The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig

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

I'm a big fan of Willig's Pink Carnation series, and I'm finding her other books enjoyable, as well. Her writing flows very well, and her characters are engaging and full of surprises.

The Other Daughter looks like another story about the Bright Young Things of the 1920s, all parties and frivolity and such. However, this book, while starting out as so, slowly peels back the layers of the facade, showing the ugliness underneath.

The drama and secrets made The Other Daughter gripping for me, because I wasn't interested in another story set in the 1920s about young people causing trouble with no consequences. I wanted to see what was underneath the shininess.

The Other Daughter is not a long book, and was a speedy read. There is a slight romance, but it's not really what the story is about, which is another thing I was pleased with. It was about a young woman finding herself, and that was good enough.

Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

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

Another great novel from Deanna Raybourn! I just love her style, which is breezy and engaging.

Like her previous novel City Of Jasmine, Night of a Thousand Stars takes us to the Middle East for another adventure. And we see characters from Raybourn's previous books pop up, and there's even a connection to her Lady Julia books!

The opening chapters grab you immediately: a runaway bride who is helped in her getaway by a curate. I am already wondering about this gutsy heroine, who is already making a pretty bold decision.

Finding herself seeking a purpose after ditching her fiance at the altar, with her newly obtained ladies maid, she goes out in search of said purpose. And in trying to find her curate to thank him, she finds more than her purpose, she find a life-altering adventure.

Like I implied at the beginning, the writing flows easily. If you liked Raybourn's other books, especially her recent ones, you'll like this just as much.

City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

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

First of all, I highly recommend reading the prequel to this novel: Whisper of Jasmine. It shows how Evie and Gabriel met, and gives good insight into the beginning of their relationship.

That being said, City of Jasmine takes place in 1920 Syria, and seeing as how I didn't know a whole lot of what was going on in that area then, I learned a lot. Evie and Gabriel were thrown into lots of adventures and came across a lot of suspicious characters, some dangerous, some just shady. The descriptions and seeing the area through the eyes of Evie totally brought the country to life. The descriptions were not overdone, but were the right amount.

While I miss the Lady Julia books, I'm just happy to have another book by Deanna Raybourn. Her style and feisty, independent heroines are still strong in books like City of Jasmine.

I couldn't put this down! Deanna Raybourn fans will not be disappointed.

Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra

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

I have been wanting to read this book for probably two years, and I'm so excited that it's finally being released in the states.

I love historical fiction books set in Italy during WWII, and in my opinion there are not enough. I feel that most people don't understand about Italy's involvement during the war or the horrors the people of Italy went through during the Nazi occupation.

Tuscan Rose didn't mince anything. It showed the true story of Italy during the time of Mussolini and WWII through the eyes of fictional characters, who are probably not unlike the real people who lived through it. Mussolini was an absolute madman, and that's putting it lightly. He single-handedly ruined Italy, all because he wanted to be Hitler's lapdog. And for the horrors Italy went through during the Nazi occupation, you can read my review of The Villa Triste, which focuses just on that specific time.

The book ran a bit long, sometimes there was almost too much detail. When the partisans were discussing strategy, I admit to just skimming. Even if I read it word for word it would have went over my head.

The story follows the character Rosa over a period of fifteen years. When we first find her she's sixteen and living at a nunnery where she was left sixteen years prior by a mysterious man called The Wolf. We see through her eyes the rise of Mussolini, the war, and the occupation. Over the years she grows from an innocent young girl to an efficient woman doing whatever it takes to survive and save the ones she loves.

The ending was a rollercoaster ride. I went from crying my eyes out, to being in shock over something I never saw coming. What a twist!

A Spark Unseen by Sharon Cameron

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

I echo the sentiments of other reviewers: this is very different from the first book.

First of all, this book takes place almost entirely in France, during the time of Napoleon III, where Katharine goes to search for Lane. Second of all, the story takes place over a wider area, whereas the first book took place in a confined area of a small town.

