Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Menace at Pemberley: Darcy and Lizzy’s First Christmas

BonnieReadsAndWrites7 Comments

*This is another review I did for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

It is late autumn of 1798 and Darcy and Elizabeth are married at last and living at Pemberley in love and harmony.

All the impediments to their match have been swept aside; their unpromising first impressions, Darcy’s machinations in having tried to prevent a match between Jane and his friend Bingley, Lady Catherine’s violent objections to a match between Darcy and Elizabeth, Darcy’s own stiffness and reserve even after he had supported Bingley’s suit for Jane’s hand following their return to Netherfield, the disbelief of Elizabeth’s family that she could ever like such a man…

These and all other objections have evaporated like the morning mist. And Lizzy’s whole family are visiting Pemberley for Christmas. What could possibly go wrong?

A letter from the Reverend Wilde, former rector of Longbourn parish, suddenly arrives warning Elizabeth of possible harm to her and her family at the hands of a former resident of Longbourn.

And once the Bennets, Bingleys, Philips, Gardiners and Colonel Fitzwilliam and his friend Lieutenant Colonel Harvey have arrived, unnerving incidents start to build up.

Can Darcy sufficiently protect the household? As the cold of winter sets in, he strives to find a solution, but equally should the visitors leave and return home early to take themselves out of harm’s way? What are the motives of the ill-wisher and can he or she ultimately be found so as to face the proper punishment?

Lizzy and Darcy stand united, their relationship remaining loving and affectionate throughout as they face the threat together. And love is in the air for two other couples during the Christmas celebrations.

BOOK REVIEW

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is now Mrs. Darcy in this well-imagined continuation of the classic novel.  Elizabeth is just settling into married life when she receives a letter from Reverend Wilde, formerly a rector at Longbourn, warning her of possible danger from Isabella Scargill, a previous acquaintance who had been threatening the Reverend. Wilde thought Isabella, also known as Helen St. Clair, might come to Pemberley to cause trouble.  Elizabeth and Darcy prepare for this unwelcome visitor at a time when they are also getting ready for holiday guests. As the preparations ensue, strange things start happening at Pemberley.

Menace at Pemberley is the second in the Elizabeth Bennet series.  It can be read as a standalone.  It is an enjoyable Christmas story that will please anyone who loves Jane Austen retellings.  It is pleasant to read about the life of a married “Lizzy and Fitz,” as they call each other, and the story is well done.  The tone of the book is similar to Pride and Prejudice, and the descriptions of life at Pemberley transport you into Jane Austen’s world.  Elizabeth’s adjustments to becoming the mistress of the house are interesting and realistic. The mystery includes a missing person and has intriguing twists and turns. The Bennet family are among the Christmas guests, and there are new romances on the horizon.  An enjoyable read.  Recommended.

I received a free copy of the book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own. This review was published in the November issue of Historical Novels Review.

PURCHASE LINK

*Click on the image below for the Amazon link.

Book Tour and Review–The Missing Heirloom Mystery

BonnieReadsAndWrites6 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Finders keepers, losers . . . Dead?

Checkout girl Bea Jordan has a knack for stumbling into trouble. Even so, nothing can ruin her picnic in the allotment with her best friend, green-thumbed Ant.

With the annual Kingsleigh Flower and Produce Show approaching, she feels he’s had little time for her. Especially with the drama of a prize-winning tomato thief on the loose.

But a grizzly discovery is waiting for them by the pumpkin patch . . .

The body of Dylan Bradley, their old history teacher. Someone stuck a trowel in his head and left him for dead.

But who would want to hurt Dylan? Bea has a feeling it has something to do with the ruby ring he dug up in the allotment.

Then the discovery of a second body throws the townsfolk into full-blown turmoil. Now Bea must juggle small-town secrets, rivalries and murder with her growing feelings for Ant.

Can she dig up the truth before the killer strikes again, or has Bea finally planted the seed for her own demise?

AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING COZY MYSTERY FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS AND LOVEABLE CHARACTERS.

Meet the workers of Kingsleigh Costsave. There’s Bea, a maths whizz with a heart of gold. Ant, a hapless high-school drop-out. And wisecracking Dot, in her late fifties and always beautifully coiffed.

