In the past year, I've loved both of Virginia Heath's Merriwell Sisters novels. So when I saw that she has a festive short story, Say Yule Be Mine, I figured now was the perfect time to read it. It's included in the holiday anthology, Merry Christmas, Belles and Rakehalls (which I plan to read in... Continue Reading →
I adore Harper St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series, which has one final book coming out this spring. Before that arrives, and with the holiday spirit alive, I wanted to read her Christmas-y short story, Once Upon an Heiress. I actually read this a year ago, and this is a reread, but I love it just as... Continue Reading →
I always love a book that I can escape into and be transported to another country. Paris is near the top of my destination wish list, so I was looking forward to Samantha Vérant's new novel, The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique. Set against the opening of a new Parisian bistro, this is an enemies-to-lovers... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Camilla Läckberg released The Golden Cage, a psychological thriller with a feminist plot and a noir vibe. I just got the audiobook this month and decided to listen to it as part of my Northern and Eastern Europe reading challenge. The book was translated from Swedish by Neil Smith, and the audiobook... Continue Reading →
I was recently perusing audiobooks when I came across Girl at War by Sara Nović. Its setting in an event I knew little about—the Croatian War of Independence—captured my interest, and I immediately bought the book. It was only then that I noticed I already have another book by the author, True Biz, which just... Continue Reading →
My November reading challenge was to read books set in Northern or Eastern Europe, and one that was high on my list was The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson. This nordic noir, set in a remote village in Iceland in the 1980s, combines a haunting ghost story with a realistic thriller mystery. It was... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I was happy to read Gurzil by I, Anonymous. The first in the Wars of Wrath series, it ended on a cliffhanger, so I was eager to see what would happen next. The second installment is Badon Hill, a transitional book that sets up what is sure to be an exciting end.... Continue Reading →
I always enjoy reading historical fiction about real-life figures, and especially about the people adjacent to someone more famous, so I was excited to read Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby. It follows the years that Anne Sharp worked as a governess for the Austen family at their home in Kent. While there, she met her... Continue Reading →
T. Kingfisher is an author I've been meaning to get into. Her 2020 novel The Hollow Places is on my bookshelf, eyeing me impatiently, and I have an ever-growing list of her other books I'd like to read. This year, I decided to finally start with a novella that's been all the rage: What Moves... Continue Reading →
Last year, one of my favorite romances was Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath. The first in a trilogy, I could hardly wait for the next installment, so I was excited to get an ARC of book #2, Never Rescue a Rogue. Much as I loved its predecessor, Never Rescue a Rogue may be... Continue Reading →
More and more lately, I've enjoyed reading about historical figures who are adjacent to someone who is more famous or remembered. I've read about the lesser known Mozart composer, then Marie Antoinette's older sister, and now Queen Victoria's daughter, Louise. Heather B. Moore's latest novel, In the Shadow of a Queen, highlights the princess who... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I adored The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews, the first in her Belles of London series. Ever since, I'd been looking forward to the next book, The Belle of Belgrave Square. Happily, I was able to read an advanced copy of the novel, and it not only lived up to my lofty... Continue Reading →
Ruth Ware is an auto-buy author for me; I've loved her first six novels, and I'm always ready for whatever is next! Her latest release is The It Girl, a dual-timeline, dark academia thriller about uncovering who really murdered a best friend all those years ago. Because the guy who went to prison for it... Continue Reading →
This month my reading challenge is all about Dark Academia. Following The Betrayals, my second read was Madam by Phoebe Wynne. Set in a remote Scottish boarding school for girls, new teacher Rose Christie is aggravated by the many secrets coworkers and students alike are keeping from her. And is it just her imagination, or... Continue Reading →
Three years ago, I read and absolutely loved The Binding by Bridget Collins. It is one of my all-time favorite books. So I was excited when the author's second adult novel, The Betrayals, was announced. Though I've had it for the past year, I'm only now finally getting to it as part of my Dark... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Suzanne Allain released her novel Mr. Malcolm's List. I've been planning to read it since then, but now that the movie adaptation is out, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I opted for the audiobook version, narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden, before immediately watching the film. While fairly different, both versions were... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of Haven by Emma Donoghue, due out in two weeks. Set in Ireland, it takes readers back in time to about 600 C.E., onto small, isolated rock of an island. It follows a trio of monks as they attempt to make this harsh island... Continue Reading →
In late 2020, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was part of a book club I was in, and all of us loved the novel. So I was excited to learn of his newest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, and even more thrilled when I was approved... Continue Reading →
There's a new historical mystery out today, set on a ship in summer 1936: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare. If you're looking for dubiously linked murders, a calculated setup, a bit of music, and an examination of race, this is the book for you. Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House and... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated historical fiction novels this summer is A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen. Inspired by a real woman who became an acclaimed fashion designer, it's a novel of beautiful gowns, a second chance at love, and survival in a rapidly changing world. I was pleased to get an ARC... Continue Reading →
June is Read Caribbean Month, and my first choice was the newly released A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera. I've been eagerly anticipating this book for months, so as soon as my pre-order arrived, I dove in. This is the first in the Las Léonas trilogy, and I already look forward to reading... Continue Reading →
I don't often read memoirs, especially by people I'm not already familiar with, but I was immediately drawn to Ousman Umar's North to Paradise. In this short and candid memoir, he describes how he left Ghana to journey for years across Africa and eventually make a home in Spain. Though North to Paradise just came... Continue Reading →
In 2019, I picked up the Book of the Month edition of The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys. I've been itching to read it ever since, and finally, while doing my Spain reading challenge this month, I decided now was the time. This novel, on the cusp between Adult and Young Adult fiction, takes... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, I picked up The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford. Set in Spain in the aftermath of both World War II and the Spanish Civil War, this novel follows two women whose lives will intersect as they search for a missing man and answers to his final secrets. I have a... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 