Book Blogger Hop is run by Billy @ coffeeaddicted writer. There is a different bookish question this week. This week we’re looking at our favorite book of 2023.
Answer: I read a lot of amazing books this year, but I’m going to go with Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich. This is heartwarming Southern fiction at its very best! You can read my review by clicking on the cover.
It’s the homestretch before Christmas! For all who celebrate, I hope your preparations are going well. What was your favorite book of 2023?
When rare book dealer Ruby Vaughn is sent to Penryth Hall to deliver some books, she knows she is visiting her past and a place to which she never wanted to return. What she didn’t expect was a friend in trouble and a string of mysterious deaths linked to an ancient Cornish curse. She also didn’t expect to be the focus of interest surrounding one of those deaths.
This book has a great premise, and the look at old Cornish beliefs and customs is very interesting. I learned about the “pellar,” a wizard of sorts who is a local healer and breaker of spells. I love the magical realism aspect, and this book is a treasure trove of Cornish folklore. The mystery is intriguing with lots of clever twists. I definitely felt transported to Cornwall at that time.
However, overall it is way too cryptic and confusing at times. Ruby keeps her cards so close to the vest, even with the reader, that I didn’t really feel I knew her well enough at all.
I also listened to the audiobook. The audiobook narrator does a great job of capturing the time period and Cornish beliefs in her portrayal of the characters, and she absolutely lifts this book up with her performance.
With 3 stars for the book and 4 stars for the audiobook, my rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to four on sites with no half-star option
I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Things are busy at Spice Isle Bakery. It’s the annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival and the bakery is participating as a vendor. Owner Lyndsay Murray is looking forward to the festival, the customers, and the music. But then tragedy strikes when Camille, a well-known singer of a reggae band, dies suspiciously. It is soon confirmed that she’s been murdered. Despite getting ready for the festival, Lyndsay is also looking into the murder because her cousin Manny was dating Camille and could be a suspect.
This is a fun cozy starring the Murray family and their very outspoken customers. It is great fun to watch as every aspect of the case is discussed in detail at the bakery counter, whether Lyndsay wants to talk about it or not. The book is also filled with delicious descriptions of wonderfully spicy baked goods and a tempting recipe at the end. The mystery is interesting, even if it is not too hard to figure out. The special treats in this series are the family, their wonderful community of customers, and the way they interact with each other.
I also listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Janina Edwards, did a great job, and the specific accents are portrayed authentically. Edwards manages to convey the strong sense of community very well.
I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Royalty comes to Sidmouth, bringing unexpected danger and the sweet possibility of romance. . . .
When the Duke and Duchess of Kent and their daughter–the future Queen Victoria–rent neighboring Woolbrook Cottage for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal family’s male staff in their seaside house. But they soon realize they’ve invited secrets and intrigue into their home.
Meanwhile, Emily Summers longs to become an author. A local publisher offers to consider her novel if she will first write a Sidmouth guidebook for him. Emily agrees and begins researching the area with help from the Duke of Kent’s handsome private secretary. But a surprise visitor from her past shows up at Sea View, leaving Emily torn between the desires she’s long held dear and her budding dreams for the future.
Return to the Devonshire coast with the Summers sisters, where loyalties are tested, secrets come to light, and new love emerges.
PRAISE FOR A WINTER BY THE SEA
“Enlivened by historical details of the royal family’s 1819 visit to Devonshire, the narrative is propelled forward by an irrepressible protagonist whose spunk will easily win readers’ sympathy. This breezy and delightful installment is sure to satisfy Klassen’s fans.”— Publisher’s Weekly
“A Winter by the Sea is a story about finding your purpose and realizing that the things we hope and pray for…might not always be the things we truly need… The On Devonshire Shores series is truly a delight.”— Lauren, The Books Script
“Julie Klassen has provided such a beautiful escape with this series…I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series and will be highly anticipating book 3!!”— Tasha, Clean Read Book Club
BOOK REVIEW
This is Book Two in the On Devonshire Shores series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading Book One, The Sisters of Sea View. In this installment, the sisters and their mother are excited to find out that the Duke and Duchess of Kent have rented the cottage next door for the winter. The Royals will be accompanied by their young daughter, a girl who will one day be Queen Victoria. Then the sisters learn that three of the lower members of the Royal staff will be lodging at Sea View.
I loved reading about a royal visit and all the preparations, headaches, and prestige involved. Don’t you hate it when the royals use up all the eggs in town? The fun of reading a series set in a hotel, or “Guest House, as they call it, is that new residents move in with each book, so a new cast of characters arrives, blends with the established characters, and shakes things up. Add secrets and romance to this delightful mixture, and this is a winning recipe for a great story. There is also a delightful bookish storyline involving Emily that is sure to please readers. Julie Klassen has such a great talent for creating characters that we care about, and she is a master at weaving in real events from history. This book is no exception. I can’t wait to see what the Summers Sisters do next!