Intrigue ensues, with shady characters, royal secrets, and the like. New characters pop up, who I quite like and hope to see again, if there is another book, that is.

I can't guess what a third book would be about. This book didn't end with a question mark like the first book, which I knew would have a sequel. I guess we'll just have to see.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

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

I need to preface this review with the statement that lady pirates are most likely my favorite all-time historical subject. I study and read about them, I watch TV and films with them, I even create my own lady pirate characters for stories. I love them.

So, the fact that this book contained a fierce red-headed lady pirate captain, I was all over it, so to speak. There was the fear that I may be disappointed (it's not like books about lady pirates grow on trees) because this book was written by a male author and told from the perspective of a man. I feared, because I thought the lady pirate may be some unrealistic male fantasy. Alas, no! Captain Hannah Mabbot was a realistic pirate and a fully fleshed out character.

The bare bones of the story is this: chef Owen Wedgwood is kidnapped by Captain Hannah Mabbot after she kills his employer. He gets to keep his life if he cooks one fancy meal a week for her. So, Wedgwood must improvise with the ingredients found on a pirate ship. And I really loved how he worked around getting the ingredients that he got. He had to plan ahead and make deals, it was quite interesting to watch.

But Captain Mabbot isn't just dilly-dallying around eating food, she's after the elusive Brass Fox, with whom she has a mysterious score to settle.

We see all the characters through the view of Wedgwood, and it was quite fascinating to read how his perspective of everyone, and of pirating in general, started to change throughout the months. Of course, the best thing to watch was how his view of Mabbot changed. How she went from a one-dimensional ruthless pirate, to a full formed person with strengths and weakness, goals and fears.

Pirating was not glossed over here, and was not seen as romantic. I thought the book really captured the grittiness of pirating.

I could literally sit here and write paragraphs about Mabbot, but I just have to say I was really impressed. Like I said, it's not everyday a book about a lady pirate comes out, so I have to read what I can get. The fact that I wasn't disappointed in the least, makes me very, very happy. She's everything I love in a lady pirate: the fact that she was really no different from a male pirate. She was realistic, and that's all I wanted.

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

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

A delightful story set in 1920s Africa starring a scandalous flapper.

Even from reading the summary beforehand, I still didn't know what to expect when I started reading this. It was a fast read, although I'm not sure if the reason for that was the writing style or the fact that the story just moved quickly. Regardless, I never really felt a lull in the story. While it took a little while for the story to get going, once it did, there was no stopping it.

I admit to not reading a whole lot of historical fiction set in Africa, but that was because the books always looked so stuffy. A Spear of Summer Grass managed to evoke the beauty of a country without gagging me with it.

The characters were fantastic, although I admit to not being able to keep some of them straight. The main character Delilah started out as a frivolous, flighty flapper, but her character growth made for great reading.

A fantastic read set in a rarely visited time and location.

Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman

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

I really loved Kimberley Freeman's Wildflower Hill, so I could not wait to get my hands on Lighthouse Bay when I heard about it. Like Wildflower Hill, Lighthouse Bay is told is dual time lines in two different time periods about two different women. The stories are connected, of course.

There is the story of the present, which is about a woman named Libby who returns home to Lighthouse bay after living in Paris for twenty years. Then, there is the story of the past, which takes place in 1901 and is about a woman named Isabella Winterbourne. Isabella is the lone survivor of a shipwreck and has in her possession a very expensive item.

Both Libby and Isabella are flawed women who have just experienced something that has changed their lives forever. They both battle feelings of the past, and look to make for themselves a brighter future.

Both story lines wrapped up nicely at the end. I admit to speedily reading Isabella's story because it got real tense there at the end.

Highly recommended for Kate Morton fans. Freeman's style is about the same. And if you like this one, then definitely read Wildflower Hill, for I can't say enough positive things about that book.

The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow

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

At first look, this looked like another historical fiction tale set during World War II. In some ways, it was, but it had a different settings: a silk factory.

The factory eventually starts making parachutes for the war. This was an interesting perspective: a factory and its workers during wartime.

