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Special Feature: The Bookseller of Paris by Kerri Maher
There is something about bookstores and war time historical fiction that makes for such a great pairing! When I read the description of this book I knew I had to get it on everyones radar! It sounds so charming and well researched that I couldn’t pass up at least bringing a feature to you guys! May calendar for reviews has been so full and I have been scaling back on some of my reviews just to keep up with life, work, and blogging. This one was so hard for me to decide on because it sounds so wonderful! I wanted to review it of course but could only fit in…
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Special Feature/Interview: Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor
The Great Gatsby has long been the darling of the literary world, especially for just about every high school sophomore. For mer personally, I never liked Gatsby. I read it in high school like so many others and didn’t enjoy it. I re-read it as an adult and didn’t enjoy it any more then than I did as a teen. Now that said, I have enjoyed watching Gatsby or Gatsby inspired films. I feel like the visual appeal of the roaring 20’s really enhances the literary experience for me. While I might not have enjoyed the book, I have loved the film versions of the classic. And I am usually…
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Review: Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft
I was first introduced the Jenny Ashcroft’s wonderful writing ability in her novel Meet Me in Bombay last year and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t read anything by her before. So when I saw she had another historical fiction novel coming out this year I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s now a foregone conclusion, I need all of her books. I love that she writes historical fiction novels that are set in exotic locations—Egypt, Singapore, Bombay and now Australia. This book is set in WWII (her other books also have a war backdrop) and I think this is such a wonderful pairing because so many…
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Review: Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen
I read one of Julie Klassen’s books a few years ago and absolutely loved it. She reminds me of a modern Victoria Holt and by modern I don’t mean her stories, as they are all historical fiction, but modern in that Klassen is a modern woman and she writes strong, vibrant heroines! I was super excited to check out this latest novel from Klassen so when it came up for review, naturally it was a no brainer as a YES! In the historical fiction world, there are a ton of Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart fans and for good reason. Their novels really took the small ‘Gothic romance’ genre and…
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Review: Beneath a Starless Sky by Tessa Harris
You had me at forbidden romance with this one. I am an absolute sucker for forbidden romances and this book sounded like it had the ultimate forbidden romance—German soldier and a Jewish woman during WWII. I mean come on how could I pass on that? I was super excited to dive into this one. Author Tessa Harris has written two other historical mysteries series (which I now need to read) but this is her first stand alone historical fiction novel. While her other novels are set in the Victorian era, this one is set during WWII and I thought she did a wonderful job with her historical research and presentation…
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Special Feature: From a Dark Horizon (Gregor Reinhardt #4) by Luke McCallin
It’s no secret how much I love WWI historical novels but so many of them have a strong romance element which is totally fine and in fact I often prefer it, but there are times when I want something a little different to sink my teeth into. When I saw this book I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for—a WWI thriller. I am a bit of a military history nerd and when I saw that this book had a lot of military history as well as a strong mystery/thriller component I was all about it! This is the fourth book in the Gregor Reinhardt series and…
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Special Feature: Someone Perfect (Westcott #9) by Mary Balogh
When my mom first put a Mary Balogh novel in my hands, I was shocked. She handed me this book with a cheesy cover (hello shirtless man in an awkward pose) and I didn’t really know what to say. Honestly I just wanted to put it on my shelf and forget all about the shirtless man with a suggestive look on his face. But then she kept bugging me and bugging me to see if I had read it yet so I did what any good daughter would do and that is read what your mother tells you to. Besides the frequent references to being a ‘lusty man’, I actually…
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Review: A Class Coveted (A Matter of Class #4) by Susie Murphy
Over the years I have read so many historical fiction novels all with varying degrees of subject matter, time period, and sub genre. I am always on the lookout for the next hot historical fiction novel especially from up and coming new authors. I love having a ‘secret’ book that no one knows about that I can share with everyone. A few years ago I reviewed the first book in this series, A Class Apart, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I first picked it up but then I was quickly involved with Bridget and Cormac’s story and devoured the book. Author Susie Murphy is an independent…
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Review: Reputation by Lex Croucher
Has Jane Austen ever been sexier and hot than right now? With the huge hit series, Bridgerton, Netflix opened the door for a new generation of fans for Regency England and romance. Jane Austen is like the original rom-com writer and there is a reason many of her novels continue to be remade into modern stories or films. Like so many others, I adore Jane Austen—and I am always on the look out for new takes on the ‘Regency rom-com’ genre. Enter this book. I was instantly drawn to this book and couldn’t pass on it. I loved the mash up description of Jane Austen meets Mean Girls and honestly—that’s…
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Review: Love and Lavender (Mayfield Family #4) by Josi S Kilpack
Last year I read one of Josi S Kilpack’s sweet historical romances and I thought it was a nice read with a lot of potential. I added a few of her other novels to my TBR list after reading Rakes and Roses so when this one came up for review I thought I would continue with the series. Rakes and Roses was the third in the Mayfield Family series and this one, Love and Lavender is the fourth. If you enjoy sweet romances you will no doubt recognize Kilpack’s name as she has written quite a few historical romances as well as a few mystery novels. She has a knack…