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Austenprose PR. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
AUTHOR BIO
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing‘s Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Well, little to no posting last week. I was working, and then in my free time I was finishing up reviews for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I cannot post those until February 1st. I also had a stomach thing for a couple of days, and then thankfully when I was feeling better the grandkids arrived Saturday. They have gone home now, but we had some Christmas fun with stockings and gifts.
The holidays are upon us! I hope your preparations are fun, and not stressful! I have a lot of presents to wrap for Doug, and I’m making ham for Christmas dinner with German Potato Salad and Baked Beans. Probably rye rolls. I haven’t decided on dessert. Anyone have a favorite dessert they always make? I made my chocolate peanut butter fudge today. I used to make it every year for my Dad until he passed. It is a recipe that his sister used to use. I found some more recipes of my Mom’s, so maybe I’ll make one of those for Christmas dinner.
Next week on the blog: I have many reviews to post: Here are covers of some of them:
BOOK HAUL
Here are the books I have recently received:
This coming week, besides book reviews and some spotlights, I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop if time permits.
Christine Skarbek is giving away 30 PDF copies of her memoir, Confronting Power and Chaos, on LibraryThing.com this month. The drawing ends Dec 26th at 6 pm EST.
So, if you want to read her memoir for free or want to recommend it to folks you know, here’s the link to the giveaway.
Please spread the word about this giveaway among friends and relatives! Christine thanks you and hopes your holiday season is jolly and joy-filled.
Click on the cover above to learn more about the book on Amazon, and my review is here.
Gage Trembath is getting married. He is the only one who knows it, but the statement is true, nonetheless. The woman he had once loved has been married elsewhere for a time, and he can put off his own marriage no longer. The woman he has chosen to marry, without love, is sensible, quiet, musical, and amenable, which should enable him to have a good marriage and a content life. That is all he wants now, and Honora Berkeley makes the most sense.
Honora cannot believe that a handsome and wealthy man like Gage has any interest at all in marrying her, even without love. She certainly has very little to recommend her, but escaping her life of criticism and abandonment is something she cannot resist. But what about the woman Gage had once loved? The one who was perfect for him and the one who made him determined to abandon love? Are his feelings for her truly gone? Will Honora ever have his affection along with his respect?
Is a convenient, sensible marriage what Gage wants? Or will his capacity for love reignite under Honora’s influence?
PRAISE FOR SOMETHING BORROWED
5 STARS “An excellent read…This book had me smiling, laughing, cheering, and crying.”— Shauna Jones, Goodreads
Rebecca Connolly is the author of more than three dozen novels. She calls herself a Midwest girl, having lived in Ohio and Indiana. She’s always been a bookworm, and her grandma would send her books almost every month so she would never run out. Book Fairs were her carnival, and libraries are her happy place. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She received a master’s degree from West Virginia University and is a hot cocoa addict.
Author Rebecca Connolly has generously offered one print or digital copy (winner’s choice) and a $25.00 Amazon gift card as a giveaway chance to one lucky winner.
FOLLOW me @BonnieReads777, Rebecca Connolly @author.rebecca.connolly, and @austenprose on Instagram.
COMMENT sharing the most memorable gift that you ever received and why.
TAG up to 5 friends in the comments. One additional entry per tag.
TERMS
Entrants must be US residents 18 years or older. The contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time, December 12, 2023. Void where prohibited. Not associated with Instagram or its affiliates, nor are they responsible for this giveaway. The winner will be chosen randomly from the entries and contacted by @austenprose as a direct message on December 13, 2023. The prize must be claimed by December 17, 2023. Please be aware of scam accounts!
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. There is a new bookish question every week. This week is a freebie, so I decided go back to a topic I missed earlier and list my Top Ten Books Set in France. They are not in any order. Click on the cover to see either my review or the Amazon page.
One of Amanda’s wonderful adventures in Darlene Foster’sAmanda Travels series.
Time travel and Paris. A win.
I really enjoyed the latest from Danielle Steel about a 1958 debutante ball in Versailles.
The two books above are fantastic cozies set in Paris and featuring Julia Child as a supporting character.
The story of how some African Americans found more freedom in Paris after World War I.
The story of Barbe Nicole Ponsardin, a female champagne magnate during the Napoleonic Wars.
A compelling thriller set on Mont Blanc
The cover above is from the movie, but this is an amazing book about a British housekeeper who saves up for a custom dress from Christian Dior and travels to Paris to have it made.
A novel about a woman who leaves an unhappy life in Paris and learns about second chances and joy when she moves to Brittany in northwestern France.
A love match would not do. She would make an advantageous match—a brilliant match!
At the age of nineteen, Lady Dorothea Rowlandson was practically on the shelf. Had she not suffered her father, the earl’s, untimely death weeks before last year’s season, she would surely by now be a married lady—the established wife of an illustrious peer. With such a regrettable delay, time was ever more of the essence if she wished to secure her own future and that of her sisters.
