Genre: Fiction

Midnight in St. Petersburg by Vanora Bennett

January 22, 2016 0 Comments Regina

“Bennett’s sophisticated grasp of historical realities and psychological complexity gives power and depth to what might easily have been a clichéd romance.” – Sunday Times First, let me help you set the mood before starting this sweeping story of revolution, music, and romance. Do yourself a favor and Spotify or buy Anna Netrebko’s Russian Album to steep this reading experience in even more magic. Netrebko brings such rich, velvety tones and mastery of subject matter […]

ILLUMINAE (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

January 13, 2016 0 Comments Regina

Disclaimer: I read Illuminae in ARC format over the summer but won the hardcover version on a blog. I am reviewing the ARC version in this post but any quotes/excerpts used were checked against the published version. It seems pointless to do a review of ILLUMINAE this long since its release date. I’m sure there are already a billion and one blog reviews of the book out there and it’s unlikely that I will have […]

A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison

January 12, 2016 0 Comments Regina

A Small Indiscretion was one of those books that I saw on another blog last year and thought to myself Ohhh! I really want to read this!. I occasionally passed by it at Barnes and Noble over the past year and would say to my husband while pointing at it with the excitement of remembering a long-forgotten good idea, “Oh! I have been wanting to read that one!”. Ultimately, the book failed to ever make it […]

Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter

January 7, 2016 1 Comment Regina

BOHEMIAN GOSPEL WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2015. “A fast-moving, seductive read. A fascinating mix of dark fantasy and rich historical detail.” Author of The Bloodletter’s Daughter Like any good book, Bohemian Gospel is a book for all seasons. However, I suggest you hurry and go buy a copy to read now, during the Winter months, so you can cuddle up under a fuzzy blanket by a toasty fire. This book will make […]

Avelynn by Marissa Campbell

December 18, 2015 0 Comments Regina

ATTENTION FANS OF History channel’s VIKINGS: This is the book you have been waiting for. And now for the funny part. I couldn’t handle The Vikings show and unfortunately, Avelynn just wasn’t the book for me. That being said, I think a ton of people will really enjoy this book. It has a powerful female lead and there are strong feminist currents to the novel, which I loved, but I just couldn’t get into […]

Rebel Mechanics: All is Fair in Love and Revolution by Shanna Swendson

November 12, 2015 1 Comment Regina

” What if British Magic kept the American Revolution from ever occurring?” The premise of this book is pretty amazing. My synapses salivate at the thought of how Shanna Swendson conjured this story question. There are two story worlds in this novel. One is out in the open, filled with proper aristocrats and those who wish they were. The other is clandestine, filled with working-class folk who walk on the radical side. I loved how […]

ARC Review: The Last Midwife by Sandra Dallas

November 10, 2015 0 Comments Regina

The Last Midwife was the most scandalous Western Mystery I have ever read. I LOVED it. By the late 19th century, women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were making a name for themselves in the first Women’s Suffrage movement and Gynecology had just been professionalized. Where women’s care and the delivery of their babies had previously been left up to midwives, the culture was changing as men crowned themselves Gynecologists and cursed […]

Blog Tour: An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet

September 29, 2015 3 Comments Regina

(WARNING: To my Southern friends- I may use a couple of Northern slang words in place of ”awesome” or ”super cool”. I don’t know why. Can you spot them?) I’m not really a Fantasy fan but damn, this book was wicked good. An Inheritance of Ashes is one of the BEST BOOKS I’ve read so far this year. I was completely taken by the atmospheric story world and the haunting characters. Hallie, the female […]

The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck

September 27, 2015 0 Comments Regina

“Through it all, the very same sun and moon and stars never wavered, never once failed to rise and fall and shine their light upon the world. And though mankind itself had run amok, the universe never once collapsed in on itself. Through seismic shifts, wars, famine, and mankind’s great experiment with its own free will, the universe never lost sight of even its most infinitesimal need for balance. “ Some lovely Ottoman textiles. The […]

The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett

September 5, 2015 0 Comments Regina

“We walk on fire or air, so Daddy liked to say. Basement floors too hot to touch. Steaming green lawns in the dead of winter. Sinkholes, quick and sudden, plunging open at your feet.” The synopsis of this book is the kind that plants little hooks inside my historically minded brain and pulls on it. Especially the part of my brain that loves hauntingly atmospheric settings set among neglected snapshots of American history. The below […]

Blog Tour+GIVEAWAY: The Last Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiousities #1) by C.J. Archer

August 31, 2015 5 Comments Regina

You can find my reviews of C.J. Archer’s Freak House series HERE and her stand alone novel, Surrender, HERE. Don’t forget to ENTER to WIN at the bottom! Victorian Era London, England ATTENTION POLDARK FANS: You will LOVE the dynamic between the Female and Male protagonists in this novel. I wish I could buy stock in C.J. Archer. Once again, she’s blown me away with the start of another great series, The Ministry of Curiosities. […]

