Females Featured in Two New Books for Fans of Historical Fiction

by Donna Huber

March saw so many great books being released that you may still be trying to get to them all. I know I am. I recently finished two that Susan had reviewed last month and if you haven't read these two books yet you need to move them to the top of your TBR pile. To help me catch up I listened to the audiobooks that I was able to get from my digital library but I also received free ARCs. The audiobooks were well done and the stories easy to follow so if you are trying to squeeze in more reading time these would be great listens.

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Savannah Skies Books 1 and 2 by Nan Rossiter ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter has a new southern fiction series. With the second book due out later this month, it is the perfect time to start the series.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Birds of Paradise by Oliver Langmead ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Adam, the first Man of Creation, still walks the earth millennia after the fall of Eden. He'd lived countless lives, as had the other nearly immortal creatures of Eden he once named. Other pieces remain as well, scattered across the globe. Adam isn't the only one collecting them to create a new garden, and he must save the pieces of Eden to keep them from being playthings of mankind.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Forsaken Children by Naomi Finley ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

𝐀 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Summertime Guests by Wendy Francis ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Mid-June in the glamorous Boston hotel the Seafarer is far more eventful than originally planned. Riley is supposed to be planning her wedding, but her mother-in-law is essentially in charge. Recent widow Claire plans to meet an old flame, hoping thirty years hasn't changed either of them too much. Jean-Paul, the hotel manager, is juggling events as well as a scandal in the hotel and family difficulties. Jason's getaway with his girlfriend isn't as romantic as he thought it would be. A woman is found dead, and they're all linked in unexpected ways. Together, they have to face the changes in their lives.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Vines by Shelley Nolden ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

In the shadows of New York City lies forbidden North Brother Island, where the remains of a shuttered hospital hide the haunting memories of century-old quarantines and human experiments.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you really need to read The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray. It was so much more than I was expecting. Seriously, I don't know why I haven't been hearing more about this book. I learned so much about places, people, and time periods that I knew little about.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Paris in Ruins by M.K. Tod ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Paris 1870. Raised for a life of parties and servants, Camille and Mariele have much in common, but it takes the horrors of war to bring them together to fight for the city and the people they love.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

4 Books for Horror Fans

by MK French

During the fall and into winter there are so many recommendations of horror reads but as the days get sunnier it seems to be a genre that shrinks into the shadows. So I'm going to shine a light on a few horror stories that you might have missed in the darker months of the calendar. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read all four ebooks for free.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Sound Between the Notes by Barbara Linn Probst ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

What if you had a second chance at the very thing you thought you’d renounced forever? How steep a price would you be willing to pay?

 

"It wasn't the outer glory she wanted but it interior cousin, the sense of being a pathway for the music and through that of being fully herself. It was the best thing she'd ever known and she wanted it back." (loc 238)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Malice by Heather Walter ~ a Review

by MK French

Aurora's family was cursed by dark magic, and it could only be broken by true love's kiss. She's a kind princess, likely to be a good ruler for Briar, and doesn't care that Alyce the Dark Grace has the same kind of magic that had cursed her. Aurora can't stand having to kiss princes in the hopes it will break her curse, but she's running out of time.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Deadly Editions by Paige Shelton ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I'm totally reading this series out of order. But that is okay. Deadly Editions is a fun read that you don't need to have read any previous books. I've only read book 4, The Loch Ness Papers (read my review), and this is book 6 in Paige Shelton's Sottish Bookshop Mystery series.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"When we were five, my mother took my sister Rose and me to the library every day for a year.  A better education than schools will ever give you, Mum used to say, and I quite agree.  If it were up to me, every child would have a year in the library before they went to school...How lucky the world would be if every child could do that." (loc 173)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

4 Books for Fans of Young Adult Fiction

by MK French

Hae your kids already read through the books they received for Easter. Here are four more books that will entertain your teen this month. There's a fantasy novel, a contemporary novel, a fairy tale, and a post-apocalyptic novel on this list. So no matter what your young adult reader (and you!) likes to reading, I'm sure there is a book here they will enjoy.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Poverty was a soul crushing thing.  A cave that tightened around you, it's pinprick of light closing a little more at the end of each desperate, unchanged day." (p 280)

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Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Isla Isola is an idyllic island off the coast of Italy, and where Claire Hunter will marry Jack Compton. The idyll is shattered almost the moment Claire arrives on the island. A body is found, and then there are creepy texts, a ruined wedding dress, and the mystery of Jack's first wife. When the power goes out, it all goes downhill from there.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Path to Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne ~ a Review

by MK French

Jessica Clayton spent life on the road, making a career out of helping others downsize. A new client is in Cape Sanctuary, where her younger sister still lives with her husband and children. Rachel's marriage is stressed, but she knows better than to lean on Jessica for help. As for Jessica, she's starting to get attached to others in spite of herself and will have to figure out what she really wants to do. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Museum Murder by Katie Gayle ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The Museum Murder is book two in writing team Katie Gayle's Epiphany Bloom series. You don't need to read book one, The Kensington Kidnap (read my review), to enjoy this book. And I have to tell you I enjoyed book two much more than book one.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