This book dealt bad choices, regrets, immense love, and bravery.

The point of view we're seeing through is Lily Verner, a young woman who starts working at the family's silk factory. There she finds friendship, love, and learns new and unexpected things about herself.

I'm just giving you the bare bones here, because this book was basically a story about ordinary people during extraordinary times. It will pull on your heartstrings, and like any good book, will make you think about what you might have done in the same situations.

HerStory by Various Authors

I was provided a copy of this book for my honest opinion.


A great collection of shorts stories featuring all kinds of different heroines. With stories ranging from Ancient Rome to the 1970s, and even a story set in the future, we were met with realistic heroines, flaws and all.

Some stories had characters that were entirely fictional, others were based on women who actually existed, famous or not. Some stories were even based on the author's own family member. Whether the heroine made strides in world affairs, or just strides in her own home, she was admirable.

Also noticeable was the fact that were met heroines who were from all walks of life: different classes, races, etc. This was a refreshing change.

There's something here for everyone. Every woman should be able to connect with the women written about here

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart by Leanna Renee Hieber

A really good sequel to Darker Still.

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart picks up right where Darker Still left off. And due to possible spoilers, I will refrain from saying exactly what that is. I was wondering how the series would continue after Darker Still; I couldn't see what could possibly happen next.

I will say that the beginning of the book was slow going and I was a bit fearful that the whole book would be like this. Thankfully, once the story settled, it took off and I was engrossed. There was just the right amount of supernatural for me, and I was able to follow all of it. And the spooky moments even went up a notch from the last book. Reading this at night was not a good idea.

This installment of the series introduced some new enjoyable characters that I hope to see more of. And based on how the book ended, there will definitely be a third book, and I can't wait.

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

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

Sometimes it's hard to pick up on good writing when all the characters in a book are infuriating. That was the case here; it could have been a literary masterpiece and I still would not have cared for it.

I didn't care a fig about any of the characters. Charles Lindbergh was controlling and domineering, and Anne was spineless and just went along with whatever her husband said, even when she knew it was wrong. Towards the end, Anne finally found her voice and empowerment, but by then I ceased to care.

I really, really need to care about characters to keep interest in a book, even if the characters are evil, as long as I give a care what happens to them, I will continue reading. Well, I did finish The Aviator's Wife, but I skimmed the second half of the book, just to get it over it, because I frankly did not care what happened to anyone.

I really loved Alice I Have Been, but I just could not get into this one.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

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

I have been sort of skimming books lately, not really engrossed with any of them. So, The Painted Girls came at the right time. I was completely taken with the story and the voices of the two sisters.

Taking place in Paris in from 1878 to the early 1880s, the book is told from the points-of-view of Antoinette and Marie, sisters. Marie is the subject of Edgar Degas famous statue Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. The story is based in fact of the lives of the sisters, and shows how their lives might have been.

I knew I would love this, because stories set in the Paris ballet scene absolutely fascinate me. The nitty gritty behind beautiful production, and the hard and brutal work that ballerinas put their bodies through make for good dramatic stories. And the writing in The Painted Girls perfectly captures the period and the city.

This was a great historical fiction novel, and books like this is why I read historical fiction novels. Highly recommended.

When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris

I'll usually read books in this series in a day or two, but I took my time with this one. I didn't want to rush it, because the writing in these books are great. The descriptions and character developments are top notch, and I didn't want to miss a thing to speed read just to find out what happens at the end.

I'm not going to do a summary of this book, because at this point in the series, I'll just be giving stuff away. I will say that this mystery had a King Arthur theme, and features a young Alfred Tennyson and a tragedy to do with his family.

It was an engrossing mystery, with fantastic action sequences and intriguing characters. Seriously, the action descriptions in this series is some of the best I've read. And I just love the characters, old and new. There isn't an uninteresting character in the bunch, and you never know who's hiding something, until the end.

