authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Title: Tempt Me with Diamonds Author: Jane Feather Series: London Jewels Trilogy #1 Could have been better with different characters Thank you to Jane Feather, Kensington Books/Zebra, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review a couple years ago. Yes, a couple years ago I had tried to read the ARC so I could review it, but I hadn’t liked the characters and hadn’t had the patience to persevere to the end, …
Book Review by Elise Cooper Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler is the third in the Weaver’s Creek series. It delves into family bonds and faith, where forgiveness, love, loss, and resilience play a role. The plot starts off with Jonas Weaver returning home after being a medic during the Civil War. Coming home with him is Aaron Zook, a Confederate soldier who lost his leg in the battle of Vicksburg. Jonas’ sister, Elizabeth Kaufman, is trying to get …
Title: Eventide Author: Sarah Goodman Series: n/a A good debut! I would like to thank Sarah Goodman, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was pretty good! It was paced and structured well, and while I didn’t particularly like Verity, she was a strong, independent character whom I certainly cared about and wanted things to work out for. I think what I mostly disliked about her was that …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Death, Diamonds, and Deception by Rosemary Simpson delves into the Gilded Age in New York during 1889. This historical mystery has a female detective, Prudence MacKenzie and her partner, ex-Pinkerton detective, Geoffrey Hunter, investigating the stolen jewels from a necklace once owned by Marie Antoinette. The story begins after the arrival of Prudence’s aunt, Lady Gillian Rotherton from London. She is intent on chaperoning her niece Prudence through a New York social season to …
Title: A Pretty Deceit Author: Anna Lee Huber Series: Verity Kent Mystery #4 Great but unremarkable I would like to thank Anna Lee Huber, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Not much to say. This was a great book, but not exactly noteworthy. Quickly but steadily paced, the story moved along from one thing to the next with no dinking around, which was really nice. Verity remains a …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper You Lucky Dog and A Princess By Christmas by Julia London are two novels people might want to read. During this depressing year, these two books will make readers smile. You Lucky Dog delves into the bond between dogs and humans. The hero and heroine are an unlikely pair and would never have found each other if their dogs hadn’t been mixed up in a dog-walking situation and wanted to be together. It is …
Find an interview with the author here. Agnes (Aggie) Pratt from Rachel Fordham’s A Life Once Dreamed has consented to this interview. Elise Cooper: Thank you so very much for doing this. You were very brave to leave the city you have grown up in, your friends, and your family. Now you live in the frontier town of Penance South Dakota. You have grown from a shy and timid individual to being an independent backbone of the town. EC: Do …
Book Review by Elise Cooper A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham is an inspirational historical romance. It is a tale that delves into frontier life during the 1880s. Aggie Pratt, the heroine of the story—find an interview with her here—decides she must move away from her family and boyfriend in Buffalo New York. She answers an ad in the frontier town of Penance South Dakota where she becomes the beloved school teacher. She grows from a timid shy person …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Royal Kiss & Tell by Julia London shows why she is “Queen of the Banter,” writing family-focused funny and endearing tales with snappy, witty, and teasing dialogue between the hero and heroine. A Royal Kiss & Tell has some very funny moments as the hero, Prince Leopold and heroine, Lady Caroline Hawke argue and confront each other. For example, Caroline says to him, “given that your feathers have flocked together with his. I’d …
Title: A Dash of Romance Author: Paullett Golden Series: Romantic Encounters Anthology Series #1 More is certainly not less Much thanks to the author, who provided me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I don’t think there are any big spoilers, but beware to those who are super sensitive, I guess. This book is comprised of 15 different stories, all sharing genre and tone and style, so it’s not jarring to go from one to the …