#BookReview The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh @claremackint0sh @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheLastParty #ClareMackintosh #DCMorgan #bookmarkedbylandmark

#BookReview The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh @claremackint0sh @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheLastParty #ClareMackintosh #DCMorgan #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Last Party

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Series: DC Morgan #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8/10

At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.

It’s a party to end all parties, but not everyone is here to celebrate.

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.

But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.

In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning.


Review:

Simmering, tight, and intriguing!

The Last Party is a tense, menacing police procedural that takes us to North Wales, where DC Ffion Morgan will have to team up with DC Leo Brady from the Cheshire Constabulary when the body of the previously famous opera singer Rhys Lloyd is found floating in Mirror Lake on New Years Day and the investigation quickly unearths secrets that point to him being a victim of misfortune, infidelity, and revenge or possibly a predator himself who through the years has preyed on anyone more vulnerable.

The prose is atmospheric and gritty. The characters are secretive, scarred, and impulsive. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel steadily into a sinister tale full of twists, turns, deception, revelations, emotion, violence, and murder.

The Last Party is the first book in the new DC Morgan series, and as I’m a huge fan of Mackintosh’s standalone thrillers, I’m interested and intrigued to read any and all of the next instalments to see how these characters will further develop and where she might actually take them.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is an award-winning New York Times and international bestselling author. She spent twelve years on the police force in England and has written for Guardian (UK), Good Housekeeping, and other publications. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide. Clare lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

Photo by Astrid di Crollalanza.

#BookReview An Italian Girl in Brooklyn by Santa Montefiore @SantaMontefiore @SimonSchusterCA #AnItalianGirlinBrooklyn #SantaMontefiore

#BookReview An Italian Girl in Brooklyn by Santa Montefiore @SantaMontefiore @SimonSchusterCA #AnItalianGirlinBrooklyn #SantaMontefiore Title: An Italian Girl in Brooklyn

Author: Santa Montefiore

Published by: Simon and Schuster on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Dark secrets and hidden sorrows abound in Santa Montefiore’s spellbinding new novel set in war-torn Italy and the streets of New York.

‘Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore’ JOJO MOYES
 
New York, 1979
 
It is Thanksgiving and Evelina has her close family and beloved friends gathered around, her heart weighted with gratitude for what she has and regret for what she has given up. She has lived in America for over thirty years, but she is still Italian in her soul. 
 
Northern Italy, 1934
 
Evelina leads a sheltered life with her parents and siblings in a villa of fading grandeur. When her elder sister Benedetta marries a banker, to suit her father’s wishes rather than her own, Evelina swears that she will never marry out of duty. She knows nothing of romantic love, but when she meets Ezra, son of the local dressmaker, her heart recognises it like an old friend. 
 
Evelina wants these carefree days to last forever. She wants to bask in sunshine, beauty and love and pay no heed to the grey clouds gathering on the horizon. But nothing lasts forever.  The shadows of war are darkening over Europe and precious lives are under threat…


Review:

Thoughtful, moving, and immersive!

An Italian Girl in Brooklyn is a poignant, tender tale set in Northern Italy during 1934, as well as New York in 1979, that takes you into the lives of Evelina Pierangelini and Ezra Zanotti, two young lovers from different backgrounds and religions whose lives are unimaginably torn apart and changed forever when their homeland adopts and enforces Germany’s antisemitic regulations during WWII.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are brave, selfless, and resilient. And the plot is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, forbidden love, tragedy, friendship, and the consequences, repercussions, and horrors of war.

Overall, An Italian Girl in Brooklyn is a beautifully written, sweeping saga by Montefiore that tugs at the heartstrings, makes you think of all those what-ifs, and ultimately reminds you that life is complicated, things often happen for a reason, and love is powerful and everlasting.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Santa Montefiore

Santa Montefiore’s books have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than four million copies in England and Europe. She is married to writer Simon Sebag Montefiore. They live with their two children, Lily and Sasha, in London.

Photograph by Santa Montefiore

#BookReview Be Your Everything by Catherine Bybee @catherinebybee @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #BeYourEverything #TheDAngelos #CatherineBybee #Montlake

#BookReview Be Your Everything by Catherine Bybee @catherinebybee @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #BeYourEverything #TheDAngelos #CatherineBybee #Montlake Title: Be Your Everything

Author: Catherine Bybee

Series: The D'Angelos #2

Published by: Montlake Romance on Nov. 15, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 9/10

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a romance about childhood friends who marry in Vegas and embark on a wild ride to find their happily ever after.