Another thing I love about this series, is that it evokes the Regency era without stuffing it down your throat, both the glittering and the gritty. Sebastian is upper class, but due to his involvement in murders, he's often thrown into encounters with some unsavory characters. From criminals to expatriates, we come across them all, and none of them are as they seem.

Another solid installment in the series, I can't wait for the next one.

The Lady of Secrets by Susan Carroll

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


The Lady of Secrets is the sixth installment of the Dark Queen Saga, a series I had no idea was ongoing. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this pop up.

The heroine of this was is Margaret Wolfe, who readers of this series will be familiar with. Now The Lady of Faire Isle, she is sought out by people who need her expertise in healing. She's sought out by one man in particular, who needs her to help lift a curse from the King of England. Once in England, she soon realizes that no one is telling the truth, and everyone is hiding something.

While I don't think this book was up to par with the rest of the series, I still liked it. I think what fell flat for me was I didn't care much for the hero, or the romance. And Meg, while a good heroine, fell short of the previous heroines. She was still a great heroine in her own right.

The first half of the book was great. Even though not a whole lot happened, I was still engrossed due to the writing. The characters were fantastic, I thought: the good, the bad, and the ones that hovered in the middle. Although, in the second half of the story, it lost something, and I'm not sure what. The climax of the story, while interesting, was disappointing in its effectiveness as the 'big event'.

Still, a good story. It was nice to see what happened to Meg.

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

This was a fabulous immigrant story filled with ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs.

The story is about Ciro and Enza, who meet once in their native Italy, and then later during a few chance meetings in America. Their romance is slow moving and filled with doubts at the beginning. It's the story of hardworking immigrants striving for the American dream, hoping to one day return to their native country, to live out the rest of their years.

I love stories about Italian immigrants, and like I did with Elizabeth Street, I pretended to insert my own family members into the shoes of the fictional characters, thinking maybe this was the kind of lives they lived.

I loved the characters of both Ciro and Enza, but Enza was definitely my favorite. I loved her strive for independence and her need of not just waiting for life to drop into her lap. Even after she married, she was still determined to work and be her own individual. And her strength through tragedy was admirable. Oh, and I loved the parts when she worked at the Met with her best friend Laura and came across Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar. Boy, were they characters!

The story took place over several years and two wars. It showed immigrant life in the early 20th century perfectly, and the struggle of the working class. There was a bit of sadness, and I admit to sobbing at one point, but I felt satisfied when I finished the book. I enjoyed every word.

Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley

There are going to be more books with these characters, right? RIGHT? Because I need there to be!

Ahem, anyway, yes, I loved this book. It had everything, really: history, mystery, romance, and sadness. Yes, there was some achingly sad parts, I almost shed a tear.

Kate is in England covering a murder trial when she meets an old man named Andrew Deacon. This sets her off on a path involving his connection to her grandmother, their pasts, and some shady business that went on during WWII. People are turning up dead, people are following Kate, and she expects to be next.

Kate changes her appearance and jet sets from Canada, to Portugal, to London, to America, and sometimes more than once. She meets people who worked with her grandmother and Deacon during WWII, and through their memories, finds herself transported to a different time, filled with secrets and shady dealings.

All the parts to this book were neatly woven together and the story flowed well. As far as the mystery goes, I loved how things started to unfold bit by bit, and by the end, everything fit together. The characters were engaging, and I loved Kate as a protagonist. I hope there's a sequel in the future!

The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley

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

The Oracle Glass was a fabulously told historical fantasy tale that took place around The Affair of the Poisons, a real series of events that happened during the reign of Louis XIV.

After the death of her beloved father, Genevieve Pasquier escapes her abusive family and becomes Madame Morville, a 150 year old  fortune teller with the help of La Voisin. La Voison, who really existed, was the ruler of a secret society of witches, and is the prime source in dealing out poison to high-end clients.

Genevieve keeps up this masquerade, and eventually weaves herself an infamous reputation upon the French aristocracy. This is a dangerous game, and Genevieve uses her wits to stay afloat, but her heart might put her at risk. In 1677, Genevieve is in real fear while the authorities were rounding up fortune-tellers and the like who were suspected of selling poisons.