Gus (Bright Side #2) by Kim Holden

August 25, 2015 0 Comments Christy

I was so happy to hear that Gus was getting his own book. It wasn’t until almost release day that I did. Naturally of course I knew I had to read it. I really liked Gus in Bright Side. The friendship Gus and Kate shared was really tight. My heart broke for Gus at the end of Bright Side. Bright Side was an amazing read. In fact, I re-read it before starting this book. Now […]

Dark Metropolis (Dark Metropolis #1) by Jaclyn Dolamore

August 24, 2015 0 Comments Regina

“Cabaret meets Cassandra Clare-a haunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world.” When I was 16, there was this movie that came out called Dark City. The trailer looked so nouveau-weird and mysterious. It looked like the coolest kind of psychological thriller. I went to see the movie and felt more than a little confused but still thought the film was a cool concept. That’s what Dark Metropolis reminded me of. Both have the […]

Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

August 22, 2015 0 Comments Christy

REVIEW: ~ 54 minutes. The entire story spans a timeframe of fifty four minutes. ~ Although there are other published books that deal with this topic. I think the way this story is written sets it apart from the others. It’s told in multiple points of view, and I really enjoyed learning each featured characters perspective. Learning how they were connected with each other in one way or another. Ms Nijkamp did a great job […]

Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets ( A Jazz Age Mystery #2) by Ellen Mansoor Collier

August 19, 2015 2 Comments Regina

You can check out my review of the first book in this series, Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play HERE. “”Boardwalk Empire” meets “Miss Universe” in 1927 Galveston, Texas-the “Sin City of the Southwest.” Jasmine (“Jazz”) Cross is an ambitious 21-year-old society reporter for the Galveston Gazette who wants to be taken seriously by the good-old-boy staff, but the editors only assign her fluffy puff pieces, like writing profiles of bathing beauties.” Here’s a fun alternate […]

Enchantress of Paris by Marci Jefferson Review + GIVEAWAY!!!

August 18, 2015 2 Comments Regina

Check out my PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS of Marci Jefferson HERE, and don’t forget to ENTER to WIN a finished copy of the Enchantress of Paris at the end of the review! “Fraught with conspiracy and passion, the Sun King’s opulent court is brought to vivid life in this captivating tale about a woman whose love was more powerful than magic.” COULD ANYONE ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE IN AN HISTORICAL NOVEL?! Some opulent scenery from King Louis […]

Review: There You Stand by Christina Lee

August 16, 2015 0 Comments Christy

REVIEW: I’m sorta at a stand still after reading this book. Though M/M is not normally something I would read. I really liked Cory in the previous books and was happy to hear he was going to get his own book. This story itself was a good one. It’s well written and offers interesting characters. I found Jude to be an interesting guy, but also a little bit annoying. He doesn’t talk much and at […]

Review: Fall Out Girl by L. Duarte

August 15, 2015 0 Comments Christy

REVIEW: Wow! I finished reading Fall Out Girl late yesterday afternoon and I’m still reeling. I experienced so many feels while reading this story. I had read the synopsis on Goodreads one day a few weeks ago and added it to my tbr list. Last week I was contacted by the author and offered an ARC for an honest review. I accepted and thought I’d get to it in a couple weeks. I’m really swamped […]

ARC Review: Lamp Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston

August 12, 2015 0 Comments Regina

In the latest from Paula Brackston, a young artist goes to the Welsh mountains in search of love, but is faced with ancient legends and a mysterious man from the past – Merlin himself. You can find my reviews of other Paula Brackston novels HERE. All I have to do is see Paula Brackston’s name on a novel and know that I’m going to love it. Her writing is so rich and engrossing, and as […]

Review: Promise Me This by Christina Lee

August 12, 2015 0 Comments Christy

REVIEW: Finally! Nate & Jessie’s story. I’ve been looking forward to this one. Nate was a tough nut to crack and I couldn’t wait to find our what made him the man he was. He’s the hookup kind of guy. Never going back for seconds. He also hardly ever uses his tongue. His reasoning. “It’s too intimate.” I get that. Jesse is a hell of a spitfire. She’s a take know prisoners type of girl. […]

Review: Fisher’s Light by Tara Sivec

August 11, 2015 0 Comments Christy

REVIEW: I’ve heard so many good things about this book. I’ve not read a book by Tara Sivic before so I thought why not. While I think the plot for this book was unique, I had a few issues with the overall story. In the beginning I absolutely loathed Fisher. I hated him so much that I almost stopped reading. He was downright mean to Lucy. It’s not really revealed why he treats Lucy the […]