#BookReview The Secret of Elephants by Vasundra Tailor @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #TheSecretofElephants #VasundraTailor #LakeUnion

#BookReview The Secret of Elephants by Vasundra Tailor @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #TheSecretofElephants #VasundraTailor #LakeUnion Title: The Secret of Elephants

Author: Vasundra Tailor

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Sep. 1, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 318

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 8/10

Navsari, India. Penniless and trapped in a loveless marriage, Nirmala spends her days anxiously caring for her sick young son, Varun. Looming over Nirmala’s impoverished home is an imposing mansion built by her grandfather, and from its balcony her cruel aunt scorns them, refusing to help in any way.

But when a mysterious letter addressed to her long-dead father arrives from Zimbabwe, it opens a door to a past Nirmala never knew existed and a future she never imagined possible. If the contents of the letter can be believed, not only does she have family in Africa, but they might also hold the answers to a family mystery that spans three generations.

While travelling to Zimbabwe might lead to a brighter future for Nirmala and her son, it could also reignite the bitter family feud that condemned her family to poverty. Nirmala is ready to risk it all to uncover the truth, but how will she cope when this journey changes her life forever?


Review:

Atmospheric, pensive, and moving!

The Secret of Elephants is an emotional tale predominantly set in Navsari, India, that takes you into the life of Nirmala, a young mother who, after her son is diagnosed with epilepsy and her loveless marriage finally falls apart, journeys to Zimbabwe after receiving an unexpected letter from a cousin she never knew she had to unravel her family’s history and discovery the secrets of her father’s past.

The prose is vibrant and expressive. The characters are multilayered, vulnerable, and troubled. And the plot is an intriguing, tender tale of life, loss, family, tragedy, secrets, betrayal, prejudice, segregation, caste division, and forgiveness.

Overall, The Secret of Elephants is a lush, intriguing, absorbing debut by Tailor that does a lovely job of blending historical events, intense emotion, and thought-provoking fiction.

 

This book 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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Vasundra Tailor

Vasundra Tailor was born in India and raised in Zimbabwe when it was called Rhodesia. She is a qualified pharmacist who completed her Masters in Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the University of Strathclyde. Based in London, she began her debut novel after obsessing about families currently living in a property in India which once belonged to her father. Curious about human relationships, she loves to meet people from diverse backgrounds and see how they connect with those around them.

Her novel extract won the second runner-up prize for the Mo Siewcharran Fiction Competition in November 2019.

#BookReview The Night Gate by Peter May @Mobius_Books @QuercusBooks #TheNightGate #TheEnzoFiles #PeterMay #MobiusBooksUS

#BookReview The Night Gate by Peter May @Mobius_Books @QuercusBooks #TheNightGate #TheEnzoFiles #PeterMay #MobiusBooksUS Title: The Night Gate

Author: Peter May

Series: The Enzo Files #7

Published by: Mobius on May 31, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 496

Format: Paperback

Source: Mobius Books US

Book Rating: 8/10

The body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree.

A famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house.

Both deaths have occurred more than 70 years apart.

Asked by a forensic archaeologist in Paris to take a look at the site of the former, Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter, and two narratives are set in train – one historical, unfolding against a backdrop of real events in Occupied France in the 1940s; the other contemporary, set in a France going back into Covid lockdown in the autumn of 2020.

At the heart of both is da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Tasked by de Gaulle to keep the world’s most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of the Mona Lisa as it is moved from chateau to chateau by the Louvre, she finds herself both wooed and pursued by two Germans sent to steal it for rival patrons – Hitler and Göring.

What none of them know is that the Louvre has secretly engaged the services of the 20th century’s greatest forger to produce a duplicate of the great lady, one that even those who know her well find hard to tell apart. The discovery of its existence is the thread that links both narratives. And both murders.


Review:

Complex, sophisticated, and intriguing!

In this impressive seventh instalment in The Enzo Files series, The Night Gate, May has written a fast-paced, tortuous mystery that finds forensic expert Enzo Macleod temporarily out of retirement and immersed in two investigations, one involving skeletal remains found entangled in the roots of a tree, and the other concerning a newly deceased middle-aged male found murdered in a home he recently visited to discuss the movement of the Mona Lisa during WWII.