Miles Shaw holds an encumbered estate. It is only logical, therefore, that he commence the London Season on the hunt for a well-dowered wife. His personal code of honor requires he be upfront about this goal, so that he deceives no one. And as he fully intends to love and cherish the wife of his choosing, he will naturally bring as much to the union as he receives. After all, he is a landed gentleman with no shortage of charm.
When chance forced Miles and Dorothea to partner one another for the first dance of the first crush of the season, Fortuna could only have been in a funning mood. To have fostered so unsuitable a connection was nothing short of absurd. For what could a peer of the realm’s daughter and a gentleman of no consequence, with his pockets to let, possibly have in common?
PRAISE FOR A BRILLIANT MATCH
“This book was an absolute delight and without a doubt belongs on the reading list of any fan of sweet regency romance!”— Merilee Loves to Read
“A creative and delightful historical romance, especially for lovers of a good P&P-type story!”— My Literary Love
INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY
Author Jennie Goutet has generously offered one print or digital copy (winner’s choice) and a $25.00 Amazon gift card as a giveaway chance to one lucky winner.
FOLLOW me @BonnieReads777, Jennie Goutet @aladyinfrance, and @austenprose on Instagram.
COMMENT on my Instagram post sharing your favorite thing to bake during the holiday season and why.
TAG up to 5 friends in the comments. One additional entry per tag.
TERMS
Entrants must be US residents 18 years or older. The contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time, December 5, 2023. Void where prohibited. Not associated with Instagram or its affiliates, nor are they responsible for this giveaway. The winner will be chosen randomly from the entries and contacted by @austenprose as a direct message on December 6, 2023. Prize must be claimed by December 10, 2023. Please be aware of scam accounts!
Jennie Goutet is the best-selling author of twelve Regency romances, including the Clavering Chronicles, Memorable Proposals, and Daughters of the Gentry series. Her books have received first place in historical romance for the New England Reader’s Choice Awards and have hit the number one spot in Regency Romance on Amazon. They have been featured on BookBub and Hoopla and are translated into five languages.
An American-born Anglophile, Jennie lives with her French husband and their three children in a small town outside of Paris. Her imagination resides in Regency England, where her best-selling proper Regency romances are set.
Indie Spotlight is part of my effort to help Indie Authors with marketing. It’s a tough task, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this with all your social media followers. Below please see a book description, buy links, and an author bio for Anywhere But Schuylkill, the story of 20 Irish coal miners who were hanged in Pennsylvania in 1877 for their supposed connection to a terrorist organization.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is the first of three books by Michael Dunn in his Great Upheaval trilogy. It is story of a teenage boy, Mike Doyle, struggling to free his family from the violence of their greedy, hard drinking Uncle Sean.
The time is 1870s. The Long Depression is raging. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between the Modocs, a Welsh gang, and the Kohinoor Boys, an Irish gang. But Mike has a plan. It’s risky. It involves collaboration with the Kohinoor Boys. He could wind up in jail, or worse.
ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is Michael Dunn’s first complete novel.
AUTHOR BIO
Michael Dunn writes Working-Class Historical Fiction from the Not So Gilded Age. ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL is the first in his Great Upheaval trilogy. A lifelong union activist, he has always been drawn to stories of the past, particularly those of regular working people, struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families. These are stories most people do not know, or have forgotten, because history is written by the victors, the robber barons and plutocrats, not the workers and immigrants. Yet their stories are among the most compelling in America. They resonate today because they are the stories of our own ancestors, because their passions and desires, struggles and tragedies, were so similar to our own.
I enjoyed this one from Danielle Steel. This is historical fiction set in 1958, mostly in France during the first “Le Bal des Debutantés,” a ball for American and French debutantes held in Versailles. We follow four girls from America who are invited to France as part of this ball. Caroline has little interest because she’s already in love, but her movie star parents think it will be fun. Brilliant Felicity is constantly battling her weight and her verbally abusive sister, so a night in the spotlight is not appealing to her at all. Amelia and her mother Jane once had money, but are now in dire financial straits. How can they afford to go? Samantha has problems with her balance due to an accident years ago, and she is a bit worried about falling during the ball. Her very protective father has the same concerns.
This is set in a time when women had fewer rights and some families still thought that their daughter’s best “career” would be finding a rich husband. The financial struggles of Amelia’s mother Jane are very real, as her late husband came back from the war a different person and had left her with little money when he died. Her career struggles are very true to the period, as women were passed over for promotions and paid much less than men. In some of Ms. Steel’s previous books, someone with money might come in and rescue her, but I was pleased to see that did not happen in this one.
I loved the setting in Versailles, the decadence of the ball, and the descriptions of France. Steel has a tendency to “tell” instead of “show,” but she’s sold a billion books that way, so who am I to judge? Sometimes her style works for me and sometimes it doesn’t. This time it worked. The character Felicity was my favorite. Even though she is a brilliant student at MIT, all her mother and sister can see is her weight. That’s very true even today, and I loved that one of the characters did not have a “perfect figure.” So few of us do.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys books set in France and in the 1950s.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
I received a free copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own
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