B+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads19th century / forced proximity / Historical / Historical fiction / lady's companion / military hero / Napoleonic wars / road-romance / Russia / War / Military7 Comments
He was sick of the violence, the killing In the face of the advancing might of Napoleon’s Grande Armeé, Major Lev Orlov longed for a return to normality. And the bewitching young countess, whom a bizarre twist of fate had placed in the hands of his band of battle-scarred infantrymen, ... more >
B Reviews / B Reviews Category / Book ReviewsHistorical fiction / Literary fiction / Russia / Russian character15 Comments
From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing ... more >
Book Reviews / Need A Rec! / Recommended Reads / Top Ten Lists1930s / Alien Hero / Art / Asian characters / Australia / Best of 2021 / best of list / Buddhism / cats / children's book / Contemporary / found family / Historical / Historical fiction / m/m romance / older couple / Older-Woman-/-Younger-Man / picture books / POC / POC author / prison / self discovery / sewing / sports romance / Widowed Heroine / Womens-Fiction / World War II16 Comments
From space aliens in the form of a cat or a unicorn, to Aussie prisoners, to a Chinese princess, to a 1920s down on her financial luck heroine, to hero determined to save his childhood love or another ready to deck some halls with Christmas cheer, my reading was all ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews19th century / class differences / cookbook / cooking / Early Victorian / English Historical / female friendship / Historical / Historical fiction / identity / self discovery / Womens-FictionNo Comments
Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever. England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ Reviewsfairy tale / found family / friendship / Historical fiction / middle grade / self discovery6 Comments
From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall comes a fantastical meditation on fate, love, and the power of words to spell the world. We shall all, in the end, be led to where we belong. We shall all, in the end, find our way home. ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewsancient-Egypt / cats / dysfunctional family / Egypt / family relationships / female agency / female leads / healers / health care / Historical / Historical fiction / immigrant / POC / politics / religionNo Comments
A paraquel to “The Next Pharaoh.” General Horemheb is confident of becoming Pharaoh when Ay dies childless. Over-confident? He understands men. But not, alas, women, who are as unpredictable and disobedient as cats. The gods, possibly offended, challenge him with plots, pretenders, disappearances, assassins, magic, and willful women–not to mention ... more >