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Sunday Post: Traveling in Time With Historical Fiction #Sunday Salon

BonnieReadsAndWrites27 Comments

This was a pretty normal week, except for a painful visit to the dentist, which resulted in an almost root canal, which is not a term you hear often, but it appears I may not need to have one, and the pain is slowly going away with medication.

I’ve been reading a lot of books for The Historical Novel Society. Historical fiction is usually my go-to, and I am getting the opportunity to drop into fictional worlds set during so many time periods and events-the French Resistance, the Trojan War, 17th Century England, post WWII San Francisco, and more. It’s been a pleasure, and I always learn something new, which is what I love about historical fiction.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

Last Week I reviewed A Lethal Engagement and participated in Top Ten Tuesday.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

I’m set to post historical fiction reviews and Indie book reviews and promos. I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

BOOK HAUL

An illustrated picture of a young Queen Elizabeth II, with two of her corgis, arranged around the book title, THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. she is wearing a blue dress and tiara, holding a camera and her signature handbag, and peeking out under stylish dark sunglasses.

Amateur sleuth Queen Elizabeth II is back on the case in 1960s England in the fifth installment of this historical mystery series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment,” perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Richard Osman.

1961, England.
The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage and her sister, Princess Margaret. But before they reach their destination, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages.

The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation. No one else saw the crime. If there is a victim, could he be the missing photographer friend of Margaret’s new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?

This time, the Cold War threatens to undermine the Queen’s upcoming visit to Italy. She and Joan must tackle dark forces that follow them all the way, in a tale of spies, lies, and treachery.

This historical mystery series starring a young Queen Elizabeth II looks like a lot of fun!

I hope you have a great week!

Thank you to The Caffeinated Book Reviewer for hosting Sunday Post. Thank you to Readerbuzz for hosting Sunday Salon

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With a High Page Count

BonnieReadsAndWrites28 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is “Books With A High Page Count.” I often keep the books I choose to 325 pages or less, but there are some exceptions. Many of the books Jodi Taylor writes are close to 500 pages, and I’ve read them all, so I’ve listed a few here. Some of the Harry Potter books are over 500 pages. I can’t say I’ve finished War and Peace or The Count of Monte Cristo, but they are over 1000 pages. Mockingjay, Book 3 of The Hunger Games trilogy, is 400 pages. The Lord of the Rings was originally intended to be one book, which would make it well over 1000 pages! And of course, I need to end with The King James Bible, which the internet tells me can range from 1200 – 2500 pages, depending on the edition.

What about you? Can you think of books with a high page count that you’ve enjoyed?

Book Review: A Lethal Engagement

BonnieReadsAndWrites12 Comments

*I reviewed this for the August edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society.

1890. American Cora Beaumont has inherited her father’s dirigible, or airship, the Lady Air, with one caveat: She must be engaged.  She indeed becomes engaged to the second son of a duke, Terrance Tristan, and embarks on a lavish voyage from America to London on the Lady Air with Terrance, his brother Nicholas, who is the eldest son, and their cousin Ophelia as three of the many passengers. It is an arranged marriage and Terrance has become decidedly preoccupied and detached.  Then a dead body turns up, and Cora, as the owner of the Lady Air, begins an investigation to find the murderer, aided by Nicholas, who is the highest-ranking member of the peerage.

This is an excellent mystery with characters that pull you in right away.  Cora is not the typical American daughter who is sold away to British lords so her family can gain prestige.  She goes into the arrangement with open eyes and motives of her own.  Only her engagement and marriage can secure her inheritance.  She is also quite aware that the Tristans need her money. Ophelia is a delightfully feisty cousin and best friend, and Nicholas turns out to be a great investigative partner.  This locked-room mystery plays out completely during the airship voyage. This novel has great twists, turns, and red herrings, but the relationships between the characters were the highlight.   This was a “sit down and read to the end” book for me. Highly recommended.

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 via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

April J. Skelly (who also writes as AJ Skelly) is an author, reader, and lover of all things fantasy, medieval, and fairy-tale-romance. And werewolves. She has a serious soft spot for them. As an avid life-long reader and a former high school English teacher, she’s always been fascinated with the written word. She lives with her husband, children, and many imaginary friends who often find their way into her stories. They all drink copious amounts of tea together and stay up reading far later than they should. You can read more of her short stories at www.ajskelly.com

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google | Kobo

Sunday Post: Cats, Dogs, and Celebrations

BonnieReadsAndWrites28 Comments

The title pretty much sums up my week. First, the integration of Opie into the family is going much better. The dogs are getting used to him–slowly, and he can be found lounging around the living room often, when he’s not in his room watching YouTube for cats!

This past week was my birthday and our 43rd anniversary. We got married on my birthday, so as we always joke, that means every year on my birthday, I have to get Doug a present! We went to Tupelo Honey in Asheville. I had my favorite–shrimp and grits. Doug got a fried chicken BLT. We also went antiquing, and I got some more jadeite for my collection. A picture of some of my jadeite collection is below. My new acquisitions are not in the picture. It was a wonderful day.

