Bloomsbury Girls [Book Review] #BlogTour

May 17, 2022

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (post-WW11), Book About Books, London, Bookshop

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the Bloomsbury Girls Blook Tour. Thanks for the invite #AustenProsePR and thanks #Netgalley @StMartinsPress for a complimentary eARC of #BloomsburyGirls by Natalie Jenner upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Bloomsbury Girls is a spin-off of The Jane Austen Society but can be read as a stand-alone. The story takes place in an old bookstore in post-war London. Bloomsbury books is run by men and the staff is dedicated to following the general manager’s fifty-one rules; however, the three women working there have their own ambitions and dreams. Because it’s the 1950s and women have been thrust into the workplace while men have been at war. women are often taking leadership and asserting their own ideas which may differ from the way things have always been done. At this very traditional bookshop run by men, stylish and creative Vivian, hard-working Grace, and scholarly Evie join forces to shake things up a bit, add their own flair, introduce new ideas and procedures, and chase their own dreams. As a bonus, there is plenty of name-dropping of (their) contemporary literary legends.

My Thoughts:

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Black Butterflies [Book Review]

May 4, 2022
Star Wars Day
(May the 4th be with you!)

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Diverse Reads, Siege of Sarajevo

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks @BookSirens and the author/publisher for a complimentary eARC of #BlackButterflies upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In the spring of 1992, fifty-five year old Zora can’t imagine that the Siege of Sarajevo will last long. Her husband and elderly mother leave for England, and she stays behind to continue working as an artist and teacher. The situation deteriorates quickly and Zora has waited too long to leave. The places she loves are destroyed and black ashes float around. Zora joins with her friends to survive the days, offer comfort to each other, and find reasons to hope.

“Everything is better when done together. The taste of food and water, the touch when they hug each other hello. They’ve made it through one more day, each reunion a confirmation that they’re still alive.”

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The Book Woman’s Daughter [Book Review]

May 3, 2022

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Southern Fiction, Books About Books, Literacy, Appalachia, Kentucky, Librarians, Racism, Prejudice, Poverty

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

…a stubbborn mule, a best friend, and a pajama party…

Thanks #NetGalley @SourceBooks (Landmark) @Bookmarked for a complimentary eARC of #TheBookWomansDaughter by @KimMicheleRichardson upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Honey Mary Angeline Lovett is the daughter of the beloved pack horse librarian known as The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Honey faces discrimination as one of the “blue people” and is also fighting for her independence and emancipation because her parents have been imprisoned for breaking the law against mixed marriage. As Honey hides from the law and social services who seek to institulionalize her as a minor, she meets a few extraordinary women and follows in her mom’s footsteps to deliver books and the promise of literacy to the remote hollers of Appalachia.

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A Hundred Crickets Singing [Book Review]

April 27, 2022

A Hundred Crickets Singing by Cathy Gohlke

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Slavery, Racism/Prejudice, Faith, Appalachia (rural North Carolina), WW11 and Civil War

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @TyndaleHouse for a complimentary copy of #AHundredCricketsSinging upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In split timelines (1861 and 1944) and through two wars (Civil War and WW11) we hear the stories of two young women who lived on the same plantation and same house in No Creek, North Carolina (Appalachia) as they face the hardships of war and encounter unrelenting racism and prejudice. It’s through Celia’s discovery of a hidden journal in 1944 that we hear Minnie’s story from the Civil War days and cheer for Celia as she attempts to right a wrong.

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The Bookseller’s Promise [Book Review]

April 19, 2022

The Bookseller’s Promise by Beth Wiseman

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Chick Lit), Romance, Uplit, Christian Fiction, Amish Country (Indiana), Rural Bookstore, Book About Books

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @Zondervan @HarperCollins for a complimentary eARC of #TheBooksellersPromise by Beth Wiseman upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In her job, Yvonne hunts down and purchases rare books for collectors who are willing to pay high prices. Her current search leads her to an Amish bookstore where she meets Jake, the handsome owner, and Eva, his employee. Yvonne is surprised to hear that Jake refuses to sell his rare book despite an outrageously high offer, but she is persistent and confidant of her gifts of persuasion and decides to stay in Amish country for a while. During her stay, Yvonne becomes friends with Jake and Eva and also begins to rethink her personal life. Will she break off her engagement? Will she discover why Jake will not sell the book at any price? Will Yvonne, Jake, and Eva find true love?

