Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  was a dual timeline historical fiction novel that took the reader to London, England in the early 1900s and the first century.  First of all I want to say that I have never read the 18 books that came before this in the Lady Emily Ashton series.  However not having read the first 18 books did not detract from my understanding or enjoyment of this book.  I did not have the background on many of the characters but the author gave enough detail that I was able to pick up what I needed to know.  I also really enjoyed both timelines.  I love anything ancient Rome, so to read about Vatta, a girl from the Iceni tribe and friend of Boudica, was a great addition to this mystery.  The novel starts out with the death of Victoria, a highly successful debutante.  Someone has poisoned her and Lady Emily is put to the test to try and figure who would want the young girl dead.  The novel also discusses the women's suffragette movement.  The novel did...

The Book of Lost Hours has all of the elements that make up a great story.  It has fantasy elements, a time space where memories are stored.  It is historical fiction set during WWII and the Cold War.  It also has action with characters fighting to erase and preserve memories.  Finally, it is also a love story. Eleven yearly old Lisavet Levy becomes trapped in the time space in 1938 when her father tries to save her from the Nazis.  The time space is a mystical library that exists outside of time, accessible only through specially crafted watches, where the memories of the deceased are preserved in books.  She grows up among the books and with a ghost as her guide only experiencing the world through the memories of others.  She adapts and makes it her mission to save memories as others enter the time space to erase memories.  She ends up meeting Ernest and things begin to change for her.   The novel is also told from the perspective of t...

How can you not love a book filled with strong women who are determined to take down horrible men. Several generations of Duncan women have lived on Wild Hill.  They are witches and have special gifts.  Each woman comes into their unique gifts and learn to use them based on what the Old One wants them to do.  In many cases they are trying to protect other women, the environment, or take revenge on evil men. We learn a little about their history but the main characters are Brigid, Phoebe, and Sybil.  The Old One has foretold that the three of them will help change the world for the better.  The story is mainly about their family bonds and their gifts.  Brigid and Phoebe have a complicated history but they were dynamic characters that kept me wanting to read.  This book is filled with magic, secrets, and great characters.  I loved how the focus was on women and what they could do.  There were also ghosts. I also love a book where the main chara...

3.5 Stars out of 5- In "Peter Miles Has to Die",  a group of friends have lost one of their own to murder.  Beck was killed by her ex-boyfriend, a cop named Peter Miles.  Her three friends, Dylan, Priya, and Isabel have decided to take justice into their own hands when Peter is not arrested for Beck's death.  The three friends think that they will be fine but the problem is that if a cop is murdered someone has to be arrested.  There was a lot to like about this novel.  The three friends were interesting characters especially Dylan. She was strong and I liked how she took charge of many of the situations. I really liked the female cop Bree as well.  I was rooting for her to be successful the entire book.   There were also short chapters where the reader got the point of view of someone who was in prison.  I enjoyed trying to figure out which character was arrested.  The premise of the book did frustrate me a little because of the si...

This book was very dark.  It was well written and read quickly but the story to me was deeply upsetting.  It was told from three different perspectives from three different time periods.  The first was the 1700s and focused on a mother, Anne, and her daughter Florence.   Anne is being threatened as a witch and needs to leave their town.  She lies to convince her daughter to come with her and they settle in a new area with a tree that seems magical .  All seems well until her daughter finds out the truth. The second was in the 1950s and focused on Mary a young mother.   Mary wants more than being just a stay at home mother and the life that is laid out for her is not the one she wants.  The third was the point of view of Camilla in 2007.  She is raised in a strict home destined to just be a wife and mother.    In all three time periods the women had to be subservient to their men or risk catching a disease or possibly ...

 This was an unusual premise for a holiday romance novel.  I have read the enemies to lovers plot before but this story was about two people, Mel and Finn, who were in a serious relationship and then fake date.  Finn dumped Mel at a very public and humiliating way and Mel is trying to do everything in her power to get over him.  Fast forward and Finn is coming to Mel asking her to pretend they are back together so she will spend the holidays with his family.  Mel agrees because she loves Finn's family, however she plans on being the one to dump Finn at the end of the week.  As you can probably predict things don't go quite the way she plans.  This was a solid romance.  Emily Stone is a great writer and I have enjoyed previous books of her.  I loved the setting in Scotland and the author did a great job setting the Christmas mood.  My only complaint is Finn.  Knowing that he dumped Mel before they really got into the story made it ve...

  The Forget-Me-Not-Library is a book for your soul.  This novel was enchanting and moving. Told from two different points of view, the reader comes to know Juliet and Tallulah.  Both of whom are dealing with personal pain.  Juliet has recently lost a loved one as well as her memory.  She takes a road trip but breaks down in Forget me Not, Alabama.  While there she discovers that the town is more than what meets the eye.  There is something there that wants to help her heal.  Tallulah is recently divorced and living with her father while she raises two little girls.  She is learning how to deal with her new situation as well as wanting more out of life including love.  Their individual journeys reveal universal truths about loss, healing, and the courage it takes to embrace change.  The writing is simply beautiful – evocative, heartfelt, and infused with a warmth that makes you want to linger in its pages. The pacing is perfect, all...