Youtube for cats is hilarious. Opie is mesmerized.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

I reviewed The Empty Side of Our Bed by Bill Beckett and did an Indie #FREEBOOK spotlight of Songbird by Gail Meath. The ebook is free everywhere for the next month. I also reviewed The Secret Orphanage by Barbara Josselsohn.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

I will be posting reviews I did for the August edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society, starting with Wild as the Stars by Kerry Chaput, and Those We Carry by Scott Saxberg.

I will get some Indie reviews out in the coming week. I have so many, and I get more requests every day, so I am way behind.

I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

I hope you all have a great week!

Book Tour and Review: The Secret Orphanage

BonnieReadsAndWrites7 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION

“Nobody outside the village knows the orphanage exists, Celina. We’re hidden by the mountains and everyone is sworn to secrecy. Please don’t give the soldiers a reason to come here…”

In a quiet village in German-occupied France, schoolteacher Celina ushers young Jewish children into her classroom. Watching their bright smiles as they learn how to write, she and sweet, handsome Remy promise to protect them. Every day she pretends to send them home, waving at the local police roaming the streets, as instead they sneak away to hide upstairs.

But Celina can’t stop thinking about the note left on her bedside table last night. Written in the secret code used by the Resistance, it told her a baby she’s sheltering could be reunited with its mother. Will Remy ever forgive her if she attempts to take the baby home? If she’s caught, they could discover the orphanage…

New York, present day. Haunted by a loss he refuses to speak about, Rachel’s grandfather is slowly losing his memories. Then Rachel finds a name scribbled into the old children’s book he used to read to her, which leads her to a French village with a dark and dangerous past.

Nothing can prepare Rachel for what she finds behind the orphanage’s crumbling façade. But as her own future becomes entwined with her grandfather’s wartime secrets, she will learn just how much courage it takes to follow your heart.

A breathtaking, emotional historical novel that will sweep you away to World War Two France, to the dangers of Nazi occupation, and the hope that prevailed in the darkest of times. For fans of Victoria Hislop, Soraya Lane and Fiona Valpy.

BOOK REVIEW

This is an intriguing dual-timeline novel set in WWII and present-day France and present-day New York. The WWII France timeline is most compelling, and I love the premise of a secret orphanage that the Nazis haven’t discovered where Jewish children are kept safe. In the present-day timeline, Rachel is investigating her Grandfather’s secrets as his dementia sets in and memories fail. The two timelines work well together, although I feel the novel would have worked just as well without the present-day timeline. The end result is satisfying and somewhat surprising. I thought I had it all figured out, and I didn’t. I love that. Fans of historical fiction should check this one out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barbara Josselsohn is a best-selling novelist and journalist who loves crafting stories about strong protagonists facing a fork in the road. Her newest book is The Secret Orphanage, a multigenerational novel about an American schoolteacher who becomes embroiled in the French Resistance and a present-day librarian compelled to discover her grandfather’s wartime secrets.

Her earlier historical novels include the Sisters of War series (Secrets of the Italian Island, The Lost Gift to the Italian Island, and The Forgotten Italian Restaurant). She is also the author of five contemporary novels: The Lilac House, The Bluebell Girls, The Lily Garden, The Cranberry Inn, and The Last Dreamer. Barbara has written hundreds of articles and essays in major and regional publications about family, home and relationships.

She lives just north of New York City and enjoys escaping to the beach whenever she can. Other than writing, her biggest passion is her family: her husband, her three kids, and her rescue pup, a mini-schnauzer named Albie. She is currently at work on her ninth novel.

Barbara’s Social Media: Website  | Facebook | Tiktok

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Barbara Josselsohn here: Bookouture

PURCHASE LINK

*Click on the cover below to buy this book on Amazon. Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can read it for free.

Indie Spotlight: Free Book: Songbird by Gail Meath

BonnieReadsAndWrites13 Comments

Gail Meath, author of The Jax Diamond Series, is offering the ebook of Book 1, Songbird, for free for the next month! If you haven’t started this series, which features a 1920s detective, Jax Diamond, and his sidekick, a German Shepherd named Ace, this is a great way to begin–for free! See the links below. The first link will you to the Amazon ebook, and the second link will take you everywhere else! The ebook is free everywhere!

Songbird Universal Book Link

Link to the Whole Jax Diamond Series

BEFORE YOU GO

Remember, if you read this free book, be sure to leave a review. It means so much to authors and will help with the book’s success. Please also share this free book offer with all of your social media followers.

Indie Spotlight and Review: The Empty Side Of Our Bed by Bill Beckett

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

**Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors share their books with others. You can help too by sharing this post with all of your social media followers. Together we can help Indie books succeed. Below is my review of an honest and very personal story of loss and grief by author Bill Beckett.

BOOK REVIEW

The Empty Side of Our Bed is Bill Beckett’s story of the loss of his beloved wife Bonnie to cancer, and his painful journey forward. Beckett makes it clear that there are no easy answers and no step-by-step guidelines to cope with losing the love of your life. Instead he shares his emotions from the beginning of his journey until the present. His description of heartache as an actual, physical pain is so real, and he describes the darker times when he was overwhelmed with the physical agony of it, along with the mental anguish. At the same time, he shares happy memories with Bonnie and stresses the simple moments that we should all embrace to the fullest, because they are the ones he misses the most. He shares how he has learned to live with grief, and he honors his late wife and his love for her.

