Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen

I received a review copy of this novel from Sourcebooks. This in no way affected my opinions.


A very entertaining book full of romance, action, suspense and mystery.

Lord and Lady Smythe are both spies, but neither knows the other one is! Once Napoleon is captured, their services are no longer needed and they both reluctantly go back to 'normal' life. Problem is, the two are practically strangers, even after being married for a few years.

The two discover the secret identity of the other after being summoned by the prime minister to help discover who murdered his half-brother. The reward? Whoever finds the murderer gets to go back to spying full time, something the both of them want... desperately. Do they two work together or against each other?

Through the course of the investigation, the two get to know each other, in more ways than one. The dialogue was hilarious and witty, as the two argued over whose method to use. The two have very different strategies when it comes to investigations, and the two must learn to trust the other.

Lady Smythe was quite the awesome character, if I do say so myself. She needed no protecting, and no one could order her around, not even her husband. In fact, at one point, she practically laughed in his face when he 'ordered' her to do something. Of course, what impressed me the most was how skilled she was in fighting and wielding a knife. This was no simpering miss!

I would guess that this will be a series by the way the book ended. I sure hope so, this book was a lot of fun!

The King's Courtesan by Judith James

I received a galley of this novel from NetGalley for review. This in no way affected my opinions.


Due to his impending marriage, Charles II marries off his mistress Hope Matthews to Captain Robert Nichols, unless the Captain would like to lose his home and land. Neither have a choice and are wed the day they meet.

Robert is your typical hero haunted by events of his past, while Hope has had not such an easy life before becoming mistress to the king. Both are stuck in this limbo relationship: a farce marriage. Legally bound, but not really belonging to each other.

I really like Libertine's Kiss, which comes before The King's Courtesan, which is why I picked this up. I liked it just as much as Libertine's Kiss, and de Veres and Elizabeth even pop up every now and again, and they are delightful.

The relationship between Robert and Hope was intriguing and was a different scenario that I've never encountered before. Their set-up was complicated. At first, all they did was argue, mostly due to Hope being hurt that Charles deceived her into marrying, but they eventually find a common ground and grow to like each other all with the possibility that Hope could be summoned back to court hanging over their heads.

I definitely recommend both this and the Libertine's Kiss if you're tired of regencies and are looking for something different. The unique storyline and time period had my attention from the beginning. It was a fast read that I finished in a day. I look forward to the next book.

Top Ten Tuesday 08.23.11

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten is Top Ten Books You Loved But Never Wrote a Review For.

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. There have been books that have been reviewed to death, reviewed so much that there's really no point in you reviewing it, because pretty much everything to be said has been said. This book was one of them.
2. Villette by Charlotte Brontë. My favorite of her novels. I read this before I started reviewing books, so if I wanted to review it, I'd have to reread it. And I probably will one day.
3. Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Loved it so much, could not find words to describe.
4. Cheri and The Last of Cheri by Colette. Same as above.
5. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter. It's hard to review a book of short stories, so I just didn't. Not to mention, it was a bit intimidating just thinking about reviewing this.
6. In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield. Same as above.
7. Middlemarch by George Eliot. The thought of reviewing this gave me hives.

Couldn't think of ten! Oh, well.

Mailbox Monday 08.22.11

Hosted this month by Life in the Thumb.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


Both books are from NetGalley.

“My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen—her novels, her life, her wit, her world.

In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger,” a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting” captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane” imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat,” our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales” based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity” finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers ofPride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; and in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,” a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise.

Regency or contemporary, romantic or fantastical, each of these marvelous stories reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors.

Release date: October 11th.

The Time In Between is a word-of-mouth phenomenon that catapulted María Dueñas, a debut author, to the top of Spain’s bestseller lists.

This sweeping novel, which combines the storytelling power of The Shadow of the Wind with the irresistible romance of Casablanca, moves at an unstoppable pace. Suddenly left abandoned and penniless in Algiers by her lover, Sira Quiroga forges a new identity. Against all odds she becomes the most sought-after couture designer for the socialite wives of German Nazi officers. But she is soon embroiled in a dangerous political conspiracy as she passes information to the British Secret Service through a code stitched into the hems of her dresses.

Release date: November 8th.

Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

I received a galley of this novel from Galley Grab for review. This in no way affected my opinions.


