Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Salvacion by Sandra Proudman

 

“Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal of sicknesses and wounds. But by night, she is Salvación, the free-spirit lady vigilante protecting the town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety among the rising tension in Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.


But one night, a woman races into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja, a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with and the man who wields it: Damien Hernández. And when Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong and promises of returning Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule—all Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen, ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola races against time as Salvación to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans, even teaming up with Alejandro—who she doesn’t fully trust, but can’t help but fall in love with.” - taken from Goodreads.


This gender swapped Zorro story was slow to start but the ending was worth the read,


Visit Sandra Proudman’s website.

Monday, December 16, 2024

A Queen’s Game by Katharine McGee

 

“In the last glittering decade of European empires, courts, and kings, three young women are on a collision course with history—and with each other.


Alix of Hesse is Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter, so she can expect to end up with a prince . . . except that the prince she’s falling for is not the one she’s supposed to marry.


Hélène d’Orléans, daughter of the exiled King of France, doesn’t mind being a former princess; it gives her more opportunity to break the rules. Like running around with the handsome, charming, and very much off-limits heir to the British throne, Prince Eddy.


Then there’s May of Teck. After spending her entire life on the fringes of the royal world, May is determined to marry a prince—and not just any prince, but the future king.” - taken from Goodreads.


This was a fun spin on royal history during the later part of the Victorian era that is inspired by somewhat true events. Three young women are determined to have a say in their own futures among European royalty. I had to keep stopping throughout the book to research the various historical figures. While that may have spoiled the ending of book two, I learned how most everyone was related to Queen Victoria and how she manipulated her grandchildren for her own gain.


Book two is TBA.


Monday, December 9, 2024

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez (Secrets of the Nile book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, What the River Knows, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


“1885, Egypt


Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.


Marriage to Whitford Hayes.


Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.” - taken from Goodreads.


The conclusion to this adventure is action packed from the start after the shocking ending from book one. Inez is desperate to find out what happened to her father and what her mother has done with the Cleopatra cache. Not knowing who she can trust, including her own heart, Inez must rely on Whit to help her solve the mystery. With a shocking end to the story, the illustrated epilogue is worthwhile as a new story is hinted at with one character.


Visit Isabel Ibanez’s website.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (Secrets of the Nile book 1)


“Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.


When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.


With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.” - taken from Goodreads.


An incredible Indiana Jones like story, Inez sails to Egypt to discover how her parents died. Her uncle sends one of his men Whit to make sure Inez boards a ship immediately to return to Argentina. Not deterred by her uncle's wishes, Inez escapes Whit and heads to Cairo on her own. Determined to find out what her uncle is up to and what happened to her parents, Inez soon finds herself not knowing who she can trust. Full of twists and turns with shocking reveals, will Inez survive her trip to Egypt and what sh6e's she uncover? Fans with be clamoring for the best book after that cryptic epilogue. 


The story concludes with book two, What the Library Hides, due out November 11, 2024.


Visit Isabel Ibanez’s website.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 1.5)

 


SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Foul Lady Fortune, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of Foul Lady Fortune.


“In A Foul Thing, Roma and Juliette have established themselves as the heads of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang, making a living the way they do best while remaining anonymous in their peaceful, quiet life. But when they hear about several Russian girls showing up dead in nearby towns, they decide to investigate—and ultimately discover that this mystery is much closer to home than they ever imagined.


In This Foul Murder, Benedikt and Marshall have been summoned by Roma to find the elusive scientist, Lourens, and bring him to Zhouzhuang. Time is of the essence aboard the week-long Trans-Siberian Express, but when someone is murdered on board, Benedikt and Marshall convince the officer in charge not to stop the train so that they aren’t thrown off-schedule. Instead, they pretend that they are investigators and promise they can solve the murder, but as they dig deeper, they realize that the murder might having surprising ties to their own mission…” - taken from Goodreads.


I will say that I didn’t read these short stories until after I finished Foul Heart Huntsman and I think I’m glad that I didn’t know the spoiler about our favorite couple. Or maybe I would have been more invested in the story.


Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 2)

 


SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Foul Lady Fortune, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of Foul Lady Fortune.


“Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.


Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.


But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?


When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.” - taken from Goodreads.


Unfortunately, I found the beginning slow to start. I wanted the action and our characters to find one another sooner than they did. Once everyone is back together, the story really picks up. While the reader gets glimpses and more of several favorite characters, Rosalind and Orion are the heart of this book. I will say that each character received the ending they deserved. Definitely a worthy conclusion to the story.


Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

Monday, August 28, 2023

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams (The Forge & Fracture Saga book 1)

 


“Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a gifted craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men. Joan’s skill with her blades comes from a magical ability to control metal—an ability gifted by her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her whole family is Orisha-blessed, the Sands family have always kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually that doesn’t involve much except noting the faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try to blend in with London society, but lately, there has been an uptick in brutal Fae attacks. After Joan wounds a powerful Fae and saves the son of a cruel Lord, she is drawn into political intrigue in the human and Fae worlds.” - taken from Goodreads.


A historical fantasy that centers around the reign of King James I, it is up to Joan and her friends to stop the wayward Fae from taking over London before it is too late.


Book two, Saint-Seducing Gold, is due out April 30, 2024.


Visit Brittany N. Williams’ website.

Monday, May 22, 2023

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

 


“Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.

 

To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.” - taken from Goodreads.


This was a great historical mystery that takes place during World War II. Kathleen Hopper was the companion to the sickly Katherine Sutherland. Upon her death, she left her identity to Kathleen so that she could have a better life. On the day she is leaving Arlington Hall for parts unknown, the War Department takes over to use the facilities as one of its code breaking units. As Kathleen is walking out wearing Katherine's clothes, she is asked if she would like a job since it is assumed she was an Arlington Hall girl. Soon Kathleen becomes Kit Sutherland.


Several months later, Kit and her new friends stumble upon a serial killer targeting young women like themselves. Can Kit help discover who the murderer is before the truth about her identity is uncovered? 


Visit Ellie Marney’s website.


Monday, May 8, 2023

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (The Anatomy Duology book 2)

 


SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Anatomy, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


“Hazel Sinnett is alone and half convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.


When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamour and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.


As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.” - taken from Goodreads.


With her family and Jack gone, Hazel is working as a female surgeon at her family's castle in Edinburgh. She has made a quiet life for herself until she saves the life of a young woman that causes her to end up in prison. Resigned to her fate, Hazel is shocked when she is released to become the personal physician of the ailing Princess Charlotte. Quickly immersed in society, Hazel soon learns her fair share of secrets and schemes surrounding the royal family. Will Hazel be able to survive the politics of the day and whatever happened to her beloved Jack? 


Visit Dana Schwartz’s website.


Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare (The Lost Hours book 3, Shadowhunters book 15)

 


SPOILER POTENTIAL! This is the third book in this series. Please stop if you haven’t read the first two books.


Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of the Chain of Gold characters.


“Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.


After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.


Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.


For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.” - taken from Goodreads.


Our latest Shadowhunters’ tale takes many twists and turns, some you see coming and others that will completely blind side the reader. Without spoiling too many details, fans of Cassie Clare’s long running series will want to see where the characters fall into the history of her Shadowhunter’s realm.


Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Shadowhunters.com

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 1)

 


SPOILER ALERT! Even though this is the start of a new series, it does pick up four years after the conclusion to Our Violent Ends.


Check out the Riveted blog for recaps of both These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends.


“It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.


Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.


Code name: Fortune.


But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.


To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.” - taken from Goodreads.


An exciting, heart-pounding story that finds Rosalind Lang four years after the conclusion of Our Violent Ends. Now a spy and assassin, she must work under cover with a fellow spy to discover a secret that could change the course of China. With secrets of her own, Rosalind will find that the mystery goes much deeper than anyone ever imagined. Appearances by characters from the former duology help drive the story forward.


Book two is expected to be published in September of 2023.


Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

 



“Edinburgh, 1817.


Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.


Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.


When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.


Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.


But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.” - taken from Goodreads.com


Hazel Sinnett dreams of becoming a doctor even though it is an occupation denied to women. She is forced to study for the physician's exam on her own. When a chance encounter with Jack Currer, a resurrection man,  leads the two of them into the middle of a gruesome mystery surrounding the streets of Edinburgh. A great historical read involving a young woman who dares to fulfill her dreams rather than to conform to society's expectations. The ending throws in a huge supernatural twist. An excellent read that I devoured in a day.


Visit Dana Schwartz’s website.

Monday, February 14, 2022

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

 



“A story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Red Scare.


“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”


Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.