With two protective older brothers and a traditional Catholic Italian mother, it’s surprising that Chloe D’Angelo can manage a date without someone in the family naysaying her romantic choice. And Dante Mancuso…oh, no. Her brother’s best friend is not a dating-app right swipe.

But when they are left unsupervised on a late night in Vegas, all of that changes. Add in a Vegas wedding chapel and a couple of “I dos” and Chloe wakes up with a ring on her finger and a hangover. Dating Dante was always a secret desire, but marriage? The rift that this news would cause in her family has the both of them keeping their nuptials to themselves as they scramble to undo their Vegas mistake.

Dante knew the rules: Chloe was off limits. Only he can’t stop once his mind starts to believe she might be his forever. Just as their attraction deepens, Chloe flees to Bali, desperate to clear her head.

All Dante has to do is keep her brothers from killing him and convince her that they are meant for each other. But first, Dante has to find her.


Review:

Charming, uplifting, and sweet!

Be Your Everything is an intimate, alluring tale that takes you into the life of the supportive, troubled Chloe D’Angelo who, after drunkenly marrying the man of her dreams during a pit stop at a Vegas chapel, travels to Bali to indulge in some rest and relaxation, find some peace from her lovable but overbearing Italian family, and give her self some time and space away from the one man, her brother’s best friend Dante Mancuso, who always seems to break her heart.

The writing is crisp and light. The characters are charismatic, loyal, and endearing. And the plot is an enchanting mix of life, love, heartbreak, friendship, introspection, palpable chemistry, familial drama, sizzling chemistry, awkward moments, and swoon-worthy romantic gestures.

I’m not sure there’s a Catherine Bybee book out there that I haven’t enjoyed and that isn’t well written with the perfect mix of heart, hope, and heat, and Be Your Everything is no exception. I  loved the storyline, I loved the characters, and I loved the happy-ever-after ending.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Bybee

Catherine Bybee is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five books that have collectively sold more than three million copies and have been translated into twelve languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, and the Most Likely To series.

#BookReview The Perfect Assassin by James Patterson & Brian Sitts @JP_Books @GrandCentralPub #JamesPatterson #ThePerfectAssassin #DocSavage #GCPInsider

#BookReview The Perfect Assassin by James Patterson & Brian Sitts @JP_Books @GrandCentralPub #JamesPatterson #ThePerfectAssassin #DocSavage #GCPInsider Title: The Perfect Assassin

Author: James Patterson, Brian Sitts

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Nov. 15, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Prof. Brandt Savage—grandson of the legendary action hero Doc Savage—is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling…as the perfect assassin.
 
Dr. Brandt Savage is on sabbatical from the University of Chicago. Instead of doing solo fieldwork in anthropology, the gawky, bespectacled PhD finds himself enrolled in a school where he is the sole pupil. His professor, “Meed,” is demanding. She’s also his captor. 
 
Savage emerges from their intensive training sessions physically and mentally transformed, but with no idea why he’s been chosen, and how he’ll use his fearsome abilities. Then his first mission with Meed takes them back to her own training ground, where Savage learns how deeply entwined their two lives have been. To prevent a new class of killers from escaping this harsh place where their ancestors first fought to make a better world, they must pledge anew : Do right to all, and wrong to no one.     

Review:

Thrilling, fierce, and action-packed!

The Perfect Assassin is a gripping, suspenseful tale that takes you into the life of Dr. Brandt Savage, a professor of anthropology whose planned sabbatical takes an unusual turn when he is kidnapped off the street by the enigmatic Meed and is schooled in the fine art of assassination.

The prose is taut and intense. The characters are complex, intelligent, and resourceful. And the plot using flashbacks and multiple POVs is a riveting tale of twists, turns, espionage, passion, intrigue, tension, terrorism, violence, corruption, elite training, and murder.

Overall, The Perfect Assassin is another successful collaboration by Patterson that features lots of different locales, sexual chemistry, battles, action, and adventure. It keeps you invested, engaged, and on the edge of your seat from the very first page, and if you can suspend disbelief for a little while, you will certainly be satisfied and highly entertained.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About James Patterson

JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 385 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand- alone thrillers.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Wait for Me by Sara Shepard @UnionSqandCo #WaitforMe #SaraShepard #UnionSqandCo

#BookReview Wait for Me by Sara Shepard @UnionSqandCo #WaitforMe #SaraShepard #UnionSqandCo Title: Wait for Me

Author: Sara Shepard

Published by: Union Square & Co. on Nov. 1, 2022

Genres: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Union Square & Co.