When I requested Lisa Scottoline's new book, I'm not sure I really paid attention to the description as I've always enjoyed the other books by her that I've read. So I was a bit surprised when I opened the book and saw that that the prologue was set in May 1957 and then the first chapter starts in May 1937.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne ~ a Review

by MK French

The Earl of Devlin is known as the Devil of Dorset, and his sights are set on Francesca Cavendish, the Countess of Mont Clair. The people don't know she's set on finding the people that killed her family and making them pay. He can sense that she has secrets, and he's determined to find out what it is.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Some Spring Time Reading

by Donna Huber

While last month marked the 1 year anniversary of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. This month marks the 1 year anniversary since the pandemic impacted my life. I looked back on my March 2020 wrap-up post just to see what I was thinking and feeling during a time when life, as I called it, went sideways.

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3 Books for Teens

by MK French 

Earlier this week I featured three books for younger readers and today I have three books for teens. Spring Break and summer are quickly approaching and it is really important to keep kids reading during these school breaks - maybe if more important this year with all the disruptions to school. But the teen years can be a difficult time to keep them engaged with reading outside of school assignments. Hopefully one of these books will spark their interest.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Kaiser's Web by Steve Berry ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Whenever I read a Steve Berry book I always wonder why I haven't read more of his books. As a fan of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, Berry's books are a no-brainer to pick up. The Kaiser's Web is the perfect blend of spy thriller and historical novel.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva ~ a Review

by MK French

Linda has to live in Seattle, which is a huge change from the woods she had been living in since she was abandoned as a child. She might have a friend in a neighbor that moves into her building and sees the possibility of virtual reality as an escape from her anxiety and the world she doesn't feel comfortable with. A fire at her childhood home brings her back for the first time in years and being there challenges her safety as well as her memory and sense of self.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A young prodigy in need of family.

A painting that shatters a woman’s peace.

And a decades-old mystery demanding to be solved.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Books for Kids

by MK French

Are you looking for something fun to put in your kids' Easter baskets that's not full of sugar? Or perhaps you would like for them to take a break from screens this spring break. Well, today I have 3 books that should entertain your kids.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"He closed his eyes and opened them.  Forget it, he told himself.  At least for now.  That's something his mother used to tell him when he couldn't sleep and worried about not sleeping.  'You have permission to forget it', she'd tell him.  'Just for a minute, just enjoy your pillow, just rest, let it go.  Close your eyes and sail away from troubles on a raft made of stars.' " (p 136)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham ~ a Review

by MK French

Special Agent Amy Larson is called to investigate a ritual murder in Florida, and it's pulling in Special Agent Hunter Forrest, who has experience with violent cults. The local community is devastated by the murder, but people know more than they're saying. The group they're hunting is determined to carry out their vision to the very end.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

A Bloody Stiletto, Cold Lasagna and a Bestseller by Cheryl Denise Bannerman ~ an Audiobook Review

by Donna Huber

As I mentioned in my review of Cats, Cannolis and a Curious Kidnapping, I was willing to give another book in Cheryl Denise Bannerman's Anna Romano series a try. So I listened to A Bloody Stiletto, Cold Lasagna and a Bestseller this week.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville ~ a Review

by MK French

Ev can feel the emotions left behind on belongings and thinks most of them should be destroyed. She'll sell harmless ones at Vancouver's Chinatown Night Market. Harriet hoards thousands of these objects, making her neighbors feel sick. She needs Ev's help to make a museum out of her collection, especially when the last person they know who had Ev's gift had spiraled out of control in response to objects. While they want to make sure that never happens again, the darkness is reaching out once more.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Poet by Lisa Renee Jones ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Some call him friend or boss.

Some call him husband or dad.

Some call him son, even a favorite son.

But the only title that matters to him is the one the media has given him: The Poet.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Cats, Cannolis and a Curious Kidnapping by Cheryl Denise Bannerman ~ an Audiobook Review

by Donna Huber

I love cozy mysteries and I'm sure you know I love cats if you've seen my social media pictures. To start a new cozy series (with book 1) that has cats sounded like a win for me. I was also hoping for a cannoli recipe. So it was with some anticipation I that began Cats, Cannolis and a Curious Kidnapping.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

Into the Blue by Kay Bratt ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Jonah was ready for battle.  He wouldn't let the universe come for his family again.  It was time to flex and send the message that no matter what it threw in their paths, they were stronger and they would beat it." (pg 87)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Mystery by the Sea by Verity Bright ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

After the eventful Christmas season, Lady Eleanor Swift decided to treat herself and her staff to a holiday by the sea. As it is only March and still the off-season, Brighton should provide a quiet yet enjoyable time away. However, when Eleanor arrives at the Grand just in time to see a body being carried away she knows that this is going to be anything but a quiet holiday. Especially when the body turns out to be her dead husband.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Growing up in the south is not for the faint of heart.  An enigmatic place at the best of times, it is paradoxical to the core.  Finding your way through the various switchbacks and roundabouts that make up the overgrown maze of its personality can be a bewildering experience and one that often takes a lifetime, at least.  Just when you think you have it solidly in your sights, it slips around a corner, leaving only the faint fragrance of a fading magnolia hanging in the muggy air...It's a land where heart-stopping beauty and heart rendering ugliness flourish in tandem, a land of kindness and hate,  of ignorance and wit, of integrity, blindness and pride." (loc 231)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Choice I Made by Cynthia Ellingsen ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

One day you will understand that the heart is only as fragile as the choices we make. I tell you this now – we all make surprising decisions for love. Ones that can tear our hearts out and leave us begging for answers. The most painful choice I’ve ever made, my dearest, was to say goodbye to you.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided by an honest review.

