my bookshelf for another day. Every time I would go looking for something to read, I would pause at the title but then keep going in favor of another lady…
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Review: The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan
Over the years I have read and enjoyed many or Rachel McMillan’s books! I especially loved her book The London Restoration that I read in 2020. It was a standalone novel with lots of historical detail and some romance. While I enjoyed her historical mysteries, it was the standalone novel that really made me love her writing! When I saw that she was coming out with a new standalone piece of historical fiction, I was eager to get my hands on it. I love books about espionage and spies especially when they are women spies! I have read a lot of historical fiction with female spies in WWII and while…
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Review: The Key to Deceit (Electra McDonnell #2) by Ashley Weaver
This series captured my heart last year with it’s debut! I have read other books and series by Ashley Weaver but this is the series that has captured my attention the absolute most! After book one I was so eager to see what happened with Ellie next! Did she go back to safe cracking and stealing or did she keep on the straight and narrow? I grabbed this book as soon as it was released and since it was on the shorter side (under 300 pages) I basically read it in one sitting—on my flight to Cabo. It was a super quick read and I found that the magic and…
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Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
I have to say that Tessa Arlen has been an author that I have enjoyed in different ways over the years. I started reading her earlier books years ago which were mostly historical mysteries. Later on I discovered her new heroines and historical fiction series as well and later on a standalone historical fiction novel. Some times, some authors are better at writing mysteries while others thrieve with general historical fiction. Arlen is wonderful at all of them! I have loved many of her books for different reasons as they are always well written and researched. This book was a no brainer! First I featured an excerpt for a tour…
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Review: The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth
It’s been a hot minute since I read anything by Kate Forsyth. Generally she writes more fantasy and fairytale retellings but this book is firmly in the historical fiction genre. So needless to say when it came up for review, I was intrigued because it was different than what Forsyth typically writes and she is such a wonderful writer that I knew this one would be on par with her other books! Obviously it was an easy ‘yes’ to review but beyond just the author and genre of the book I didn’t know too much going in. I mean of course I get an officially summary of the books I…
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Special Feature/Excerpt: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
Who else is a massive sucker for stunning book covers? I know I am! When I saw this one come up for review, I knew I wanted to read it based on the cover alone, but then I saw that Tessa Arlen wrote it and I was instantly excited! I have read and loved many of Arlen’s books, most of which are historical mysteries. She always writes such great books and the historical parts are on point! Seeing this book cover and the summary with the Titanic connection, really made me excited because I know how well Arlen does historical fiction and since this is a little different than her…
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Special Feature: The People’s Princess by Flora Harding
I can vividly remember where I was when I found out Princess Diana had died. It was such a memorable event and one that captivated me as the events and details of her life unfolded. I was in my late teens when she died and I didn’t really know much about her personal life but in the months after her death, I found my self more and more fascinated with her life and history. Now that I am an adult I still am fascinated by the royal family and I love books that explore the royals. When I saw this book was coming out I jumped at the chance to…
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Review: A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari
This book has me written all over it! The cover, the title, the summary! I couldn’t wait to check this one out and start reading it! I loved that it was set in post WWI England, though to be honest I missed in the summery that it was set in 1923 when I read it. I spent the first 10-20 pages of the book trying to figure out of it was the Victorian era or post WWI! At any rate, the setting was great and it had a very ‘adventurer,. explorer, intellectual’ vibe from the very first page and I was eager to see how the story panned out. If…
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Special Feature: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
It’s funny how war changes so much about society in unexpected ways. I loved that this book really wanted to tell the story of how war changed life for these three very different war brides. Sewing really used to be such a bonding experience for women not to mention a point of pride. I can remember my my grandma telling me about sewing with her friends and sisters and the pride she took in the fact that she sewed her own wedding dress (in the 1930s!). In the age of everything including wedding dresses being at the tip of our fingers, it’s pretty amazing to think about women sitting around…