-
Special Feature: Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan
One evening in 1924, Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a concert. The piece: Rhapsody in Blue. The composer: a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin. Kay is transfixed, helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm, and swagger. Their ten-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight. Set in Jazz Age New York City, this stunning work of fiction, for fans of The…
-
Special Feature: The Northern Reach by W.S. Winslow
There is something about the rugged wildness of the coastline that adds so much atmosphere to a book. While I love the calming languid waters of the tropical islands, there is something so much more dramatic about a rocky untamed coast. This book is set on the Maine coast and that is one of the reasons this book caught my eye. The other reason this one sounds so captivating is that it sounds like a pensive book that will give readers pause and reflect on their lives and the complexity of family and location. I think it’s going to offer a unique perspective for readers and give them something to…
-
Review: Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg
I haven’t had very good luck with duologies. I typically find them to feel unfinished. There is something about the trilogy of three books that rounds out a story in a way that two books just doesn’t. So often I tend to pass on them, but then I was pitched Charlie N Holmberg’s Spellbreaker duology. The covers for Holmberg’s books are whimsical and really stand out to me. They are easy to identify and the suggest something historical mixed with fantasy and I couldn’t pass on the first book. It just sounded so good and I did enjoy it so reading the second book in the duology was a no…
-
Special Feature: Windhall by Ava Barry
Like many devoted Netflix fans, I binge watched the new true crime documentary, Crime Scene the story of Elisa Lam. There is something about mysteries set in Lala Land that just add so much intrigue and a twisted sort of glamour. After watching the documentary, I was interested in finding not only some true crime books but also some thrillers that were also set in Hollywood. That was one of the reasons that this book is so timely for me—it’s a murder mystery set in old Hollywood. I am so excited to share about this book with you guys today! If you love Hollywood’s golden age, starlets, investigative journalists, and…
-
Re-Share Review: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15) by C.S. Harris
Sebastian St Cyr is one of my all time favorite detectives. I love all of the books and I am actually currently reading the next book which is great by the way! I loved the series so much that I went back and read the entire series beginning to end last year so that I could get a more complete picture of Sebastian and the secondary characters. I had jumped around in the series when I started the books and while I wasn’t exactly lost, there were times when I could tell that I was missing out one some nuances between the characters and the larger narrative. So I went…
-
Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
When I saw this book, the cover made it hard to pass on. The cover is so eye catching and colorful that I couldn’t look away! I loved it and was immediately curious what this book was all about! Then I read the back…..ummmm sold after the two rules! I couldn’t wait to check this one out! In the summary the first line is this: Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register. I mean poison and murder in the late 1700s?! YES! I couldn’t wait to get my…
-
Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn
I have been a fan of Veronica Speedwell since the very first book. I adore the slow burn chemistry between Veronica and Stoker (her love interest) and the mysteries are always satisfying. Deanna Raybourn is such a great writer, I read her Lady Julia series as well as some of her standalone books and all have been so delightful! One of the things that makes this series stand out to me more than some other historical mysteries is that both Veronica and Stoker have unique professions. Veronica is a butterfly scientist/hunter and Stoker is a taxidermist—although he has had quite a few other jobs in his life so maybe it’s…
-
Special Feature: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
One of the thing that I love about own voices novels is experiencing a story within a story. On the surface you have the actual story and characters etc, but there is a second story within the novel and that’s the authors own unique narrative and how they interpret or experience the story and characters based on their own unique cultural perspective. This hot little own voices novel is out now and it sounds incredible! Author Nadia Hashimi has written a number of novels and all have been met with rave reviews! I haven’t read any of her books but I have seen them on many best seller lists and…
-
Special Feature: The London Monster by Donna Scott
The London Monster by Donna Scott Publication Date: November 21, 2020Paperback & eBook; 322 pages Genre: Historical Fiction In 1788, exactly one hundred years before Jack the Ripper terrorizes the people of London, a sexual miscreant known as the London Monster roams the streets in search of his next victim… Thomas Hayes, having lost his mother in a vicious street assault, becomes an underground pugilist on a mission to rid the streets of violent criminals. But his vigilante actions lead to him being mistaken for the most terrifying criminal of all. Assistance arrives in the form of Sophie Carlisle, a young journalist with dreams of covering a big story, though…
-
Review: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
I have only had the pleasure of reading one of Kristy Cambron’s novels but I have many of them on my TBR of course. I loved The Painted Castle which I read back in 2019 and I was really excited to see that this one was coming out! When it came up for review I was ecstatic and I loved the cover! Easy yes right here! There are a lot of wonderful WWII novels that come out every year and I try and squeeze in as many as I can. Many are set in Paris or feature unlikely female heroines turned spies or resistance fighters and while the genre is…