Wildflower Hill is a gorgeous novel, told from the perspective of two women from two different times. The book rotates between the story of Beattie Blaxland in the 1930s and her granddaughter Emma in the present time.

Emma is a successful ballerina in London, whose career ends after an unfortunate injury. Returning home to Australia, she finds that her grandmother left her a home in her will. The home is called Wildflower Hill. Emma goes up to Wildflower Hill, expecting to clean it out and sell it, but while going through her grandmother's things, she finds out the secrets her grandmother had been keeping about her past.

In 1929, Beattie was both pregnant and unwed. Unfortunately, the father of her child is married, but they run off together to Australia, but life doesn't get any easier for Beattie. Beattie was met with roadblock after roadblock and tried to bust through each as best she could. However, no matter her strength, she just couldn't get through some obstacles. This only made her stronger. Still, Beattie tries to make her own life, obtaining Wildflower Hill. There she finds herself; there she finds love.

I was completely consumed in both the stories of Beattie and Emma – the struggles of both strong women. The book was beautifully written and flowed seamlessly. The transition between the two stories was masterfully done. Each ended and then started again perfectly.

I gobbled this book up in two days. I just couldn't stop reading. Anyone looking for a good story that tugs on your heartstrings would surely love Wildflower Hill.

Top Ten Tuesday 08.16.11

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten is a freebie!


So, we get to make up a top ten of anything we want. I'm choosing to do my Top Ten Authors I Keep Meaning to Read. These are authors I really want to read, but I haven't yet gotten to their work!

1. Anne Sexton
2. W. Somerset Maugham
3. Vita Sackville-West
4. Dorothy Parker
5. Alexandre Dumas
6. Victor Hugo
7. Charles Dickens
8. Doris Lessing
9. Elizabeth Von Arnim
10. Henry James

Someday!

Mailbox Monday 08.15.11

Hosted this month by Life in the Thumb.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Love is the ultimate gamble…

Seasoned gambler Philip Drake knows every trick and uses most of them. After years of infamy, he’s ready to accept the mantle of respectability with his earldom— until a devastating racing loss and the threat of debtors’ prison force Philip right back into his gaming ways…

Susannah, Lady Messingham, is a woman with a past who refuses to belong to any man again. But Philip’s skill catches her eye and she persuades him to teach her how to win at the tables. Their new partnership turns into an exhilarating high-stakes game that entangles them in terrifying risk and unimaginable rewards…

Immerse yourself in the risky side of Georgian England with a pair of lovers who aren’t afraid to risk it all on a toss of the dice…

From Sourcebooks. Release date: November 1st.

Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware

I received a review copy of this novel from Sourcebooks. This in no way affected my opinions.

A pretty good time-slip novel. It was slow going at first, and I wasn't sure it was going to hold my interest the whole way through, but after 100 or so pages, it finally started to get good.

The current day story is of Corlis McCullough, a native Californian and television reporter living in New Orleans. There she meets up with King Duvallon, who was a classmate of hers at UCLA, and who she loathes more than life itself. But, of course, feelings change. The current day story was focused not only on the relationship of Corris and King, but on a race to preserve old 19th century buildings which are threatened to be turned into dust.

In the midst of all this, Corlis finds herself having 'visions', if you were, of New Orleans in the late 1830s, early 1840s. There she sees her ancestor and namesake, but also the ancestors of practically all the people she's come across in New Orleans. The way that Corlis sees these events happening in the 19th century was a bit more believable than The Cottage by the Sea. I won't give it away, but it's interesting.

The story of the past I found very heartbreaking. I know virtually nothing about the history of New Orleans – being a 'Yankee' and all – so it was nice to learn about a new place and time period, and I felt that Ware captured it very well.

One of the reasons why I was so engrossed with both the current day story and the story of the past was that the two were so connected. The trials and tribulations of the current folk were solved with a little help from their ancestors.

I look forward to reading the sequel A Light on the Veranda.

Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland

I received a galley of this novel from Galley Grab for review. This in no way affected my opinions.


Sins of the Mother is a story of a mother and a daughter, spanning three decades and two continents.

In 1946, sixteen year old Franny Healy finds herself pregnant and ditched by her boyfriend in Country Cork, Ireland. She had no intention of being married off to a local boy, which is what her mother plans to do to her, so in the middle of the night, Franny sneaks out and heads to London. After finding a place to stay, and having her daughter Cara, Franny makes strides to accomplish her dream of becoming a famous Hollywood actress.