Book Rating: 7.5/10

Drowning in déjà vu . . .
 
Who is Casey Rhodes? Is she a no-nonsense realist or a hopeless romantic? A just-getting-by scholarship student or a sometimes-Cinderella dating the cool, cultured heir to a media empire and New York City’s most eligible? At seventeen years old and already in her sophomore year at NYU, Casey sheds disguises effortlessly. It’s how she navigates school and avoids the second-guessing that’s plagued her since she and her boyfriend Marcus got together. 
 
But then Casey starts hearing voices that terrify her so badly she flees to the remote beach town of Avon where she can sort through her thoughts and reset. But the voices only get more intense and are now accompanied by visions of places she’s never been and people she’s never met, like Jake who’s lived in Avon his whole life. There’s no way Casey could know him, yet she feels an immediate connection. And, crazier still: he feels it too. Together they search for answers, finding only questions—about their connection, Avon, Casey’s memories . . . And whose voice is she hearing inside her head?


Review:

Mysterious, thought-provoking, and romantic!

Wait For Me is a creative, dramatic tale that takes you on a journey into the life of seventeen-year-old Casey Rhodes as she struggles with her hesitancy towards her seemingly rich, handsome boyfriend Marcus, her haunting memories of the loss of her mother, the inexplicable attraction she seems to have for a boy who calls her Becky, and disturbing flashbacks that seem so real but from another life completely.

The writing is haunting and rich. The characters are confused, troubled, and determined. And the plot is a tortuous, emotional tale of life, loss, tragedy, desperation, familial drama, secrets, heartache, romance, tortured souls, and supernatural phenomena.

Overall, Wait For Me was a little different than I was expecting but was nevertheless a unique, compelling, twisty read by Shepard that kept me intrigued from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Union Square & Co. for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the sixteen-book Pretty Little Liars series, which has sold millions of copies worldwide, has been translated into more than twenty different languages, and became a popular TV show on Freeform. She’s also the author of The Perfectionists and The Lying Game, which also were TV series, as well as The Amateurs series, and several books for adults including The Heiresses, Reputation, and The Elizas. She’s written more than thirty novels in total and is also active in the screenwriting and podcasting spaces.

Photo by Daniel Snyder.

#BookReview Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath @VirginiaHeath_ @smpromance @StMartinsPress #NeverRescueaRogue #VirginiaHeath #MerriwellSisters #smpromance #smpinfluencers

#BookReview Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath @VirginiaHeath_ @smpromance @StMartinsPress #NeverRescueaRogue #VirginiaHeath #MerriwellSisters #smpromance #smpinfluencers Title: Never Rescue a Rogue

Author: Virginia Heath

Series: The Merriwell Sisters #2

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, eBook

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

Virginia Heath’s Never Rescue a Rogue, the next book in the Merriwell Sisters series, is filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain—not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common—the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son’s birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined—and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…


Review:

Scandalous, seductive, and fun!

Never Rescue a Rogue is a playful, heartwarming tale that sweeps you away to London during 1826 and into the life of Diana Merriwell, a young, clever journalist who is determined to keep her identity as “The Sentinel” a secret at any cost, even if it means befriending and helping the annoyingly handsome, newly appointed Duke of Harpenden, Giles Sinclair who seems to be inundated with troubles and devastating secrets of his own.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are loyal, charming, and endearing. And the plot is a delightfully enchanting tale full of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, illegitimacy, danger, and steamy romance.

Overall, Never Rescue a Roque is a fast-paced, enticing, highly entertaining read by Heath that is the second book in The Merriwell Sisters series and a novel that I absolutely adored.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Virginia Heath

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Fortunately, the lovely people at Harlequin Mills & Boon took pity on her and decided to publish her romances, but it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

#BookReview The Girls in Navy Blue by Alix Rickloff @AlixRickloff @uplitreads #thegirlsinnavyblue #authoralixrickloff #uplitreadscampaign

#BookReview The Girls in Navy Blue by Alix Rickloff @AlixRickloff @uplitreads #thegirlsinnavyblue #authoralixrickloff #uplitreadscampaign Title: The Girls in Navy Blue

Author: Alix Rickloff

Published by: William Morrow on Nov. 1, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 8/10

A gripping and compelling dual timeline novel about three women who joined the Navy during WWI to become yeomanettes and the impact their choices have on one of their descendants in 1968.