The prose is sharp and tight. The characters are meticulous, intuitive, and intelligent. And the plot, using a back-and-forth style, unravels and intertwines quickly into an ominous tale full of secrets, lies, deception, greed, manipulation, misdirection, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Night Gate is another engrossing, pacey, action-packed thriller by May that was an extra special treat allowing us to go back and visit with these characters one last time in a storyline that was not only suspenseful but steeped in fascinating history.

 

This book is available now.

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

              

 

 

Thank you to Mobius Books US for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Peter May

Author, screenwriter and creator of television drama. Peter May was born in Glasgow, but now lives in France, where his books have won several awards and he has a large following of fans. He was recently introduced at the Lyon Festival of Crime writing as "The most French of all Scotsmen"; however, after acquiring French nationality in 2016, he became known in the French media as "The most Scottish of all Frenchmen".

Photo by Vincent Loisin.

#BookReview The Lilac House by Barbara Josselsohn @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #BarbaraJosselsohn #TheLilacHouse #LakeSummers

#BookReview The Lilac House by Barbara Josselsohn @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #BarbaraJosselsohn #TheLilacHouse #LakeSummers Title: The Lilac House

Author: Barbara Josselsohn

Series: Lake Summers #1

Published by: Forever on Dec. 14, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8/10

Summer brought Anna and Aidan together, but can she finally let go of the past for a chance at a new beginning?

Lilac House has always been a source of comfort for Anna Harris. Though things will never be the same since her husband’s death, she knows the cottage, nestled in Lake Summers in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, will be the perfect place for her and her two children to build a new life.

The house is just as beautiful as Anna remembers, and soon she’s caught up in the rhythm of small-town life, helping her Aunt Hope run the little shop on Main Street and beginning to finally feel like herself again. Then she meets Aidan. Handsome, strong and quiet, he also knows what it’s like to lose someone. In each other they recognize something they’ve both been missing…and a spark of undeniable attraction.

But Aidan’s past holds a different set of complications. He’s hiding a secret about why he came to Lake Summers. And just as the Lilac House starts to feel like home, Anna learns something devastating about her husband’s death that will make her question everything she’s always known to be true.


Review:

Heartwarming, sweet, and uplifting!

The Lilac House is a heartfelt, tender story set in the idyllic Lake Summers that takes you into the life of Anna, a young mother of two juggling to come to grips with losing the love of her life, raising her children alone, and one last trip to the summer house to put the all the memories finally to rest, and Aidan, a young widower himself who has recently moved to this small, cosy town to keep his son and himself under the radar and away from the troubles waiting for him back in his hometown.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are lonely, helpful, and considerate. And the plot is a reflective, engaging tale about life, loss, love, marriage, parenthood, family, friendship, attraction, grief, happiness, community, self-discovery, mental illness, taking chances, new beginnings, and small-town living.

Overall, The Lilac House is a sentimental, charming, optimistic tale by Josselsohn that is definitely a lovely start to the Lake Summer series with its endearing characters and heartening storyline.

 

This book is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Barbara Josselsohn

Barbara Josselsohn loves crafting stories about strong protagonists facing a fork in the road. She is the author of the Lake Summers series, which is set in the fictional town of Lake Summers, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, and includes the books The Lilac House, The Bluebell Girls, The Lily Garden, and The Cranberry Inn. Her debut novel was The Last Dreamer, and she is also the author of hundreds of articles and essays in major and specialty publications about family, home, and relationships. She lives just north of New York City and enjoys escaping to the beach or the mountains whenever she can. Other than writing, her biggest passion is her husband and her three kids.

Photo Credit: Andrea Harnick Tuchman

#BookReview The White Hare by Jane Johnson @JaneJohnsonBakr @SimonSchusterCA #TheWhiteHare #JaneJohnson

#BookReview The White Hare by Jane Johnson @JaneJohnsonBakr @SimonSchusterCA #TheWhiteHare #JaneJohnson Title: The White Hare

Author: Jane Johnson

Published by: Simon & Schuster on Oct. 4, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.


Review:

Atmospheric, mysterious, and intriguing!