This is a wonderful tribute to the author’s wife, and at the same time, a deeply honest story of experiencing grief and moving slowly forward.

I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Beckett is a former IT and digital forensics professional who turned to writing after the loss of his wife, Bonnie. He is the author of Love, Family, Cancer, a heartfelt account of their journey through illness. His current project, The Empty Side of Our Bed, is a deeply personal memoir about grief, healing, and rediscovering identity. Bill writes with raw honesty, offering comfort to fellow widowers and anyone navigating profound loss. He is a father, grandfather, and storyteller who believes in the quiet power of words to help us carry on.

PURCHASE LINK

Click on the cover to purchase on Amazon

BEFORE YOU GO

**If you read the book, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon. It helps Indie authors so much. A review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will make an author’s day and help their books succeed.

Sunday Post: Summer Days

BonnieReadsAndWrites17 Comments

It’s all about the grandkids this month, as they are staying with us all through the end of July. It’s been great to see them, but I am exhausted! It’s been a long time since I’ve been this tired! Above are two of my grandchildren. The oldest is busy playing Roblox. LOL. Their Dad is picking them up the end of July, and August will be all about resting. And blogging!!!

In gardening news, my tomatoes are going crazy! I’ve been freezing them to can in August when I have time, but also eating delicious BLTs. The cucumbers aren’t doing so well, but I am getting some nice jalapenos to go in my salsa. I have a huge crop of basil, and my mint is doing well.

I did pick up some new books this week. See below

The Last Wizard’s Ball: The final book in the Gunnie Rose series. Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

My Great-Aunt’s Diary (Bookouture book tour in August) – Heartbroken and searching for a new beginning, Emily is shocked to learn she has inherited her great-aunt Violet’s cottage. She remembers summers spent running through its rose garden, but she hasn’t seen her great-aunt in years… So why did she leave her Clifftop Cottage?

Deciding this is the fresh start she needs, Emily travels to the seaside village of Dovecote. Not long after she arrives, she bumps into her childhood love, Will. As he runs his hand through his chestnut-brown hair, she can’t help but think of what happened between them all those years ago…

When Will offers to help redecorate the cottage, Emily is unsure. He broke her heart once before; could he do it again? But she is soon distracted when she finds a leather diary dating back to the Second World War hidden inside an old desk. Turning the pages, she discovers a wartime romance she knew nothing about. Why did Violet keep this secret?

As Emily and Will grow closer while investigating her family history, she wonders if Dovecote could be the place she finally calls home. But can she trust Will to help her uncover a long-buried family secret? And, if she does, will this forgotten diary mend her broken heart, and give her the happy ending she’s looking for?

Murder in Miniature – In post-WWII Vermont, Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff’s office. On the surface, she seems to be doing well, but deep down Maple is still reeling from the death of her husband. When the body of an aspiring firefighter–who was close childhood friends with Kenny, the sheriff’s deputy and Maple’s confidante–is discovered in the charred remains of a burned cabin, Maple is called in to help determine whether the fire was an accident or a case of murder by arson.

Realizing there’s more to the crime than meets the eye, she sets out to unearth the discrepancies from the scene by re-creating the cabin in miniature. The investigation leads them to Maple’s old Boston neighborhood, forcing her to confront the past she’s desperately trying to forget.

As Maple and Kenny sift through clues, they uncover dark secrets that hit close to home, unraveling in unexpected ways—and putting their lives in danger.

Next week I’ll be doing some reviews and spotlights as well, in between wrangling kids. 🙂 I’ll try to do Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT SUMMER!!!

Cover Reveal and Preorder: The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

I’m happy to share Liz Gauffreau’s Cover Reveal, Description, and preorder links to her new book, The Weight of Snow and Regret, which comes out in October. Liz is a talented author who combines historical and literary fiction into beautiful, well-written, and impeccably researched novels, as I discovered when I read her book Telling Sonny. Please be sure and check out her post.

The Big Reveal!

Weekend Update: At the Historical Novel Society conference

BonnieReadsAndWrites19 Comments

Hi all. I’ve been at the HNS conference at Caesar’s Palace since Thursday. Historical Fiction writers from all over the country (and other countries) are here. I’ve been attending sessions and learning about various aspects of writing in order to get moving on our book (Doug and I). I’ve gotten a lot of helpful tips. I have an interesting session on world-building coming up, and I just finished one on marketing. I was pretty sure before I came that Indie was the way to go for us, but I am very sure now. Publishers have a lot of control over what you say and the message you convey, and I want to be able to express myself freely.

Caesar’s Palace is a bit noisy, expensive, and smoky for me, and I’m not into gambling, but I like the actual conference sessions. When I say it’s a bit expensive, it’s A LOT expensive. You heard of “nickel and diming you to death?” CP will $20 you to death! I won’t come back to this location, but I’m glad I came.

I’ve gotten to talk a lot of writers, which is always fun!

I have a 7:15 a.m. flight tomorrow so I’m out of here early and back home, and back to blogging!