BOOK REVIEW

Although this is Book #5 of The Supermarket Mysteries series, this was my first introduction to Bea and the crew at the Kingsleigh Costsave. It was wonderful to meet these characters and solve a mystery with them. Dot is a complete favorite of mine as we are in the same age group, and I love that our sleuths work together at a supermarket. I definitely want to go back and read the first four books. Set during the town’s annual garden show, this cozy was enjoyable and will keep mystery lovers guessing. Recommend!

I received a free copy of this book from Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Ward

I’m a fiftysomething author of psych thrillers and cosy crime books for adults and thrillers for young for adults. I live in Bath, England, and have a husband, two grown up children and two dogs. I’ve been a full-time writer for 10 years, before which I had ‘sensible’ jobs.

I’m now writing crime for adults. My cozy crime series, The Supermarket Mysteries, is now published as ebooks with Joffe Books. The first novel in the series is The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery.

My debut psychological thriller, Safe With You, is published by HQ Digital and is out now.

For young adults, I have published the Numbers trilogy, The Drowning and Water Born with Chicken House UK. The first book came out in the UK in 2009 and the USA in 2010. My Numbers books explore the gift of being able to see death dates. If you looked in somebody’s eyes and saw the date of their death, would it change the way you felt about people? They’ve been published in 26 countries and optioned for film.

RACHEL’S SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter (X)

JOFFE BOOKS SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

BOOK LINKS

Goodreads | Purchase Link

Top Ten Tuesday: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time

BonnieReadsAndWrites31 Comments

*Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday.

What an interesting topic! I went all the way back to childhood and thought about my reading habits, and what has changed. Starting with number one, my first favorite book series, I noticed something interesting. Starting with favorite books I read as a kid and working foward, I see a distinct pattern.

  1. Encyclopedia Brown: I loved reading this series about the boy detective when I was a kid. I liked it much better than Nancy Drew.
  2. Johnny Tremain: Fourteen-year-old Johnny Tremain, after an accident, eventually becomes a messenger for The Sons of Liberty and is involved in the events leading up to the American Revolution.
  3. The Chronicles of Narnia: In this series, Lucy Pevensie walks through a magic wardrobe and finds a land of talking animals and a special Lion, Aslan.
  4. Little House on the Prairie: Laura Ingalls recalls what it was like to grow up as a pioneer girl in the 19th Century.
  5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: Meg Murray and her brother Charles Wallace search through time for their father, who disappeared while experimenting with time travel.
  6. The Door Into Summer: Dan B. Davis loses everything, but finds a way to get it all back by going to the future.
  7. The Ring by Danielle Steel: Historical romance set mostly during WWII. I loved this book in my twenties, but it is too simplistic for me now.
  8. Harry Potter: I don’t need to describe this one. It’s fantasy at its finest with some of the best world-building I have ever seen.
  9. and 10. The Chronicles of St. Mary’s and The Time Police: About ten years ago, I bought Jodi Taylor’s first book in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series because it was about time travel and it was 99 cents. She had self-published at the time. Fast forward to the present, and Jodi is now a best-selling author with Headline books and has just published Book 15 of The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. I loved this series from the beginning and now I realize it’s because Taylor took time travel and combined it with historical fiction, both of which have been my favorites for a long time. She provides a history lesson in every book. She also adds a heavy dose of humor. The Time Police is a spinoff of the Chronicles, and Taylor continues her hilarious trips along the timeline.

Looking back, I can see that even from childhood I loved historical fiction and time travel, as well as fantasy, and I have continued that as an adult. I still read mysteries, but mostly historical mysteries. Not much has changed in my reading choices, except for the complexity of the books.

How about you? How have your reading habits changed over time?

Sunday Post: An Apple Adventure

BonnieReadsAndWrites14 Comments

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

This was a pretty relaxing week. I got to do some reading and since I’m retired now, I forgot what day it was A LOT. Yesterday Doug and I went to the Apple Festival in Ellijay, Georgia with my Cousins Gil and Laurie. I liked it overall, but it could be improved. I got a new bread knife and bought some apples and fried apple pies, but there weren’t very many apple-themed booths, which I would think would be the point of an apple festival. I did have a good time. I bought a Georgia Apple Festival t-shirt from a guy who turned out to be from Fort Worth, TX. So there’s that.