The White Hare is a rich, eerie, gripping tale that transports you to Cornwall during 1954 and into the lives of three generations of Prusik women as they move to a dilapidated new home and try to come to terms with all the powerful emotions, spooky folklore, traditions, long-buried secrets, strange behaviours, tragedy, and magic that surrounds them.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are multilayered, vulnerable, and scarred. And the plot is an unsettling tale of life, loss, trauma, tragedy, desperation, familial drama, legends, folklore, secrets, supernatural phenomena, new beginnings, and the complex relationships that exist between mothers and daughters.

Overall, The White Hare is an ominous, vivid, gothic tale by Johnson that undoubtedly kept me engaged and invested from start to finish and was truly a delight to read.

 

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 Jane Johnson

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for over 20 years, as a bookseller, publisher and writer. She is responsible for the publishing of many major authors, including George RR Martin.

In 2005 she was in Morocco researching the story of a distant family member who was abducted from a Cornish church in 1625 by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa, when a near-fatal climbing incident caused her to rethink her future. She returned home, gave up her office job in London, and moved to Morocco. She married her own ‘Berber pirate’ and now they split their time between Cornwall and a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. She still works, remotely, as Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

#BookReview Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #BelleGreene #AlexandraLapierre #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions

#BookReview Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #BelleGreene #AlexandraLapierre #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions Title: Belle Greene

Author: Alexandra Lapierre

Published by: Europa Editions on Jun. 23, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 480

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, a woman who defied all odds to carve out a destiny of her own choosing, this is a richly imagined novel bursting with atmosphere, lush period detail, and many unforgettable characters.

New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books defies all odds and becomes the director of one of the country’s most prestigious private libraries. It belongs to the magnate J.P. Morgan, darling of the international aristocracy and one of the city’s richest men.

Flamboyant, brilliant, beautiful, Belle is among New York society’s most sought after intellectuals. She also hides a secret. Although she looks white, she is African American, the daughter of a famous black activist who sees her desire to hide her origins as the consummate betrayal. Torn between history’s ineluctable imperatives and the freedom to belong to the society of her choosing, Belle’s drama, which plays out in a violently racist America, is one that resonates forcefully, and illuminatingly even today.

The fruit of years of research and interviews, Alexandra Lapierre’s magnificent novel recounts the struggles, victories, and heartbreaks of a woman who is free, astonishingly determined, daring, and fully, exuberantly alive.


Review:

Rich, captivating, and immersive!

Belle Greene is a beautifully written, fascinating interpretation that sweeps you away to New York between 1898 and the mid-1900s and into the life of Belle Greene from the abandonment of the family by her father, the first African American to graduate from Harvard, the decision of the family due to their light skin tone to identify as white, befriending Junius Spencer Morgan while working at the Princeton library, to her illustrious career curating J. P. Morgan’s personal library.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are hardworking, independent, and determined. And the plot is an absorbing tale of life, loss, love, friendship, familial drama, support, passion, courage, racism, affluence, and the ins and outs of obtaining and cataloguing book collections in the early 1900s. 

Overall, Belle Greene is a well-written, compelling, exceptionally researched story by Lapierre that incorporates an engaging mix of real-life historical figures, insightful information, and plausible fiction into a comprehensive tale about the life and brilliant accomplishments of Belle de Costa Greene, one of the most famous librarians of all time.

 

This book is available now.

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

             

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Alexandra Lapierre

Alexandra Lapierre is a bestselling French novelist, short story writer and biographer. She graduated from Sorbonne University and the University of Southern California. Among her works that bring back to life great women and characters neglected by history, is the international bestseller Artemisia (Vintage, 2012). Her books have been published in more than twenty countries.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview The London Girls by Soraya M. Lane @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #TheLondonGirls #SorayaMLane #LakeUnion

#BookReview The London Girls by Soraya M. Lane @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #TheLondonGirls #SorayaMLane #LakeUnion Title: The London Girls

Author: Soraya M. Lane

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 334

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 9/10

From the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes a remarkable story of three young women who defy the bombs to do their bit for Britain. Will they survive the dark streets of London to see the Allies win the war?

London, 1941. The Blitz. When a Royal Navy memo arrives at head office, requesting female recruits to sign up as motorcycle dispatch riders, delivering highly classified orders across the country, three women jump at the chance to sign up for the most dangerous jobs in London.

