Historical Fiction
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The Keys to Gramercy Park Book Review
Past meets present in this gorgeous split time story set in New York City and written by Candice Sue Patterson. Andrea is just an ordinary waitress, but Beau is on the fast track to a prestigious political career. They meet in the most unlikely of ways, and it doesn’t take long for Andrea to discover that Beau has a coveted key to Gramercy Park. Andrea knows that she is out of Beau’s league, but they need each other to solve a mystery involving his ancestors once Andrea stumbles upon some old counterfeit money in her apartment. Once the history starts bleeding in with the present, we get to see Franklin…
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The Metropolitan Affair Book Review
My expectations were probably higher than they should have been when I started reading this book. So many of my reader friends have raved over it, and with good reason. But for me, I struggled to make it through the first 2/3rds of the story. There were several moments that could have been tightened up to make it a shorter, more engaging novel. I got bogged down by a huge cast of characters, all connected in some way to the Met or the forgeries that were being investigated. I did successfully guess the main culprit, and once I did, the time it took for Joe and Lauren to figure it…
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The Maid of Ballymacool Book Review
WOW! If this book is not on your TBR shelf for this year, then you need to carve out a space for it, and then waste no time reading it from cover to cover. Fans of historical fiction stories that include a slow burn romance and a Cinderella retelling will love every moment of this Irish tale. You will root for Brianna as she slowly starts to see what her life could be like with such a dashing hero like Michael. You will loathe the headmistress, Mistress Magee, and find a kindred spirit in Brianna’s friend, Finnuala. If your reading adventure through this story is anything like mine, you’ll find…
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Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War Book Review
If you’re looking for more of the lesser told stories from World War II, then this series – Heroines of WWII – from Barbour is a must read. I have learned so much so far, and I still have several more books to go! My latest read was Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War. From the start, I’ll say that I was disappointed to discover that Peggy Witherspoon was not a real individual, but her WASP status and training described many ladies during the war. This story seemed to focus more on the interactions between her and two other WASPs and their efforts to make women more recognized as a helpful…
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The Blackout Book Club Book Review
World War II, a plethora of wonderful books, and a diverse cast of characters make up the latest book from Amy Lynn Green known as The Blackout Book Club. Each chapter features the daily life and sometimes history of one of four main characters. Avis is the first one we meet, and she’s been thrust into the role of librarian on behalf of her brother who is enlisting in the war. We also meet Martina and Ginny, two women who are as different as night and day, but each with their own unique struggles. Louise is the owner of the library, though she does not intend for it to be open…
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Hope Between the Pages Book Review
This will be one of those reviews where I’ll first start with “don’t shoot the messenger,” but also, “please read to the end.” 🙂 I have not particularly enjoyed Pepper Basham’s writing up to this point. Yes, it’s good, but I have not been “sucked in” to a story. The first one I read I DNFed (and that was after going back a second time to see if I could make it through – I really tried, y’all!), and the second book was just ok. I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. Why do all my reviewer friends love her books and I don’t?! Well, I guess I just…
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A Note Yet Unsung Book Review
What a satisfying conclusion to this series! I love how there were three distinct themes present in each book – art, nature, and music – and having long been interested in music (even some classical scores), I soaked in every moment of this last story. I want to share so much about it in a review, yet don’t want to share anything at all except to say – it is a MUST READ! Even though I don’t want to share too much, I will share just a few things… If you are a fan of Southern history, you’ll love the fact that the Belmont mansion in Nashville and its owner…
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It Happened at the Fair Book Review
If you’ve read Christian historical romance for any length of time, then you KNOW that Deeanne Gist has long been one of the premier voices for this genre. Her characters always ooze authenticity, and the chemistry she creates between her heroes and heroines is second to (almost) no one. I have been trying to catch up on the backlog of books that she’s written in the past few years, and thanks to a super quick read over the past 24 hours, I can happily add It Happened at the Fair to my “Books Read” stack. Simply put, I devoured this book. The slow burning romance set my stomach to fluttering more…
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The Pink Bonnet Book Review
About the Book A Desperate Mother Searches for Her ChildStep into True Colors — a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime Widowed in Memphis during 1932, Cecile Dowd is struggling to provide for her three-year-old daughter. Unwittingly trusting a neighbor puts little Millie Mae into the clutches of Georgia Tann, corrupt Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society director suspected of the disappearance of hundreds of children. With the help of a sympathetic lawyer, the search for Millie uncovers a deep level of corruption that threatens their very lives. How far will a mother go to find out what happened to her child? My Thoughts Anyone who has…
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Love’s First Bloom Book Review
About the Book Ruth Livingstone’s life changes drastically the day her father puts a young child in her arms and sends her to a small village in New Jersey under an assumed name. There Ruth pretends to be a widow and quietly secludes herself until her father is acquitted of a crime. But with the emergence of the penny press, the imagination of the reading public is stirred, and her father’s trial stands center stage. Asher Tripp is the brash newspaperman who determines that this case is the event he can use to redeem himself as a journalist. Ruth finds solace tending a garden along the banks of the Toms…
