Hot Historical Fiction January ~ February

1.6.2015 After the War Is Over: A Novel by Jennifer Robson

"The internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France returns with her sweeping second novel—a tale of class, love, and freedom—in which a young woman must fnd her place in a world forever changed

After four years as a military nurse, Charlotte Brown is ready to leave behind the devastation of the Great War. The daughter of a vicar, she has always been determined to dedicate her life to helping others. Moving to busy Liverpool, she throws herself into her work with those most in need, only tearing herself away for the lively dinners she enjoys with the women at her boardinghouse.

Just as Charlotte begins to settle into her new circumstances, two messages arrive that will change her life. One is from a radical young newspaper editor who offers her a chance to speak out for those who cannot. The other pulls her back to her past, and to a man she has tried, and failed, to forget.

Edward Neville-Ashford, her former employer and the brother of Charlotte's dearest friend, is now the new Earl of Cumberland—and a shadow of the man he once was. Yet under his battle wounds and haunted eyes Charlotte sees glimpses of the charming boy who long ago claimed her foolish heart. She wants to help him, but dare she risk her future for a man who can never be hers?

As Britain seethes with unrest and postwar euphoria fattens into bitter disappointment, Charlotte must confront long-held insecurities to fnd her true voice . . . and the courage to decide if the life she has created is the one she truly wants".

1.6.2015 Galapagos Regained by James Morrow

"A beautiful literary tale about an aspiring actress who seizes Darwin's research and tries to make a name for herself to win a scientific prize.

Galápagos Regained centers on the fictional Chloe Bathurst, an unemployed Victorian actress who finds work on Charles Darwin’s estate, nurturing the strange birds, exotic lizards, and giant tortoises he brought back from his trip around the world. When Chloe gets wind of the Great God Contest, sponsored by the Percy Bysshe Shelley Society—£10,000 to the first petitioner who can prove or disprove the existence of a Supreme Being—she decides that Mr. Darwin’s materialist theory of speciation might just turn the trick. (If Nature gave God nothing to do, maybe He was never around in the first place.) Before she knows it, her ambitions send her off on a wild adventure—a voyage by brigantine to Brazil, a steamboat trip up the Amazon, a hot-air balloon flight across the Andes—bound for the Galápagos archipelago, where she intends to collect the live specimens through which she might demonstrate evolutionary theory to the contest judges".

1.6.2015 Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman: A Mystery by Tessa Arlen

"Lady Montfort has been planning her annual summer costume ball for months, and with scrupulous care. Pulling together the food, flowers and a thousand other details for one of the most significant social occasions of the year is her happily accepted responsibility. But when her husband’s degenerate nephew is found murdered, it's more than the ball that is ruined. In fact, Lady Montfort fears that the official police enquiry, driven by petty snobbery and class prejudice, is pointing towards her son as a potential suspect.
Taking matters into her own hands, the rather over-imaginative countess enlists the help of her pragmatic housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, to investigate the case, track down the women that vanished the night of the murder, and clear her son’s name. As the two women search for a runaway housemaid and a headstrong young woman, they unearth the hidden lives of Lady Montfort’s close friends, servants and family and discover the identity of a murderer hiding in plain sight.

In this enchanting debut sure to appeal to fans of Downton Abbey, Tessa Arlen draws readers into a world exclusively enjoyed by the rich, privileged classes and suffered by the men and women who serve them. Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is an elegant mystery filled with intriguing characters and fascinating descriptions of Edwardian life—a superb treat for those who love British novels".

1.13.2015 The Magician's Lie: A Novel by Greer Macallister

"Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician’s Lie, a debut novel in which the country’s most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's murder --and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence.
The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.

But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors".

1.27.2015 Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb

"A mesmerizing tale of art and passion in Belle Époque France
As a woman, aspiring sculptor Camille Claudel has plenty of critics, especially her ultra-traditional mother. But when Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice—and his muse—their passion inspires groundbreaking works. Yet, Camille’s success is overshadowed by her lover’s rising star, and her obsessions cross the line into madness.

Rodin’s Lover brings to life the volatile love affair between one of the era’s greatest artists and a woman entwined in a tragic dilemma she cannot escape".

1.27.2015 Blood Divide: A Novel of Flodden Field by John Sadler

"Gripping, visceral, and accessible historical fiction
The Battle of Flodden in September 1513 was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on British soil, in which James IV, King of Scots, and virtually the whole of his nobility and gentry were annihilated in an afternoon along with 15,000 soldiers. Five centuries later, the slaughter still occupies a core position in the Scottish nationalist debate and in the pantheon of heroic failures. This novel puts you in the heart of the action; you'll feel the sweat and the fear, the curtain of red mist.

The narrative covers April through September 1513, focusing around a handful of key characters: John Heron, Bastard of Ford, swaggering, violent, and disreputable, the black sheep of a good English family; Sir Thomas Howard, leader of the English forces and skilled strategist; Alexander, 3rd Lord Hume, leader of the Scots, bold but impetuous; Isabella Hoppringle, Abbess of Coldstream, hub of a web of influential women throughout the Scottish borders, a woman of significant influence and charisma.

Laced with dark humor and fascinating period detail, Blood Divide reminder readers that political intrigue and human folly are timeless".