Olivia grew up riding motorcycles with her brothers, and with them fighting abroad she feels it is her duty to join up. The thrill of adventure draws Ava, but with more enthusiasm than skill, will she learn to navigate the treacherous London streets safely? Having lost her family during one of the first air attacks, Florence knows how important it is to have help arrive on the scene—fast—and so she steps up, out-manoeuvring the men behind the wheel of an ambulance. When Olivia, Ava and Florence meet for the first time they know they have found something all of them need—family.

As bombs fall, decimating the city they love, these three brave women build a sisterhood amid the rumble, facing down anyone—even their own families—who objects to their service. And while romances bloom and fade, their connection grows ever stronger. But none of them dare consider the terrifying reality that one night Florence’s ambulance may be rescuing someone she loves…


Review:

Hopeful, heart-wrenching, and memorable!

The London Girls is an immersive, poignant tale set in London during WWII that takes you into the lives of three main characters. Ava Williamson, a daring, somewhat reckless young woman driven by overconfidence and a desire for a little more time and freedom to spend with her married lover; Olivia Blakely, an independent gal determined to use the motorcycle skills she was taught by her older brother to support the war effort however she can while she patiently awaits the return of her dearly beloved fiancé; and Florence Hughes a scarred ambulance driver who after losing her family when a bomb exploded on their home spends as many nights as possible trying to save those she can.

The prose is expressive and rich. The characters are independent, supportive, and courageous. And the plot is an intriguing, tender tale of life, loss, love, family, despair, sacrifices, tragedy, bravery, new beginnings, and the importance of female friendships.

Overall, The London Girls is an absorbing, moving, rollercoaster ride of emotion by Lane that does a wonderful job of showcasing the hard work, bravery, and danger involved in being one of the chosen female dispatch riders involved in transporting top-secret invaluable military information around the UK during WWII, and even though it’s surprisingly the first novel I’ve read by Lane, I can guarantee it won’t be my last.

 

This book 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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Soraya M. Lane

Soraya M. Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn't the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women's fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she's not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

Photo courtesy of Author's Amazon Page.

#BookReview The Tuscan Secret by Angela Petch @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #AngelaPetch #TheTuscanSecret

#BookReview The Tuscan Secret by Angela Petch @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #AngelaPetch #TheTuscanSecret Title: The Tuscan Secret

Author: Angela Petch

Published by: Forever on Apr. 5, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

This sweeping historical novel from a bestselling author follows the lives of two generations of women, the secrets they keep, their sacrifices for love, and the heartbreaking betrayals they encounter—perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer and Natasha Lester.​

Il Mulino. An old crumbling mill, by a winding river, nestled in the Tuscan mountains. An empty home that holds memories of homemade pasta and Nonna’s stories by the fire, and later: the Nazi invasion, and a family torn apart by a heartbreaking betrayal.

Anna is distraught when her beloved mother, Ines, passes away. She inherits a box of papers, handwritten in Italian and yellowed with age, and a tantalizing promise that the truth about what happened during the war lies within. The diaries lead Anna to the small village of Rofelle, where she slowly starts to heal as she explores sun-kissed olive groves, and pieces together her mother’s past: memories of homemade pasta, Nonna’s stories by the fire, and happy days spent herding sheep across Tuscan meadows cruelly interrupted when World War II erupted and the Nazis arrived. Her mother fleeing her home to join the Resistenza and risking everything to protect an injured British soldier who captured her heart. But Anna is no closer to learning the truth . . . What sent Ines running from her adored homeland?

When she meets an elderly Italian gentleman living in a deserted hamlet, who flinches at her mother’s name and refuses to speak English, Anna is sure he knows more about the devastating secret that tore apart her mother’s family. But in this small Tuscan community, some wartime secrets were never meant to be uncovered . . .


Review:

Immersive, emotional, and vivid!

The Tuscan Secret is an absorbing, dual-timeline tale predominantly set in Tuscany during WWII, as well as the late 1990s that takes you into the life of Anna, a young woman who, after her own life seems to be in tatters, journeys to Italy after her mother’s death to unravel her family’s history and discovery the secrets of her mother’s past.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are feisty, brave, and determined. And the plot is an immersive, compelling tale about life, loss, family, secrets, desperation, tragedy, friendship, resistance, survival, first love, and the atrocities of war.