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Mrs. England [Book Review]

April 12, 2022

Mrs. England by Stacey Halls

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Family Drama, Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the #HTPBooks Harlequin Trade Press Publishing’s 2022 Blog Tour for historical fiction. Thanks #HTPBooks #Netgalley for a complimentary eARC of #MrsEngland upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In 1904, Ruby May is looking for a fresh start and accepts a position in Yorkshire as a children’s nurse for the Englands, a wealthy couple who live in the isolated Hardcastle House. Although she builds a connection with the three children, something doesn’t seem quite right with the servants or between Mr. and Mrs. England.

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Spring Tides at the Starfish Cafe [Book Review]

April 5, 2022

Spring Tides at the Starfish Caf é by Jessica Redland

Genre/Categories: Women’s Contemporary Fiction, (Closed Door) Romance

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #SpringTidesAtTheStarfishCafe upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Hollie, owner of the Starfish Cafe, and her boyfriend Jake (and adorable Pickles the dog) have found each other and are living a contented and full life and looking forward to their bright future…..until an act of vandalism affects the future of the Starfish Cafe and puts their livlihood in jeopardy. An unexpected friendship is formed and new characters are introcuded as Hollie and Jake recover from their losses and rebuild.

Spring Tides at the Starfish Caf é is the second in the Starfish Cafe series but it can be read as a standalone.

My Thoughts:

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The Honeybee Emeralds [Book Review]

March 29, 2022

The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Friendship, Paris

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks Turner Publishing Company @TurnerPub for a complimentary e ARC of #TheHoneybeeEmeralds upon my request. All opinions are my own.

An historical fiction/mystery mashup, The Honeybee Emeralds is the compelling and well-written story of a mysterious and valuable emerald necklace. Alice Ahmadi, an intelligent and shy intern at a struggling Parisian magazine, discovers the necklace in the pocket of an elegant, green coat in the building’s musty and dark basement the day the heat goes out and she enlists the help of the kind (and hunky) perfumer next door to find the fuse box. Alice ( the intern), Lily (the magazine editor), Daphne (a friend of Lily’s), Alexander (the guy next door), Luc (the magazine owner), and Jacob (a writer) join forces to solve the mystery of the beautiful necklace in hopes that the discovery and the story will help solve the magazine’s financial shortfall. The group calls themselves “The Fellowship of the Necklace” (a nod to another group of disparate adventurers trying to complete a mission in The Fellowship of the Ring).

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Sisters of Night and Fog [Book Review] #WomensHistoryMonth

March 1, 2022

Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Europe, Biographical, Espionage, Resistance

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub for a complimentary eARC of #TheSistersOfNightAndFog upon my request. All opinions are my own.

An American socialite in France meets a British secret agent…..

Sisters of Night and Fog is the story of two real life, brave young women who join the Resistance Movement during WW11. Virginia d’Albert-Lake is married and lives in France, and adventure-seeking, nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo is a French citizen but lives in England. Because Violette is an expert with firearms and has dual citizenship, she is recruited by Britain’s secretive Special Operations organization. The two women eventually meet at Ravensbruck concentration camp.

Virginia and Violette

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The Last Grand Duchess [Book Review]

February 7, 2022

The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Family Drama, Russia, the Romanovs

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the @HTPBooks Harlequin Trade Press Publishing’s 2022 Winter Blog Tour for Historical Fiction. Thanks #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks for my complimentary eARC of #TheLastGrandDuchess upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The Last Grand Duchess is the story of Olga Romanov and the Romanov family in their last years. We hear about Olga’s sheltered life living with her parents and siblings. Often present is Grigori Rasputin, a controversial priest and friend of the tsarina. As Olga divides her time between suitors, home, elegant ballrooms, and hospitals, she and the family face increasing danger from political unrest and home confinement.

Olga Romanov

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