-
Review: Lost Among the Living by Simone St James
After finishing two of Simone St James novels in less than a week, I was thrilled when this one came into the library and was waiting patiently in the holds section for me to pick up. I had read a lot of great reviews for this book and was eager to see what kind of ghost and romance this story would hold. It sounded a little different than The Haunting of Maddy Clare but still within the same wheelhouse of that style, so I was intrigued. England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion…
-
Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St James
I discovered Simone St James by happenstance this month. I have her latest novel The Broken Girls to review in March–side note, order this book now, it’s fantastic. After reading The Broken Girls, I was so in love with her prose and style, that I picked up all of her novels to read as soon as possible! The first one to come into my library was The Haunting of Maddy Clare so I picked it up and almost read it in one sitting because it was that good! Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis-rich, handsome, scarred by…
-
Review: A Brush with Shadows (Lady Darby Mystery #6) by Anna Lee Huber
The last Lady Darby book was a little bit of a left down for me. That said, I was eager to see what this book held because I really love Anna Lee Huber’s books, not just the Lady Darby books, but all of her books! The thing that excited me most about this book was the eye catching cover. I totally need this sunny yellow dress to wear around town….it’s beautiful. I was absolutely in love with this cover…..yes I know that’s terrible but it’s the truth. I was happy to read this because the happy yellow dress made it so….especially on the cliffs of the moors. SOLD. July 1831.…
-
Review: Another One Bites the Crust (A Bakeshop Mystery #7) by Ellie Alexander
I recently reviewed one of Ellie Alexander’s novels and I loved how she incorporated unique locations in her book. One of her books was based in Leavenworth Washington which is basically the Christmas town of the Pacific Northwest. That was the reason I agreed to review this one….this time Alexander has us in Ashland Oregon. I live in Oregon (in Salem, the capital) which is about 5 hours north of Ashland but I have been to Ashland many times and I loved the charming town. They host a yearly Shakespearean festival there which I have attended before and the quality of acting is superior to man festivals. Plus the theater…
-
Special Feature: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn
The day is finally here…..A TREACHEROUS CURSE is finally out! I had this book on pre-order the instant I was done with the second book. This is one of my all time favorite mysteries and Deanna Raybourn is a fantastic writer of romance and blending it with mystery! If you haven’t read her books, start with the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series….you won’t be disappointed! If you have already discovered this series, then like me you have been waiting for almost a year for the next book and today it is finally available! London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t…
-
Review: The Woman in the Camphor Trunk (Anna Blanc Mysteries #2) by Jennifer Kincheloe
About a couple of years ago, I read the first Anna Blanc mystery and was in love with her character and eager to see the romance develop between her and Joe. It seemed an age before the next book would come out but then suddenly it was out and I quickly picked it up from my library before anyone else could get their hands on it! This time we find a very different Anna from the Anna we met in the first book. A once rich society girl, we now find a poor Anna struggling to get by. Los Angeles, 1908. In Chinatown, the most dangerous beat in Los Angeles,…
-
Review: Whispers Beyond the Veil (A Change of Fortune Mystery #1) by Jessica Estevao
This was definitely my year of DNF books. I did not start out this year thinking I would have so many, but when I put down The Gunslinger earlier this year, something happened to me. I suddenly felt like it was ok to put books down that I wasn’t enjoying rather than suffer through something I was not interested in. So here we are with year another book that I DNF this year and I was shocked when this one went back to the library earlier than expected. This should have been a book that I had great things to say about. I was willing to give it a few…
-
Review: Death Below Stairs (Kat Holloway Mysteries #1) by Jennifer Ashley
This book kept hoping up all over my Twitter feed and I had my eye on it for so long. I had been searching for something a little different from the usual high society murder mystery series. And this looked like the perfect combo, cook from a big house tuned sleuth…sounds intriguing. So I was thrilled when I got the chance to review an early copy! Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds…
-
Review: This Side of Murder (Verity Kent #1) by Anna Lee Huber
As many of you know, I binge read almost all of Anna Lee Huber’s books this year. I love the Lady Darby books and I also loved her Gothic Myths book as well! Huber rapidly became a favorite author of mine and I was eager to read her latest book series about Verity Kent. I saw a lot of this book on Twitter so I tried to procure a copy before it’s release but sadly I waited too long! So I had to resort to my local library….which I waited like 3 weeks for it to come in. By then I had almost lost interest in reading it but when…
-
Review: Bloodstains with Bronte (Crime with the Classics #2) by Katherine Bolger Hyde
Full disclosure, I decided to review this book because of the catchy title. I am a huge Bronte lover and I am easily swayed by all things Bronte. But, after the initial excitement over the title evaporated, I was left with a book that I wasn’t sure I was going to love. So it sat on my review calendar for a few weeks and I was not looking forward to reviewing it but I knew the time was coming. So I picked it up to start on a cold rainy morning (which suites anything Bronte related) and went to town. After about 3 pages I had a renewed excitement to…