Afterwards, we ate at the Pink Pig in Cherry Log, GA, which was pretty good.

Last week I didn’t post as much as I would have liked, so I’m making up for it this week. Hang on to your hat. I’m posting a bunch of reviews today and tomorrow.

NEW BOOK HAUL

Three Days in June Publisher Blurb: Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit. But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband-to-be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree Publisher Blurb: Genevieve Charbonneau talks to ghosts and has a special relationship with rattlesnakes. In her travels, she’s wandered throughout the South, escaping a mental hospital in Alabama, working for a Louisiana circus, and dancing at a hoochy-kootch in Texas. Now for the first time in a decade, she’s allowed her winding path to bring her to the site of her grandmother’s Arkansas farmhouse, a place hallowed in her memory. She intends only to visit briefly – to pay respects to her buried loved ones and leave. But a chance meeting with a haunted young Vietnam vet reconnects her with the remnants of a family she thought long gone, and their union becomes a catalyst for change and salvation. Written by a naturalist and set on the land where her family roots stretch back two centuries, The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree is a haunting story about letting go and the things we leave behind, the power of names, and the ties that bind. It is both harrowing and triumphant, a visceral Southern debut as otherworldly and beautiful as it is unflinching and wry.

Stone Certainty Publisher Blurb: There are stories about the dilapidated stone circle at Chipping Amesbury, going back centuries. Of people going missing, never to be seen again. Of people found dead inside the circle. Of monsters, and of demons. The villagers may tell the tales with relish to visiting tourists, but a careful observer will notice that there is no transport to the stones, no tours on offer, and the locals stay well away. Alistair Kincaid, the youngest-ever bishop of All Souls Hollow, is an expert in Britain’s ancient stone circles. That’s why, when landowner Sir Neville Chumley announces his plans to restore the circle to its ancient glory, he agrees to take part in a documentary about the project. Well – that, plus talented actress Diana Hunt is on board. Ever since their last encounter, when the pair of them hunted ghosts and solved a murder, the tabloids have dubbed them the Holy Terrors, and Alistair can’t wait to see her again. But soon after filming begins, Alistair and Diana are plunged into a terrifying mystery. For the repositioning of the final stone unleashes a series of blood-chilling events that threaten to make them both believe in demons – if, that is, they make it out of the stone circle alive.

Question of the Day: What did you do for fun last week?

Indie Weekend – That Day and What Came After

BonnieReadsAndWrites6 Comments

Indie Weekend is back! For those who don’t know, this is my effort to share Indie Books with as many readers as possible. I had to pause it for a while in June due to major life events, but I’m ready to start it up again. Below is a review, book description, and buy links for THAT DAY AND WHAT CAME AFTER, Rebecca Daniels’ memoir about her life with her husband Skip.

BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)

What if you came home one day and found your husband dead in his favorite chair? This grief memoir explores the author’s experience of the unexpected death of her husband from sudden cardiac arrest a mere three months after his doctors had pronounced him hale and healthy. The author shares her experiences in the immediate aftermath of the abrupt shock of discovery, reminisces about the details of the couple’s late-in-life courtship and marriage, and imparts other experiences she has had along the grieving road in the years since becoming a widow.

In our society, we often don’t want to talk or even think about death, so stereotypes about widows exist. However, each person’s grief journey is unique, and sharing tales of those experiences can be helpful and useful for those who find themselves in a similar situation. Though not a self-help book, this memoir is the story of a widow who defied the stereotype that widows are expected to “get over it” and move on with their quiet lives. Instead, this widow “got through it” and is now sharing her journey in hopes of helping others in comparable circumstances.

BOOK REVIEW

In this touching memoir, Rebecca Daniels begins with the terrible day that she lost her husband, Skip. She also takes the reader on a journey back to their first meeting and allows us a window into their courtship, commitment ceremony, and marriage. She tells us about her grief journey and building a new life without her beloved husband by her side.