Overall, The Tuscan Secret is a moving, evocative, beautifully written tale by Petch inspired by real-familial events that I devoured from start to finish and is the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a well-researched WWII time-slip story with a fresh perspective and a dab of romance.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Angela Petch

Angela Petch is a USA Today bestselling author and an award-winning writer of fiction–and the occasional poem. Every summer she leaves her home in West Sussex, England to reside in the Tuscan Apennines for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out.

Photo Credit: Mairi Thomas

#BookReview Summer on Blackberry Beach by Belle Calhoune @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #BelleCalhoune #SummeronBlackberryBeach

#BookReview Summer on Blackberry Beach by Belle Calhoune @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #BelleCalhoune #SummeronBlackberryBeach Title: Summer on Blackberry Beach

Author: Belle Calhoune

Series: Mistletoe Maine #2

Published by: Forever on Jun. 28, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8/10

A faux summer fling seemed like the perfect solution . . .  until they start falling in love for real.
 
Teacher Stella Marshall’s summer break has just began, but the gossip is already sizzling: Luke Keegan’s back in town! Stella’s high school crush is all grown up and smolderingly sexy. She might even consider a fling with the former Navy SEAL, if she hadn’t already sworn off all romantic entanglements. But there isn’t a single thing she can do to stop the rumor mill whispering about her and Luke being together—unless . . .

A showmance! Luke never thought he’d propose a fake relationship, but it’s the only way to stop the runaway speculation about their love lives. Pretending to date a woman as stunning as Stella is easy. Not actually falling for her is the hard part. Luke isn’t sure he deserves a hometown happy ending, when members of his SEAL team never made it back at all. But there’s real attraction buzzing between him and Stella . . . and he knows she feels it too. Could their faux summer romance lead to true love?


Review:

Lighthearted, cosy, and cute!

Summer on Blackberry Beach is a tender, feel-good tale that mixes the kind, caring, second-grade teacher Stella, who’s determined to do whatever it takes, even if it means fake dating her high school crush, to prove to the town she’s finally moving on from being jilted by her fiancé, and the sexy, wounded, former Navy Seal Luke who may, at last, have found that special someone that can help him heal from his guilt, grief, and injuries and discover there’s a lot more life still to be had.

The prose is smooth and easy. The characters are friendly, lovable, and sweet. And the plot is an engaging, push-pull tale of family, friendship, tricky situations, playful banter, heartfelt moments, humorous hijinks, self-discovery, happiness, romance, and love.

Overall, Summer on Blackberry Beach is another charming, touching, delightful tale by Calhoune that I thoroughly enjoyed and which, in my opinion, is the perfect choice for anyone who loves a good romcom that has a whole lot of hope, heart, and humour.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Belle Calhoune

Belle Calhoune grew up in a small town in Massachusetts as one of five children. Although both her parents worked in the medical field, Belle never considered science as the pathway to her future. Growing up across the street from a public library was a huge influence on her life. Married to her college sweetheart, she is raising two lovely daughters in Connecticut. A dog lover, she has one mini poodle named Copper and a black lab, Beau. She is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author as well as a member of RWA’s Honor Roll. In 2019 her book “An Alaskan Christmas” was made into a movie (Love, Alaska) by Brain Power Studios and aired on UPTV. She is the author of more than 40 novels and published by Harlequin Love Inspired and Grand Central Forever Publishing.