Everything is very tense towards the end, and I loved it. However before that was interesting, as well. I loved all the secrecy, and the fact that there was a community of witches, alchemists, fortune-tellers, magicians, etc. It's just too bad that they weren't all good people. Anyway, the intrigue was great, and it fortunately never let up. Even though it wasn't a fast-paced story, it still held my interest.

Historical fantasy is one of my favorite sub-genres, and it's so hard to find good books that fit, but this one was great! I have some of the author's other books, which all look to be historical fantasy, as well, so I'm definitely going to keep going with this author's work.

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

A very unique historical fantasy book surrounding a mute girl and a haunted portrait of a young English Lord.

Set in 1880 New York, Natalie is a young woman who comes across a stunning portrait of a young Lord and seems drawn to it. The book is written as if it's Natalie journal, so we're privy to her deepest darkest thoughts and the workings of her mind. She is obviously driven to record everything that comes to her, for it's the only way she can express it.

Natalie was, of course, a very unique heroine. She could only communicate with most people by writing on her notepad. She felt left out often, and when she interacted with people, she was usually met with a pitying look. Through the course of her journey that is chronicled through her journal, Natalie discovers strengths and talents she didn't even know she had.

Darker Still has hints of The Picture Dorian Gray, and I loved it. The story was obviously inspired by the classic novel.

I went into this book not really knowing the details, so I'm hesitant to give anything away. It was so much more than I expected. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be so creepy in some places. While reading during the night, I found some parts completely spooked me – walking beheaded corpses and all that. Argh, but it was good.

Passion by Jude Morgan

Passion is the third book I've read by Jude Morgan. Even though I've read Indiscretion and Charlotte and Emily, I still was fearful over Passion. Why? Well, because like the other two books I read, Passion is told from the perspectives of women, and I figured that Morgan was bound to screw up sometime. I'm very hesitant to read a book primarily about women and from their point of view when it has been written by a man, but let me tell you something: Sometimes, while reading his books, I've completely forgotten who the heck wrote it, because I'm so absorbed in the story. You know, some male authors will write female characters that are completely unrealistic and clearly exist in their own fantasies, but Morgan has written nothing but realistic, flawed women, and I thank him for that.

The book is told from the perspectives of four women from the Romantic era: Augusta Leigh, half sister to Lord Byron; Lady Caroline Lamb, one-time lover to Lord Byron; Mary Goodwin, author of Frankenstein, and eventual wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley; and Fanny Brawne, the love of John Keats' life. However, really, we see everyone from this era. Everyone. Some folks popped up and then left as fast, but some stuck around. It was like a revolving door of names: Polidori, Trewlany, Hunt, etc.

Augusta and Mary were the ones we seemed to hear the most from. We heard a bit from Caroline at the beginning, but once her affair with Byron was over, she only popped up now and again. My favorite to hear from was definitely Mary, and this wasn't the case at the beginning, but I started to realize that I enjoyed her parts more and more as the story went on.

I also enjoyed Fanny Brawne's parts, but we didn't hear much about her until the last part of the story, and unfortunately, Keats didn't show up regularly until the last one hundred pages. This is my only qualm, really, because of all the men were heard about in the story, Keats is my favorite.

It took me three weeks to read this, only because I was savoring it. I'd stop reading, and do some research about what I just read, or I'd just sit and think. I also made a Pinterest board to help me visualize the people and events I was reading about. I ended up getting a lot from this book, and it will probably influence my reading for a while. Because, you see, I haven't read a lot from the Romantic poets. Sure, when I saw Bright Star a few years ago, I read a little of Keats' stuff, but that was it. I'm very much inspired, after reading Passion, to dig into all the works I heard about in the book.

I guess I should say something of the writing. It was beautiful, not flowery, yet very readable. Each woman had their own distinctive voice and personality. The period was also evoked very well, and I definitely got lost in it. This book is definitely a keeper. I could see myself reading it again someday.