Through some well-timed luck, Franny finds herself on her way to Hollywood, but leaves her daughter with her estranged mother, hoping to send for her in a few months, but things don't quite end up that way. Franny ends up being a famous film actress known as Frances Fitzgerald and keeps her daughter a secret.

The first half of the book switches back and forth between Franny and Cara, showing each one's point of view of being apart from the other. After her mother's move to Hollywood, Cara only sees her one more time, for a week two years later.

The second half of the book is showing through the eyes of Cara, and boy, does she get put through the wringer. After her grandmother dies, she's sent to an orphanage run by a sadistic Mother Superior, and eventually escapes. She then ends up in an abusive relationship with a boy from her childhood.

One day Cara takes a hold of her life, and starts a respectable career, and then sets out about information about her mother, and why she abandoned her.

Sins of the Mother didn't have just one, but two strong heroines. Neither one of them are perfect, but with strength and determination, they're both able to pull themselves from whatever situation they're in and will themselves to something better.

The last part of the book blew me away, what twists! We're shown flashbacks of the years Franny was married, and we see that things weren't as they were the first time we saw them. I got unexpectedly emotional at one point, after getting one huge shock.

I love surprising twist endings, they're the ones I remember the most. I found the end completely satisfying and ended up loving the book more than I planned on.

NOTE: This is published in the UK as Fallen Angels.

Top Ten Tuesday 08.09.11

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten is Top Ten Underrated Books.

1. The Bells by Richard Harvell - A gorgeous book set in 18th century Switzerland and Vienna.
2. The Julian Kestrel mystery series by Kate Ross - Four books set in 1820 featuring an amateur dandy detective.
3. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley - A beautiful time-slip novel. Historical setting: 17th century.
4. The Observations by Jane Harris - A mystery set in 1860s Scotland. Featuring a unique maid named Bessy.
5. Indiscretion by Jude Morgan - An absolutely hilarious regency with one of the funniest heroes.
6. The Villa Triste by Lucretia Grindle - Set in Italy during the Nazi occupation and present day. Tells the story of two sisters involvement during the Resistance.
7. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - I feel this gets overshadowed a lot by North and South. Personally, I think this is a better book.
8. Under the Poppy by Kathe Koja - A unique historical fiction book set in 1870s Brussels. A hard book to describe.
9. Captivity by Deborah Noyes - A book about the infamous Fox sisters. Set in 1840s and 50s New York.
10. Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty - Probably my favorite historical romance. Set in 1804 Austria and featuring a tortured musician.

Mailbox Monday 08.08.11

Hosted this month by Life in the Thumb.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


I wasn't expecting any books last week, but this appeared in my mailbox this past weekend.

This enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless, powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.

Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?

Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must changeeverything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen.

Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.

From publisher.

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

I received a galley of this novel from NetGalley for review. This in no way affected my opinions.

A thrilling conclusion to a epic trilogy. Although, I certainly wouldn't mind if this series kept going. There were a few characters I'd like to see more of, such as Fiona and Joe's daughter Katie, but I digress.

The Tea Rose was Fiona and Joe's story; and The Winter Rose was Sid and India's story; The Wild Rose was Seamie and Willa's story. And their story is just as complicated and full of ups and downs as their predecessors.

I liked Willa. I liked how adventurous she was, and how intelligent she was. However, she was the weakest of the three heroines of the trilogy, but I suppose I can give her a break because compared to the other two, she's been through the ringer. India still remains my favorite heroine. Seamie bugged me a bit, but not to the point of irritation. By the end of the story, I loved him like I did before.

Everyone from the previous two books were back for The Wild Rose, with their stories continuing. Fiona is still kicking butt and taking names, this time fighting for women's suffrage. And her daughter Katie is a pistol. Fifteen years old at the start of the book, and already with her own radical newspaper, fighting for the rights of women and workers.

Just like the the previous installments, The Wild Rose was full of tragedy. I could pretty much mark which characters were doomed from the beginning and I braced myself for their demise. There were a few characters whose stories tugged at my heart strings. And their was one character whose story I didn't even see coming!

I've been waiting more than two years – since I finished The Winter Rose – for this book, and I was not disappointed. I can say that I am honestly pleased with the way this epic series came to a close.