Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  A novel centered on the first female pharaoh of Egypt, yes please!  Plus Lord Carnarvon had a daughter that was present at the discovery of King Tut's tomb. I had no idea!  As someone who has studied and read so much about this time period, this book taught me so much as well as kept me interested until the very end.  The novel is told in two parts.  Lady Evelyn is fascinated with ancient Egypt, especially that of Hatshepsut.  Eve dreams of one day finding Hatshepsut's  tomb.  She has joined her father, Lord Carnarvon, and Howard Carter on some of their excavations in the early 1920s.  Her mother however wants to settle down in a good marriage.  Lady Evelyn refuses to give up and is determined to find Haatshepsut's resting place no matter the cost.  The second part of the story is that of Hatshepsut and how she came to be the first female pharaoh of Egypt. Her story is fascinating especially considering that Egypt had a female who...

  This was such a good romance!  Definitely one of my top romance reads of the year!  5 out of 5 Stars This novel is set in Australia and alternates between Sadie and Jonah.  Both are literary academics who have fought against each other every step of the way.  Jonah ends up in a tight spot and Sadie comes up with a plan to help them both out.   However her plan causes tension between her and her sister.  The reader is left wondering if these enemies to lovers will make it through all of the turmoil.   I absolutely loved the tension between these two characters.  You could just feel the attraction between the two of them radiating off the pages.  Jonah and Sadie were great characters in their own right so I really enjoyed reading about their lives.  I also loved learning more about the college academia world.  It was really interesting to read about what they had to go through.  Besides the two of them their fami...

 Revenge, Served Royal is an excellent historical story with a strong female lead character in this murder mystery meets British Bake Off novel!  Petra is at Windsor Castle for a week of celebrating the monarchs and has been asked to judge a patisserie contest.  Her own cook is taking part in the contest as well.  While there the former royal chef is murdered.  There is a suspect but Petra does not think that he is the guilty party.  In fact the suspect is the brother of her own lady's maid.  Petra is determined to find the murderer even if it might mean someone she is close to and related to.  However while searching for the murderer, Petra's own life is put in danger.   Petra is the kind of character I can get behind and one that I love reading about.  She uses her intelligence and  courage to do the right thing in a male dominated society.  I found this to be a great mystery as I did not figure out who the murderer was ...

 This was a great follow up novel to Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust! This book followed Fern who we met in Bookshops and Bonedust.  Fern moves to Thune to set up her bookshop and be close to VIv.  Only when she gets there something isn't right.  She ends up getting drunk and winds up in the wagon of the legendary Astryx the Blademistress and Oathmaiden.  Thus begins Fern's adventure as she travels with Astryx to bring in a goblin, Zyll, who is worth a huge bounty. This book was filled with adventure, action, and emotion.  I loved the characters and the atmosphere the book created.  Fern's emotional journey was relatable on so many levels and I think any reader would be able to connect with what she was going through.  The trials and tribulations that Fern, Astryx, and Zyll, deal with on their journey will keep you reading late into the night.  What I loved most about the book though was how it made me feel as I read about their...

  3.5 Stars- The premise of this book pulled me in.  Who wouldn't take advantage of a magical typewriter?   Emerson is our main character and she is dealing with a lot.  She is a single mom who just lost her father, a famous author.  Her mother is an alcoholic who just wants to move past her father's death and sell the house.  Emerson's teenage daughter has not been acting like herself and is now getting in trouble at school.  With all of these events spiraling, Emerson just wants a little control. While cleaning out her father's office, she comes across her dad's typewriter.  She types out a wish and then it comes true in an unexpected way.  Emerson thinks this has to be a coincidence so she does it again.  Emerson has to decide if this is the answer to her prayers or is there an even greater cost to this typewriter.  There was lots of family drama as we got to know Emerson, her daughter Sadie, and her mother, Dorthy.  I ...

 Wow, this book completely caught me off guard.  This story is a retelling of Cinderella but from the perspective of the Stepmother.  I liked the premise and it was an interesting take on an old classic.  However the last part of the story really blew my mind.  I was not expecting what happened at all.   Etheldreda finds herself in dire circumstances after her second husband passes away and leaves her with no money, lots of debt, and a large house to maintain.  She also has her two daughters, Matilda and Rosamund from her first marriage, and a stepdaughter, Elin, to take care of.  The only way she can see out of this situation is successful marriages for her daughters.  When an announcement comes that there will be a ball, Etheldreda must  find a way to get money, invitations for all the girls, and appropriate dresses so that the girls can go and meet the prince and other possible husbands.  There is of course conflict with her...