This is a moving story of a terrible loss and how the author found the ways of coping that worked the best for her. She shares parts of her journal and essays she wrote on being a widow, which I’m sure will be helpful for others. She also opens up about her fears, such as worrying that her stepdaughter wouldn’t want her around anymore. The book includes warm and loving stories about Skip that really give the reader a picture of who he was, and also who the author is. This is an open and honest memoir that may help others who have lost someone. Highly recommend.

I downloaded this book on Amazon via Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

BEFORE YOU GO

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Book Tour and Review: Loose Ends by Ninette Hartley

BonnieReadsAndWrites5 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION

It’s March 1941 at the shirt factory in Ridley, Yorkshire. Ness is a typist in the office, and her friend Eileen works as a seamstress on the shop floor. Nobody could have imagined the consequences when as a result of a prank Eileen plays on her friend, Ness’s name and address ends up in the pockets of two shirts destined for Royal Navy personnel on active service.
The fallout from Eileen’s action takes Ness on a challenging, life-changing journey where she must develop her talent for dressmaking and acquire the skills needed to run a business. It is not easy during wartime, when money is short, clothes rationing is widespread and negative attitudes prevail. Can she win through? Or will a painful secret she must conceal destroy her chances?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ninette Hartley is a writer, mother, grandmother, wife and teacher. She has followed many paths – from acting and dancing to magazine publishing, and even driving a pony and trap – but she has always come back to storytelling.

Ninette has an MA in creative writing and has been published in three short story collections. Her first memoir Dear Tosh, published in May 2021 was shortlisted in the Selfies Book Awards and long-listed in the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2022. From 2008 -2016 she lived in Italy on an olive farm, returning to the UK to live in Dorset for eight years. Never one to stay in one place for long, she has recently moved to France where she plans to continue writing more works of fiction and poetry.

Loose Ends is her debut novel. You can read more about her on her website: www.ninettehartley.com and you can also follow her on social media.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook | X.com | Instagram | Website

BOOK REVIEW

This thought-provoking novel shows how an innocent prank can change lives forever. Ness’s friend Eileen is just trying to introduce some new men into her life, but when Ness’s address is slipped into the shirt pockets of two unknown men who are going off to war, Ness’s life will never be the same. Both of the men have life-changing impact on her, and it is not all positive. This puts Ness in a complicated situation, and her response helps her build a new life. I liked the plot as a whole. My only criticism concerns the villain in this story, who did not quite face the justice they deserved. The characters are well-written, especially Alf, and I liked the multiple points of view. This is contemplative historical fiction that shows how much each person’s every action, innocent or not, can drastically affect the lives of others. Recommend.

Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

BUY ON AMAZON

*Visit Zooloo’s Book Tours by clicking on the image above.

Book Review: In Silence Cries the Heart

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

“I’ll be waitin’ fer ye on the other side, my hand outstretched, till ye reach fer me when yer earthly time is done. Then our clasp shall ne’er be broken again…”

Sometimes love can be so strong that it ruptures the confines of a single lifetime, extending into those beyond. This is what Caitlyn Hegarty, an American schoolteacher, learns on her trip to Scotland where she soon becomes entangled in the tragic history of a pair of 17th-century lovers. Standing before the dungeon at Undlay Castle, she relives the romantic adventures of the roguish thief and poet, Donal Donn, and his doomed passion for Mary McElroy, the spirited daughter of the laird of Undlay. Unable to shake their spell, Caitlyn is drawn into the shadows of the past as she attempts to solve the mystery enshrouding their forbidden love.

Inspired by the true story of Domhnull Donn and Mary Grant, the novel depicts the timeless power of love amidst the lawlessness, superstition, and pageantry of a lost age.

BOOK REVIEW

This is a dual-timeline novel that tells a passionate love story. In 17th-century Scotland, a cattle thief does not normally get the chance to fall in love with the daughter of the laird, but that is what happens between Mary McElroy and Donal Donn. Their instant passion is undeniable after a chance meeting in the forest. Their desire to be together conflicts with the plans of Mary’s father to strengthen his position by placing her in a political marriage. The most likely candidate is a hateful man who will do anything to destroy Donal and take Mary for himself. In 2018, Caitlyn is on a trip to Scotland when she comes across a love story from the past in an unusual way.

