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 back and started at the beginning and it was so great for me to do that because I fell in love withe the story and characters even more.

That said you don’t have to read all the books in order necessarily. Some you do but for the most part they can stand alone. This one was one of the books that could stand alone. I am so excited to re-share my review with you guys today because I just love this series so much and the characters and mysteries are fantastic! If you love historical mysteries you need Sebastian St Cyr on your radar!

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What to Read After Bridgerton

If you have been following me on Instagram, then you will know that I have been binge reading the Bridgerton books. I watched the show in one sitting and was instantly obsessed with not only the Netflix series, but I knew that I needed to read the book. I subsequently devoured all eight books in less than a month. Actually I read The Duke and I back in the spring of 2020, but the other seven books were all ready in less than three weeks, that’s how much I loved them.

Now here I am with a massive book hangover. I picked up another book to read and instantly felt sad—it didn’t compare to the Bridgerton’s and I knew that the only thing to cure my book hangover was to find more books like Bridgerton and devour them too. I know there are other out there who are feeling like me and need something to cure their Bridgeton hangover!

I decided to put together a short list of books to read if you are suffering from Bridgerton withdrawals. These five books are all ones that I have read and enjoyed over the years and I think that others will enjoy too. But let me say this…..if you have watched the show and haven’t read the books—-stop reading this and go read the Bridgerton books first.

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Special Feature and Excerpt: The Rakehell of Roth (Everleigh Sisters #2) by Amalie Howard

I have been all about the historical romances lately. Bridgerton inspired me to read more of the historical romance genre. I know that a lot of historical fiction novels have a romantic element, which I how I normally get my romance fix, but there is something unique about actual historical romances.

Typically the historical fiction novels have other plots to focus on and if romance factors in, then so much the better. But the historical romance genre focuses exclusively on the romance and HEA. That’s what I am loving lately about the historical romance genre. We all need a little HEA right now and I have been devouring all the HEA that I can find!

Today I have an excerpt for Amalie Howard’s new historical romance, The Rakehell of Roth. This one is the second installment to her Everleigh Sisters series and it promises to be breathtaking! I can’t wait to read this one in its entirety! Get all the details below and check out this little sneak peak also!

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Reading and Ranking the Bridgerton Novels

Like most of the world, the Netflix series Bridgerton, dominated my TV during Christmas Day. I desperately wanted to watch it and asked if my husband wanted to watch with me. He wasn’t sure about it but I told him that he only had to watch one episode and if he didn’t like it then I would just watch it alone on another day. The next thing I know, it was 3 am and we had binged the entire series in one sitting!

My husband loved it as much as I did and truly, it is a remarkable show so if you haven’t watched it yet please do so! That said, when I heard the show was coming out in the spring, I knew that I wanted to try and read the books. I picked up The Duke and I and to be honest I just didn’t love it. It was good but after a while it got cumbersome and irritating, however after watching the show, I was inspired to pick up the books again!

What ensued was a full on book binge of the entire series! I have been documenting my reading of the series on my Instagram page and I had a number of people ask which was my favorite and why so I thought it would be fun to share my ranking of the series in a more comprehensive capacity here on my blog today! So let’s take a look at what I thought of the books from worst to best!

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Review: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

The very first novel that I remember loving was The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt. I was eleven or twelve and no doubt missed all the adult nuances of the story, but what I didn’t miss was the Gothic atmosphere of the novel. I went through a lengthy Victoria Holt period in my early teens and then again as an adult. I am always looking for books that capture what I loved about Victoria Holt…..creepy, atmospheric historical fiction with a romantic element.

This book sounded like exactly that—and it was! I have never grown out of my Gothic Lit phase and reading books like this, I am reminded just how much I love Gothic novels with romance. Many authors have tried to strike a similar balance like Victoria Holt, but not many authors have succeeded. I can think of only a few authors who I would consider similar to Victoria Holt but Abigail Wilson is now one such author!

I adored this book even if there were some things that I thought could have been more nuanced or flushed out, over all this novel had me transfixed and in suspense until the very end. I have been looking forward to this one for quite some time and was thrilled with all the atmosphere this one delivered!

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