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Special Feature: A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing
When Samantha Downing made her debut, I knew then that she was going to be an outstanding thriller writer! I loved the book, My Lovely Wife! It was such a psychological read that I read it once when it came out and another time for my book club! I sometimes like re-reading books when they are especially good or when it’s part of a series that has a new book coming out and it’s been a while in between books—–so obviously I don’t do that often so that should be a testament to how much I enjoyed her debut novel! Then I read her second release—I wasn’t sure if I…
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Special Feature: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman
If ever there was a cover to lust after—-this is it. I absolutely love the colors and design of this cover! Whoever designed the cover did an amazing job at catching the eye of every single Jane Austen fan in the literary realm! But besides a beautiful cover, what else does this book have to offer? Well I will tell you—-it promises strong feminists and mystery! I love a good historical mystery but even more so when it has a Regency era theme to it! The first thing that stood out to me about this book was that it had a mature main character. Lady Augusts is 42 and a…
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Special Feature: The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2) by Karen White
Over the years I have read some of Karen White’s collaborations and standalone novels. I have also jumped around a bit in her other mystery series and always find her writing well thought out and enjoyable. I enjoy smartly written novels and White’s books have that as well as a little bit of a paranormal element. It’s not so much that it takes the book to a full on paranormal or horror story but it’s enough to make the books memorable and fun. This latest series by White will have many of the things that her Tradd Street books had, mystery, ghosts, charming houses, and great characters. I haven’t started…
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Review: Who Cries for the Lost (Sebastian St Cyr #18) by C.S. Harris
Over the years I have jumped around in the Sebastian St Cyr series, until I finally decided about a year ago to go back and read all the books in order. Some of the books can be read out of order, others not. This book has some carry over from the last book so I would say this is probably not the one to start with if you are new to the series. I have loved this series and I am so glad to see that it’s going strong. If you love historical mysteries but want something with a bit more grit, this is an excellent option. Every spring I…
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Review: No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby
When this one came up for review it sounded cute and charming. Like it might be a little bit cozy mystery with a little bit of romance which made me excited to read it. Though the cover doesn’t scream ‘cozy mystery’ to me—in fact the cover felt a little blah. But what the cover lacked in eye catching detail, the summery made up for and I was excited to check this debut novel out! I am always a sucker for historical mysteries (cozy or otherwise) and I thought this one sounded like it would be something new to check out. One thing that surprised me about this book was it’s…
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Review: Deep Tide (The Texas Murder Files #4) by Laura Griffin
I completely binge read all of Laura Griffin’s books late last year into 2023. I fell in love with her fast paced thrillers that also contained some romance to keep things interesting. Needless to say I had this one on my radar for months before it came out. I loved the other books in the series and was excited to see which characters from previous books would get their own story in this one. These books do not need to be read in order but you will see a few familiar characters making appearances thought out the series. For example, this book features Layla Breda who owns a coffee shop…
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Special Feature: Murder on Bedford Street (Gaslight Mystery #26) by Victoria Thompson
If you are a cozy mystery fan then you not doubt have seen Victoria Thompson and her Gaslight Mystery series SOMEWHERE! Her series is incredibly popular with historical cozy fans and with good reason! I have read a few throughout the series over the years and they are always a well constructed mystery with likable characters and tons of Victorian charm! Thompson has branched out to other book series as well but this one remains her most popular, as we are on book number 26 in the series. I have been able to jump around in the series for the most part but like with any well established series, there…
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Special Feature/Excerpt: The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright
If I was just looking at this book cover I would have thought two things—-it was set in France and it was a historical romance novel. Well I am semi right, it is a historical romance BUT it also has some Gothic elements with a bit of mystery. Though it is not set in France as I suspected but rather a Wisconsin castle. Random. I haven’t really been to the Midwest and it’s decidedly not the setting I was expecting or can even wrap my mind around but here we are. Even if the setting sounded a bit random for me, I was excited about this one all the same.…
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Special Feature/Excerpt: When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder
Authors like Hannah Linder and Julia Klassen have a corner stone on historical Christian fiction for a reason. They are both tried and proven authors and I personally have enjoyed many of their books. I love historical Christian fiction as they often feature a love interest and some kind of mystery a little reminiscent of Victoria Holt. Often the books feature a governess or woman who is down on her luck and happens to find work at a manor house with a checkered past and a dashing but brooding hero that the heroine can’t resist falling for. It’s a troupe that never gets old for me and one that for…
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Special Feature: Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman
This is author, Ella Burman’s, second novel and at first glance it looked like it was going to be more women’s fiction. The cover implied a carefree summer with friends. But then upon reading the summary I was like—-oh—-not that. This book promises some fun carefree summer of innocence but it also promises to have that illusion dispelled with a mystery! This book will follow three friends who have a life changing experience on a Greek island in their teens. The tragedy will follow them into adulthood and readers will get to explore what kind of impact that tragedy has on them. I loved the sound of this one. It…