I adored the story of Mary and Donal. The writing is so powerful and poetic, and the dialect of the time fits the story perfectly. The verses that Donal pens for Mary while they are apart are beautiful. This love story grabbed me and kept me mesmerized until the end. Mary’s situation demonstrates the lack of choices for women at that time.

I feel that the dual timeline, however, is not needed. The whole 2018 storyline is unnecessary and not fully developed, and Caitlyn’s character is not fleshed out. The story of Mary and Donal stands on its own. It appears Caitlyn’s function was to bring a bit of magical realism to the story, but that could have been done without her.

Although the dual timeline did not work for me, I am still giving this five stars because this was one of the most beautiful romances I have ever read. Rarely am I captivated by a romance, but this one swept me away.

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

Award winning writer, Catherine Hughes is a first-time author who, from her earliest years, immersed herself in reading. Historical fiction is her genre of choice, and her bookshelves are stocked with selections from ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Europe as well as those involving New England settlements and pioneer life in America. After double-majoring in English and business management on the undergraduate level, Catherine completed her Master’s degree in British literature at Drew University and then entered the classroom where she has been teaching American, British, and World Literature at the high school level for the last thirty years.

Aside from teaching and reading, Catherine can often be found outdoors, drawing beauty and inspiration from the world of nature. Taking the words of Thoreau to heart, “It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful,” Catherine sets aside time every day to lace up her sneakers and run with her dog in pre-dawn or late afternoon hours on the beaches of Long Island. When her furry companion isn’t busy chasing seagulls or digging up remnants of dead fish, she soaks in the tranquility of the ocean setting, freeing her mind to tap into its deepest recesses where creativity and imagination preside.

PURCHASE LINKS

BARNES AND NOBLE | AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS

Two Mini Reviews: BEAR and THE WEDDING PEOPLE

BonnieReadsAndWrites12 Comments

Below please see my mini reviews of BEAR by Julia Phillips and THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach. Click on the book covers to go to the Amazon link.

BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us—and within us—Bear is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.

BOOK REVIEW

BEAR is beautifully written. There are some absolutely gorgeous passages in this book. That’s not the issue I had with it. The plot moved too slowly, and it was hard to keep my attention because there wasn’t much happening. I also did not like the ending. It was a great premise with fantastic writing, and it still fell flat for me. I love great writing, but I NEED a compelling story.

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

BOOK DESCRIPTION

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe’s plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Phoebe checks into a luxury hotel, which she has chosen as her “happy place,” in order to commit suicide. She ends up meeting the bride and is included in the “wedding week” festivities.

This is an interesting premise, and the narrator does a great job, but I feel this book is too lighthearted for a suicide topic. Suicide is a dark, deep, devastating thing. I would have liked to see fewer wedding-related activities, and I would have loved for the author to delve more into the reality of suicide.

Overall, though, it is an enjoyable read. I think I would have liked it better if suicide wasn’t even part of it. I can’t embrace the topic of suicide in a comedy. Suicide isn’t funny.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you think about putting the topic of suicide in a comedy?

Audiobook Review: A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber #MagicalRealism #SmallTowns #Alabama

BonnieReadsAndWrites11 Comments

AUDIOBOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)

In the face of hardship, two women learn how to rise up again under the bright side of the stars in A Certain Kind of Starlight, the next audiobook from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber, “the queen of magical small-town charm” (Amy E. Reichert)

Everyone knows that Addie Fullbright can’t keep a secret. Yet, twelve years ago, as her best friend lay dying, she entrusted Addie with the biggest secret of all. One so shattering that Addie felt she had to leave her hometown of Starlight, Alabama, to keep from revealing a devastating truth to someone she cares for deeply. Now she’s living a lonely life, keeping everyone at a distance, not only to protect the secret but also her heart from the pain of losing someone else. But when her beloved aunt, the woman who helped raise her, gets a shocking diagnosis and asks her to come back to Starlight to help run the family bakery, Addie knows it’s finally time to go home again.

