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Review: When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor
I have been a long time fan of Hazel Gaynor, I have loved all of her books and was thrilled to see this book coming up for release. This one sounded a little different than her typical books, but still a similar time period just a different location. I couldn’t wait to see how that all translated in this story and was thrilled when I was asked to review it! Earlier this year I read a novel set during the Japanese occupation of China in WWII which was a very new piece of history for me and I was eager to read more and this book sounded like it would…
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Review: Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
The cover of this book screamed adventure and oozed exotic atmosphere so I couldn’t wait to check it out as soon as it came in the mail. This is the author’s debut novel and it promised a far away land with a tantalizing murder mystery plus a little romance. I haven’t read anything set in India in quite some time. Not to mention something that sounded so fresh and different but yet familiar and comforting like a historical mystery is. This book came in at 400 pages so a little longer than a typical historical mystery but considering the setting, I was looking forward to what I hoped would be…
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Review: Dark Tides (The Fairmile #2) by Philippa Gregory
When I saw Tidelands was coming out, I was so excited. I wanted to read something by Philipa Gregory so badly and I jumped at the chance to read Tidelands. But I came away feeling a little underwhelmed. Most of the time, I love Gregory’s novels and have really enjoyed how rich and nuanced her history, characters, and romances are but in this one, I just felt like the story itself was cumbersome and dry. However, at the end of Tidelands I felt invested enough in the characters and the story to continue reading the series, in hopes that it would get better and the characters more exciting along with…
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Special Feature: His Castilian Hawk (The Castilian Saga #1) by Anna Belfrage
His Castilian Hawk by Anna Belfrage Publication Date: September 28, 2020Troubador Publishing Genre: Historical Fiction For bastard-born Robert FitzStephan, being given Eleanor d’Outremer in marriage is an honour. For Eleanor, this forced wedding is anything but a fairy tale. Robert FitzStephan has served Edward Longshanks loyally since the age of twelve. Now he is riding with his king to once and for all bring Wales under English control. Eleanor d’Outremer—Noor to family—lost her Castilian mother as a child and is left entirely alone when her father and brother are killed. When ordered to wed the unknown Robert FitzStephan, she has no choice but to comply. Two strangers in a marriage…
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Special Feature: The Silver Shooter (Rose Gallagher #3) by Erin Lindsey
This series right here has been a fun little reading escape for me! I have really enjoyed the last two books and am looking forward to reading this one soon. I couldn’t fit it into my review calendar but I am really excited about seeing what Rose Gallagher gets up to next! The second book really show maturity for the writer and growth so I am eager to check this one out. If you love female sleuths and historical mysteries then this is a series you need to get on your radar! The mysteries are always fun and I love Rose Gallagher’s thought process for unraveling them. She’s great and…
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Special Feature: The Lady Brewer of London by Karen Brooks
If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you will know just how much I love historical fiction! I always have my ear to the ground for new historical fiction reads and this one is begging me to check it out! Today I have it up for special feature, but will be reading it a little later on this year. It’s out now and sounds like it’s going to be something a little on the different side. So many historical fiction books are set in three main time periods, Tudor, Victorian/Regency, and WWII. This book is none of those but rather a Medieval period. I haven’t read…
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Special Feature: The Bachelor’s Bride by Holly Bush
The Bachelor’s Bride by Holly Bush Publication Date: November 17, 2020Holly Bush BookseBook; 244 pages Genre: Romance/America/VictorianSeries: The Thompsons of Locust Street, Book One Meet the Thompsons of Locust Street, an unconventional family taking Philadelphia high society by storm… 1868 Elspeth Thompson is the middle daughter in a family with tightly held secrets. While she loves her family, she longs to break out from their overprotective hold, to find herself, to be noticed for who she is rather than as chaperone to her beautiful younger sister, Kirsty, or underling to her elder sister, Muireall. A chance meeting under scandalous circumstances offers her the opportunity to be seen for herself, but…
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Review: Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
I haven’t met a Mimi Matthews book that I didn’t love and Gentleman Jim is no exception! I absolutely loved this one! Mimi Matthews is an auto-buy author for me. She always writes such wonderful romances with heart, chemistry, and they always leave me satisfied with a smile. I will say that I didn’t love the title of the book but when I read the author’s notes about why she went with Jim instead of Jack, I could understand but I still liked Gentleman Jack better. But no matter, Gentleman Jim is a large part of the story but not necessarily a principal character. If you love The Count of…
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Review: The Diabolical Bones (Brontë Sisters Mystery #2) by Bella Ellis
This is a series that could have gone so wrong or so right depending on the execution. The Bronte sisters as detectives? I just wasn’t sure when I first heard about it. But I am also a huge fan of all things Bronte so I decided to read the first book anyway. I am so glad I did, because I loved it! I worried that it would be hokey because the Bronte’s wrote romance rather than mystery so I just worried it wouldn’t translate well in this modern mashup of Brontes and murder. But it was great the first book was so fun and interesting that when the next book…
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Special Feature: Where Butterflies Go by Debra Doxer
Where Butterflies Go by Debra Doxer Publication Date: October 7, 2020Paperback & eBook; 270 pages Genre: Historical Fiction Meira Sokolow had the misfortune of being born to Jewish parents in Warsaw, Poland, in 1912. Before she took her first breath, her fate had been sealed. Residing in the Jewish Quarter of the city, Meira’s early life was typical. She fell in love with a local boy, got married, and had a daughter. Then the German army marched into Warsaw and everything changed. Forced into the ghetto with her family, she found survival to be a daily struggle. Hunger, disease, and unimaginable cruelty were her stark realities. When the ghetto was…