1918 – America is at war with Germany, and, for the first time in history, the US Navy has allowed women to join up alongside the men. Ten thousand of them rush to do their part. German-American Marjory Kunwald enlists in the Navy to prove her patriotism. Suffragette Blanche Lawrence to prove that women are the equal of men. And shy preacher’s daughter Viv Weston in a desperate attempt to hide from the police.

Even as the US military pours into France and the war heats up, the three yeomanettes find friendship and sisterhood within the Navy. But all their plans for the future are thrown into chaos when Viv’s dark past finally catches up with her.

1968 – Newly divorced and reeling from a personal tragedy, Peggy Whitby unexpectedly inherits her estranged great-aunt Blanche’s beach cottage outside Norfolk Virginia. But her fragile peace is rattled when she begins to receive mysterious postcards dated from 1918 when Blanche served as a Navy yeomanette.

Curious to learn more about her mysterious aunt and uncover the truth behind the cryptic messages, Peggy is drawn deeper into the lives of the three young Navy girls. But her digging uncovers more than she bargains for, and, as past and present collide, Peggy must decide if finding out about her aunt is worth the risk of losing herself.


Review:

Compelling, vivid, and insightful!

The Girls in Navy Blue is an immersive, dual-timeline tale set in Virginia during WWI as well as 1968 that takes you into the lives of four main characters. Marjory Kunwald, a young German American who yearns to prove where her patriotism lies; Blanche Lawrence, an independent gal determined to do whatever it takes to fight for equality; Viv Weston, a scarred woman with a tortured past looking for a new start; and Peggy Whitby a divorcée who after inheriting her great-aunt’s cottage starts to uncover more secrets about her family’s past than she ever could have imagined.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are independent, spirited, and brave. And the plot is an intriguing, tender tale of life, loss, love, hope, family, sacrifices, new beginnings, and female friendship.

Overall, The Girls in Navy Blue is an absorbing, moving, lovely tale by Rickloff that does a wonderful job of showcasing the lifestyles, struggles, and daily intricacies involved in being a “yeomanette”, one of the first women honoured with the right to serve in the US Navy.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Uplit Reads for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Alix Rickloff

Critically acclaimed author of historical fiction, Alix Rickloff’s family tree includes a knight who fought during the Wars of the Roses (his brass rubbing hangs in her dining room) and a soldier who sided with Charles I during the English Civil War (hence the family's hasty emigration to America). With inspiration like that, what else could she do but start writing her own stories? She lives in Maryland in a house that’s seen its own share of history so when she’s not writing, she can usually be found trying to keep it from falling down. THE WAY TO LONDON is her latest release.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills @ilsamaddenmills @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #PrincessandthePlayer #StrangersinLove #IlsaMaddenMills #Montlake

#BookReview Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills @ilsamaddenmills @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #PrincessandthePlayer #StrangersinLove #IlsaMaddenMills #Montlake Title: Princess and the Player

Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Series: Stranger in Love #2

Published by: Montlake Romance on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A masquerade ball brings together an NFL player and a penniless princess in this smart and sexy romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.

Level-headed Francesca Lane never thought she’d miss her own wedding. But when her fiancé betrays her, she puts on her wedding dress and ditches the altar for a masquerade ball—at a sex club.

There, she meets NFL star Tuck Avery, dressed as a prince and hiding behind a mask as he celebrates his birthday. For one night, Francesca and Tuck indulge in a wickedly incognito affair. No names. No strings. And the masks don’t come off.

Unfortunately, Francesca soon realizes her prince is the wealthy jock who lives in the penthouse of her apartment building. His hobbies include parties and supermodels—or so the tabloids say. Another shallow jerk is the last thing Francesca needs, so she vows to keep Tuck from recognizing her, not that she’s his type anyway.

But fate has a teeny-tiny trick up her sleeve… a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Can this tormented prince accept love, or will he push his princess away forever?

Princess and the Player is a complete stand-alone romance with nuanced characters and a swoony happily ever after.


Review:

Steamy, sassy, and tender!