#BookReview The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard @AmalieHoward @SourcebooksCasa #AmalieHoward #TheDukeinQuestion #DaringDukes #SourcebooksCasa #Sourcebooksfiction

#BookReview The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard @AmalieHoward @SourcebooksCasa #AmalieHoward #TheDukeinQuestion #DaringDukes #SourcebooksCasa #Sourcebooksfiction Title: The Duke in Question

Author: Amalie Howard

Series: Daring Dukes #3

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Nov. 8, 2022

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8/10

James Bond meets Bridgerton in this steamy enemies-to-lovers historical romance from USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard:

  • This lady won’t let a savvy duke sway her from her mission.
  • The Duke of Thornbury, retired agent of the Crown, has never lost a target.
  • In a flirty game of cat and mouse, a spy must keep his enemy close to unravel the secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

Lady Bronwyn Chase is far from the paragon of society that her mother expects her to be. Which is why she’s on her brother’s passenger liner bound for America with a secret packet of letters that could get her into trouble. Serious trouble—the kind that a duke’s sister shouldn’t be in; the kind that puts spymaster Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, on her trail. But as the duke gets closer to Bronwyn and the secrets she’s keeping, he’ll have to decide between the mysterious woman who calls to him, or his allegiance to the Crown.


Review:

Mysterious, passionate, and entertaining!

The Duke in Question is an edgy, playful tale that sweeps you away to London, Philadelphia and Paris and into the life of Lady Bronwyn Chase, a clever undercover operative determined to do whatever it takes to deliver some sensitive documents to aid the Union’s cause in the American Civil War, even if it means dodging the handsome, former British Intelligence Officer, Lord Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, who is on a mission of his own to discover and identify the rogue operative known as “The Kestrel.”

The prose is witty and light. The characters are secretive, fearless, and resourceful. And the plot is an alluring, action-packed mix of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, danger, desire, and steamy romance.

Overall, The Duke in Question is an adventurous, compelling, highly amusing tale by Howard that’s a delightful indulgence and, in my opinion, a wonderful addition to the Daring Dukes series.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Amalie Howard

AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling novelist of “smart, sexy, deliciously feminist romance.” The Beast of Beswick was one of Oprah Daily’s Top 24 Best Historicals to Read. She is also the author of several critically acclaimed, award-winning young adult novels. An AAPI/Caribbean-born writer, her books, interviews, and articles have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Oprah Daily, Seventeen, and Ravishly Magazine. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found reading, being the president of her one-woman Harley Davidson motorcycle club #WriteOrDie, or power-napping. She currently lives in Colorado with her family.

Photo by Kristoff Lutchman.

#BookReview The Deception by Kim Taylor Blakemore @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #TheDeception #KimTaylorBlakemore

#BookReview The Deception by Kim Taylor Blakemore @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #TheDeception #KimTaylorBlakemore Title: The Deception

Author: Kim Taylor Blakemore

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Sep. 27, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A sleight of hand. A trick up the sleeve. A call for the dead. It’s all part of the game in this twisty tale by the bestselling author of After Alice Fell.

New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation—but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.

Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud’s parlor again, and with each misdirection, Maud’s fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can’t allow anyone—even Maud—to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her.

When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she’s playing. But to return to the light from which she’s strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem’s smoke and mirrors.


Review:

Vivid, cunning, and mysterious!

The Deception is an eerie, sinister tale that transports you to New Hampshire during 1877 and into the lives of two main characters. Maud Price, a young woman who, after being a successful child medium, is struggling to make ends meet now that her connection to the afterlife has dwindled and her clientele are moving on, and Clementine Watkins, a selfish unscrupulous inventor driven by purely altruistic motives who finds the perfect partner to use, manipulate, and showcase her exceptional ability at creating illusions, theatrics, and misdirection.

The prose is tight and gritty. The characters are vulnerable, troubled, and resourceful. And the plot is a menacing tale about life, loss, tragedy, desperation, lies, manipulation, ruthless ambition, familial drama, secrets, and supernatural phenomena.

Overall, The Deception is a dark, gothic, intense novel by Blakemore that does a wonderful job of interweaving historical movements and compelling fiction into a suspenseful mystery that is deliciously atmospheric and highly entertaining.

 

This novel is available now.

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Thank you to Kim Taylor Blakemore for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kim Taylor Blakemore

Kim Taylor Blakemore is the author of the historical mysteries THE COMPANION and AFTER ALICE FELL (March 2021). Publishers Weekly calls The Companion a "captivating tale of psychological suspense."

Other novels include BOWERY GIRL a NYPL Best Reads for Teens; and CISSY FUNK, a Willa Literary Award winner for Best YA Novel.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and Historical Novel Society. She and her family reside in the Pacific Northwest, and she loves the rain. Truly.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.