CLM
Captain Harry Phillips, a British officer, is a prisoner of war in a German-controlled hospital in Romania. It’s 1918 and while Germany has gone from near-victory to an unsuccessful Spring Offensive on the Western Front leading to eventual defeat, its army and military intelligence are still...
CLM
I remember what a tear-jerker The Light Between Oceans was so I was not expecting an easy read in A Far-flung Life but it took nearly all of the 430 pages to get from tragedy to the promised resilience. This epic novel beginning on an Australian sheep station in 1958 features a small but...
CLM
This historical novel, set in 1952, begins dramatically with a dead or nearly dead body. Honor Wilson, a seemingly respectable widow, inherited a large Victorian house in London after her much-older husband died but little in the way of other assets. She takes in lodgers: George (Georgina),...
CLM
Elizabeth Chadwick is an author I have enjoyed in the past but somehow I had not read any of her books since moving back to Boston, so she seemed a good candidate for the 20 Days of Summer. I gather her books about William Marshal are her most acclaimed so I meant to start with one of them but...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’m always fascinated to pick up an author’s first novel. Of course, I applaud any individual who undertakes the huge undertaking of creating a world(s) and then nakedly sharing it with people who can,...
Justin Bowers
The year is 1942 and June “Hoss” Hudson is the general manager of the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa: playground of the most aristocratic of families in West Virginia. June, a very unlikely candidate for the role she holds runs the Avallon like a well oiled machine is suddenly met with the...
Justin Bowers
It’s been a very good time for new creative slants on vampire novels, recently, and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a prime example. The setup is pretty atypical for a horror read. In 2012, a diary written by a Lutheran pastor back in 1912 is discovered in the walls of Montana church. The majority...
Justin Bowers
I adore Ms. Schwab’s writing, and she has proven to surprise me again and again with her ability to shift gears, and styles, with each release. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is no different. Queer vampire stories are definitely not new, but Ms. Schwab introduces some new twists that make...
Justin Bowers
If you have been reading my reviews, you know that I absolutely love this series, and book three doesn’t disappoint. The Emily Wilde series isn’t my normal fare. Yes, it’s about the Fae, and yes, it does have some degree of mayhem and danger, but it falls dangerously close to historical...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’m not sure what it is about Ms. Fawcett’s Emily Wilde books that just make me stop everything else and rabidly consume them, but she is two for two, so far, in getting my full attention. Emily...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I feel like I have to preface this review by saying that I really really really liked this book, and cannot wait for it to get into other peoples’ hands. I’m worried this review might sound more...
Justin Bowers
Apparently, I’ve been very drawn to witchy historical fiction over the past couple of years, and The Witch Haven has been an absolute treat to read. Set in 1911 New York City, this is the tale of Frances Hollowell; a young girl mourning the recent loss of her brother while trying to scrape by a...
Justin Bowers
There is just something about Mr. Herzog that is just wildly appealing. I have watched his films, read his commentaries, and attended lectures where he talks about his process. His demeanor, poise, and language is uniquely him, and unmatched by anyone else out there. When I read that Mr. Herzog...
Justin Bowers
I learned from reading The Once and Future Witches that Ms. Harrow is an excellent storyteller; a writer capable of weaving delicate wisps of plot and story that intertwine innocently until they don’t. I was hesitant, however to pick up The Ten Thousand Doors of January because it was her first...
Justin Bowers
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in return for a fair review It’s only been recently that I have started reading more in the realm of historical fiction, but I’m finding I am enjoying it more and more. In The Conductors, Ms. Glover — in her debut offering, by the way — weaves an...
Justin Bowers
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in return for a fair review This book was an absolute wonder; a tale of women who tried, and women who dared. Women who took the rules and norms of an uncertain time in their hands and used the ways, the words, and definitely the will to attempt...