Tessa Jane Wingrove-Fullbright feels like she’s failing. She’s always been able to see the lighter side of life but lately darkness has descended. Her world is suddenly in shambles after a painful breakup, her favorite aunt’s unexpected health troubles, and because crushing expectations from the Wingrove side of her family are forcing her to keep secrets and make painful choices. When she’s called back to Starlight to help her aunt, she’s barely holding herself together and fears she’ll never find her way back to who she used to be.

Under the bright side of the stars, Addie and Tessa Jane come to see that magic can be found in trusting yourself, that falling apart is simply a chance to rise up again, stronger than ever, and that the heart usually knows the best path through the darkness.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Addie and Tessa Jane are half-sisters, but they barely know each other. Kept apart by the manipulations of others, they are both called back to Starlight, Alabama, when their Aunt Bean’s health worsens. Connected by the amazing Starlight field, a field created by a fallen star that glows with its own special auroras in the evening, Tessa Jane and Addie begin to grow closer. But secrets and a manipulative relative who wants the field for himself threaten to drive both of them away from Starlight once again, and for good.

I just love Heather Webber’s books. I adore small-town fiction, and that little touch of magic she throws in just adds that special ingredient to make the story even more fascinating. This one was no exception. The entire cast of characters comes alive, and I felt like a part of this town. As an added treat, a flock of starlings becomes an important character of its own. There are sweet romances and lessons learned throughout the book. Each chapter is headed by baking tips from Aunt Bean, who owns the town bakery. This is a story filled with heartache and disappointment, but also love. It is a lesson about family, and what makes a real family. It is a lesson about people, and how some can surprise, and others disappoint and even harm, whether they are related to you or not. I loved every bit of this magical story, and I can’t wait to read her next one.

The audiobook narrators, Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, did a great job of conveying all the emotions and portraying the varied characters in this special town.

A Certain Kind of Starlight will be released on July 23, 2024.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Webber (aka Heather Blake) is the author of more than twenty-five novels and has been twice nominated for an Agatha Award. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book. She can be found online at www.heatherwebber.com and www.heatherblakebooks.com.

PURCHASE LINKS

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Books from my favorite genre #HistoricalFiction

BonnieReadsAndWrites29 Comments

Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s topic is a freebie from topics in the past. I chose “books from my favorite genre.” My top ten Historical Fiction reads are below. What I love about Historical Fiction is that there can be a mystery, romance, fantasy, and even science fiction woven in. Some of these books below have mixes of all of that.

Yes, Jodi Taylor writes Time Travel books, but they are packed with history. The St. Mary’s Chronicles follows a group of expert, and hilarious, historians around the timeline, and every book has more than one history lesson.

This was Amy Lynn Green’s debut novel. It is 100% epistolary (comprised of letters, notes, articles, etc.) and set in a US Army POW camp for German prisoners in Minnesota.

This is the first novel in Gail Meath’s cozy mystery series, The Jax Diamond Mysteries. It is set in 1920s New York and features Ace, the German Shepherd.

This is the first book of the Lady of Letters mysteries. It is set in Victorian London and revolves around a countess who secretly pens an advice column and investigates mysteries.

It is 1947, and Minister Peters is getting ready to board a train called The Dawn Lightning in South Carolina. Despite his name, he is not a minister. He is headed out of the South and towards a new life. The passengers he meets on the train will change his life forever.

This is a fabulous cozy mystery series that includes Julia Child as a supporting character.

This is the first book in Ashley Weaver’s series about a family of safecracking criminals turn spies during WWII.

In 1952, Bertha gets a chance to try out for The Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All American Girls Baseball League. Meanwhile her father is being investigated by the UnAmerican Activities Committee and Bertha’s family is forced to move.

This is a multi-timeline novel set around The Overtoun Bridge, an actual place where dogs inexplicably jump to their deaths.

This is Christian fiction set in the mountains of Kentucky in the early 20th Century. It reminds me a lot of Christy by Catherine Marshall, but is also unique and original.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite genre? Answer in the comments below.