America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.” - taken from Goodreads.com


I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into what it was like to be a Chinese American teenager in San Francisco in the mid-1950s. Lily, a high school senior, dreams of going to college and working for the Jet Propulsion Lab, just like her aunt. It wasn't until she gets to know Kath, the other girl in her advanced math class, does Lily begin to question her sexuality.


A lot of world-building, family back story, and historical details make this book extremely slow in the beginning but once Lilly is seen leaving a lesbian bar, the story really picks up. Unfortunately, that was only the last 20% of the story. Not a happily-ever-after ending, but Lilly does remain true to herself 


Visit Malinda Lo’s website.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee


“By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.” - taken from Goodreads.com


I instantly became fascinated with Jo Kuan's story as a young Chinese American living in 1890 Atlanta. Georgia. Not white or colored, Jo really doesn't fit into society, especially since she has the tendency to speak the truth. She and her adoptive father live in secret in the basement of the Bell’s house that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. After overhearing how the Bell’s newspaper is in dire straits and Jo’s home is in jeopardy, she decides to write an advice column for the Bells to draw in new subscribers. Soon Miss Sweeties’ no-nonsense advice is a hit among Atlanta’s society. But when she decides to track down her birth parents, dark and dangerous secrets threaten to be uncovered and Jo must decide to make a choice: hide or to be seen.


Visit Stacey Lee’s website.

 

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights book 1)



“The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.


A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.


But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.” - taken from Goodreads.com


“These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume.

  • Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet


What if Romeo and Juliet didn't die at the end? Instead, they were separated for four years while their rival gang families ramped up their blood feud on the streets of Shanghai. It's 1926 and a monster carrying a deadly disease lurks in a city where the ruling gangs are struggling to keep control over increasing western influences. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov must put the past behind them in order to save their city. Will these star-crosses lovers be able to put aside old grudges and work together to stop the increasing pandemonium? Both old and new betrayals will be revealed.


To be continued with Our Violent Ends on November 16, 2021.


Visit Chloe Gong’s website.





 

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi (The Gilded Wolves book 2)


 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Gilded Wolves, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


“They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.


Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.


Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.


As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.


A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.” - taken from Goodreads.com


Continuing after the devastating events at the end of book one, our characters find themselves in Russia. Once again, I found the story slow to start with but it did pick up as new characters and places were introduced. All of the reveals and plot twists that transpire by the time the story ends will have fans clamoring for the final book in the trilogy. 


The trilogy will conclude with book three, The Bronzed Beasts, due out on September 21, 2021.


Visit Roshani Chokshi’s website.


Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi

 



“Rebellious Frannie Tasker knows little about the war between England and its thirteen colonies in 1776, until a shipwreck off her home in Grand Bahama Island presents an unthinkable opportunity. The body of a young woman floating in the sea gives Frannie the chance to escape her brutal stepfather--and she takes it.

Assuming the identity of the drowned Emmeline Coates, Frannie is rescued by a British merchant ship and sails with the crew to New York. For the next three years, Frannie lives a lie as Miss Coates, swept up in a courtship by a dashing British lieutenant. But after witnessing the darker side of the war, she realizes that her position gives her power. Soon she finds herself eavesdropping on British officers, risking everything to pass information on to George Washington's Culper spy ring as agent 355. Frannie believes in the fight for American liberty--but what will it cost her? Inspired by the true "355" and rich in historical detail and intrigue, this is the story of an unlikely New York society girl turned an even unlikelier spy.”
- taken from Goodreads.com

I have been looking forward to reading this book for several months before it even came out. The mystery surrounding spy 355 hooked me and I did some extensive research before starting the story. Frannie Tasker and all her friends and family are fictional but many historical events, people, and places are woven into the story. The beginning was a bit slow to build and her decision to become a spy seemed quick, but I was pleasantly surprised by all of the possibilities that the ending provided.

Visit Veronica Rossi’s website.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Lovely War by Julie Berry


“It's 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She's a shy and talented pianist; he's a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it's immediate and deep--and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.


Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.


Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.” - taken from Goodreads.com


This was not my typical read/audio listen. I almost gave up on this story early on but soldiered on (pun intended). Lovely War is a complex tale taking place during the two World Wars between mortals and the Greek gods. Love, war, history, and mythology make up this tale of two couples who meet during World War I, as told by Aphrodite during World War II. Lots of historical facts are planted throughout the book as evidenced by the extensive notes at the end. Overall, I'm glad that I stuck with this book until the end.


Visit Julie Berry’s website.