To Catch a Dream by Audrey Carlan ~ a Review

by MK French

Evie Ross and her sister Suda Kaye were given a stack of letters each when their mother died of cancer, with one meant to be opened on their birthday. Suda Kaye was a free spirit and Evie stayed home and forged a successful career in finance. She doesn’t have much else in life other than her job, her sister, and her brother-in-law’s family. Discovering more letters her mother kept in a safety deposit box causes her to rethink her outlook.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided or an honest review.

Stork Bite by L.K. Simonds ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"When David Walker was seventeen years old, he killed a man.

A white man." (loc 87)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Will Rise from Ashes by Jean M. Grant ~ an Audiobook Review

by Donna Huber

This week's audiobook listen was Will Rise from Ashes by Jean M. Grant, read by Caroline Hewitt and Andrew Perkins. While considered women's fiction, and with A.J.'s journey it definitely is, I was also listening to it as a possibility of my post-apocalyptic book club.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts 

 

"Please, the woman in the asylum prayed, looking south where he ciphered message had flown like fragile paper birds.  Believe Me." ( p 21)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Inheritance Games vs The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

by Alison DeLuca

This post is about two titles. The first is a book, The inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and the second is a movie. 

I loved one, and I was frustrated by the other. 

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Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"I'd discovered that Savannah couldn't be fully explained to those who hadn't visited it.  Photos, no matter how glorious, and movies, no matter how accurate couldn't convey the way Savannah felt - seductive and lazy, busy and slow, modern and ancient.  Savannah was a contradiction and a complicated melody that could only be known by walking through it, absorbing its every sensual detail." (loc 483)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner ~ a Review

by MK French

In 18th-century London, there are whispers of a special apothecary that caters to women, giving them poisons to use against abusers. When a precocious twelve-year-old is the latest client, an error creates a string of consequences - and murders- that Caroline Parcewell discovers two centuries later. She is an aspiring historian, stumbling across a clue to the apothecary murders. There is a startling tie between her life and the apothecary's, one that can be dangerous.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

An Unexpected Peril is book number six in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series. I have not read the previous books in this series and it can be read just fine as a stand alone. Actually had I not already known that it was part of a series, I probably wouldn't have realized while reading the book.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Broomsticks and Board Games by Amy McNulty, Read by Danielle Daly ~ an #Audiobook Review

by Donna Huber

I love all kinds of cozy mysteries but I don't usually read paranormal cozy except around Halloween. This past year I was so busy with other ARCs that I didn't get to do my normal Halloween reading so when I saw the audiobook of Broomsticks and Board Games at Audiobookwork Promotions I decided to give it a try.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

The Archer Inn Series by Kimberly Thomas ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

Lose yourself in this new women's fiction series that revolves around friendship, love, and loss among the Archer Clan. A heartwarming family saga that has the backdrop of the Florida Keys white sand and crystal blue waters.  Learn about the lives of the Archer Clan, Holly, Rina, Amy, and Randy as they try to return to their family and their family home after years of separation.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Sky Worshipers by F. M. Deemyad ~ a Review

by MK French

Lady Goharshad and King Shahrokh find an ancient manuscript in 1398 that chronicles Mongol invasions with entries by three princesses from China, Persia, and Poland who are captured and brought to the Mongol court. Princess Chaka of Tangut had to marry Genghis Khan, and began the chronicle. Princess Reyhan of Persia is kidnapped by Ogodei, Genghis's son and heir, and continues recording events in secret. Princess Krisztina of Poland is taken as a prisoner of war, so Reyhan asks Hulagu, Genghis's grandson, for help. She writes the final entry in the journal.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Hannah and the gang are back and when one of their own townspeople is murdered and Andrea is a prime suspect, the police are happy to work with Hannah to get to the bottom of it.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers ~ a Review

by MK French

Grace Porter finished her Ph.D. in astronomy, just as she had always planned. A celebration in Vegas leads her to drunkenly marry Yuki Yamamoto, a woman she doesn't even know. Facing her family's expectations, a struggling job market, and burnout, Grace heads to New York to be with her wife and get to know her. While she falls for Yuki, Grace also realizes exactly what she was running from.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"I told myself I was not the 'abused woman type' - as if there were such a thing.  I was strong, could take care of myself, and I could handle anyone's pain and carry it for them.  But abuse, though it can seem to happen all at once, is cumulative."  ( p 55)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.