Princess and the Player is a lighthearted, passionate rom-com featuring the kind, spirited Francesca, who may or may have had a no-identifies given, no-strings fling with an unexpected outcome with the cocky jock who lives in her building, and the sexy, charismatic Tuck, who may turn out to be a more thoughtful, sweet, standup guy than anyone ever gave him credit for.

The writing is witty and playful. The characters are charming, multi-layered, and endearing. And the plot is a delightful combination of friendship, family, temptation, desire, palpable chemistry, sizzling attraction, tender moments, sexy times, pregnancy woes, light drama, and football.

Overall, Princess and the Player is a cute, heartwarming, swoon-worthy tale by Madden-Mills that’s a fantastic addition to the Strangers in Love series with its amusing characters, heartfelt moments, and happy-ever-after ending.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ilsa Madden-Mills

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Fourteen of her Eighteen novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Not My Romeo #1; The Revenge Pact #1; Dear Ava, Fake Fiancée, I Dare You, and I Promise You #2; I Hate You #5; Not My Match, I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

#BookReview The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks @MariahFrederick @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #TheLindberghNanny #MariahFredericks #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks @MariahFrederick @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #TheLindberghNanny #MariahFredericks #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers Title: The Lindbergh Nanny

Author: Mariah Fredericks

Published by: Minotaur Books on Nov. 15, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: eBook, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Mariah Fredericks’s The Lindbergh Nanny is powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime.

When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.

A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.

Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves.


Review:

Captivating, atmospheric, and immersive!

The Lindbergh Nanny is a fascinating, absorbing novel set in the early-1930s that sweeps you away to New Jersey and into the life of Betty Gow, a Scottish immigrant whose life is irrevocably changed when, after being hired by aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, heiress Anne Morrow Lindbergh to be the caregiver for their first child, Charles Lindbergh Jr., she becomes one of the prime suspects in his kidnapping when it becomes apparent that the twenty-month-old toddler was abducted through a window she left open.

The prose is smooth and fluid. The characters are multi-layered, secretive, and troubled. And the plot builds nicely to create tension and suspense as it unravels all the histories, motivations, personalities, and relationships within it.

Overall, The Lindbergh Nanny is an insightful, well-written, tragic tale by Fredericks based on real-life events that does an exceptional job of highlighting her impressive research and knowledge into what is undoubtedly one of the most famous kidnapping cases of all time.

 

This novel is available November 15, 2022.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Mariah Fredericks

Mariah Fredericks was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her family. She is the author of several YA novels. Death of an American Beauty is her third novel to feature ladies' maid Jane Prescott.

#BookReview Some Dukes Have All the Luck (Synneful Spinsters #1) by Christina Britton @cbrittonauthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #ChristinaBritton #SomeDukesHaveAlltheLuck #SynnefulSpinisters

#BookReview Some Dukes Have All the Luck (Synneful Spinsters #1) by Christina Britton @cbrittonauthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #ChristinaBritton #SomeDukesHaveAlltheLuck #SynnefulSpinisters Title: Some Dukes Have All the Luck

Author: Christina Britton

Series: Synneful Spinsters #1

Published by: Forever on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 343

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.

After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she’ll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn’t need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.


Review:

Enticing, scandalous, and witty!

Some Dukes Have All the Luck is set on the Isle of Synne during 1820 and features the intelligent, entomology enthusiast Bronwyn and the dashingly handsome gambling den owner Ash as they navigate three unruly wards in need of supervision, a marriage of convenience with unexpected consequences, and an abundance of undeniable attraction, respect and admiration.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are focused, determined, and passionate. And the plot is a push-pull tale of life, love, trust, expectations, support, determination, familial drama, and class division.

Christina Britton is the author of one of my all-time favourite historical romance series, Isle of Synne, so when I heard she was writing a spinoff series I was over the moon, and Some Dukes Have All the Luck did not disappoint. It’s another engaging, entertaining, alluring read by Britton, and as always, I can guarantee I will be first in line to read whatever book she decides to write next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

               

 

 

Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina Britton

Christina Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly after buying her first at the tender age of thirteen. Though for several years she turned to art and put brush instead of pen to paper, she has returned to her first love and is now writing full time. She spends her days dreaming of corsets and cravats and noblemen with tortured souls.

She lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area. A member of Romance Writers of America, she also belongs to her local chapter, Silicon Valley RWA, and is a 2017 RWA® Golden Heart® Winner.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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