2.3.2015 The Eterna Files by Leanna Renee Hieber

"London, 1882: Queen Victoria appoints Harold Spire of the Metropolitan Police to Special Branch Division Omega. Omega is to secretly investigate paranormal and supernatural events and persons. Spire, a skeptic driven to protect the helpless and see justice done, is the perfect man to lead the department, which employs scholars and scientists, assassins and con men, and a traveling circus. Spire's chief researcher is Rose Everhart, who believes fervently that there is more to the world than can be seen by mortal eyes.
Their first mission: find the Eterna Compound, which grants immortality. Catastrophe destroyed the hidden laboratory in New York City where Eterna was developed, but the Queen is convinced someone escaped—and has a sample of Eterna.

Also searching for Eterna is an American, Clara Templeton, who helped start the project after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln nearly destroyed her nation. Haunted by the ghost of her beloved, she is determined that the Eterna Compound—and the immortality it will convey—will be controlled by the United States, not Great Britain".

2.5.2015 The Price of Blood: A Novel by Patricia Bracewell

"Menaced by Vikings and enemies at court, Queen Emma defends her children and her crown in a riveting medieval adventure
Readers first met Emma of Normandy in Patricia Bracewell’s gripping debut novel, Shadow on the Crown. Unwillingly thrust into marriage to England’s King Æthelred, Emma has given the king a son and heir, but theirs has never been a happy marriage. In The Price of Blood, Bracewell returns to 1006 when a beleaguered Æthelred, still haunted by his brother’s ghost, governs with an iron fist and a royal policy that embraces murder.

As tensions escalate and enmities solidify, Emma forges alliances to protect her young son from ambitious men—even from the man she loves. In the north there is treachery brewing, and when Viking armies ravage England, loyalties are shattered and no one is safe from the sword.
Rich with intrigue, compelling personalities, and fascinating detail about a little-known period in history, The Price of Blood will captivate fans of both historical fiction and fantasy novels such as George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series".

2.10.2015 A King's Ransom: A Novel by Sharon Kay Penman

"This long-anticipated sequel to the national bestseller Lionheart is a vivid and heart-wrenching story of the last event-filled years in the life of Richard, Coeur de Lion. Taken captive by the Holy Roman Emperor while en route home—in violation of the papal decree protecting all crusaders—he was to spend fifteen months chained in a dungeon while Eleanor of Aquitaine moved heaven and earth to raise the exorbitant ransom. But a further humiliation awaited him: he was forced to kneel and swear fealty to his bitter enemy.
For the five years remaining to him, betrayals, intrigues, wars, and illness were ever present. So were his infidelities, perhaps a pattern set by his father’s faithlessness to Eleanor. But the courage, compassion, and intelligence of this warrior king became the stuff of legend, and A King’s Ransom brings the man and his world fully and powerfully alive".

2.10.2015 The Marriage Game: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

"The new novel from the "New York Times" bestselling historian Alison Weir tells the story of one of history's most scandalous love affairs: the romance between the new, young "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I and her handsome married courtier, Lord Robert Dudley.He is her dashing Master of Horse. She is the 25-year-old newly crowned English Queen, a title she holds only because there is no male heir to inherit it. Yet in spite of her tenuous hold on the throne, young Queen Elizabeth begins a flagrant flirtation with the handsome but married Lord Robert, taking long unchaperoned horseback rides with him and constantly having him at her side. Many believe them to be lovers, and over time the rumors grow that Elizabeth is no virgin at all, and that she has secretly borne Lord Robert's child. When Robert's wife is found dead, lying at the bottom of a staircase with her neck broken, there is universal shock followed by accusations of murder.
Picking up where Alison Weir's bestselling novel to date, "The Lady Elizabeth," left off (but standing completely alone), "The Marriage Game" tells the dramatic story of the "Virgin Queen's" reign, framed by Elizabeth's long and tumultuous relationship with Lord Robert. Did they or didn't they? Rivers of ink have been spilled in determining the answer to this burning historical question, and you can be sure Alison Weir has strong opinions about Elizabeth's questionable virginity, based on a lifetime of research. But fiction gives her a free hand to explore this intriguing love affair in its every colourful detail, and the resulting novel is one of her best".

2.17.2015 A Touch of Stardust: A Novel by Kate Alcott

"When Julie Crawford leaves Fort Wayne, Indiana for Hollywood, she never imagines she'll cross paths with Carole Lombard, the dazzling actress from Julie's provincial Midwestern hometown. Although the young woman has dreams of becoming a screenwriter, the only job Julie's able to find is one in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick—who is busy burning through directors, writers and money as he begins filming Gone with the Wind. Although tensions run high on the set, Julie finds she can step onto the back lot, take in the smell of smoky gunpowder and the soft rustle of hoop skirts, and feel the magical world ofGone with the Wind come to life. Julie's access to real-life magic comes when Carole Lombard hires her as an assistant and invites her into the glamorous world Carole shares with Clark Gable—who is about to move into movie history as the dashing Rhett Butler.
Carole Lombard, happily profane and uninhibited, makes no secret of her relationship with Gable, which poses something of a problem for the studio as Gable is technically still married—and the last thing the film needs is more negative publicity. Julie is there to fend off the overly curious reporters, hoping to prevent details about the affair from slipping out. But she can barely keep up with her blonde employer, let alone control what comes out of Carole's mouth, and--as their friendship grows - soon finds she doesn't want to. Carole, both wise and funny, becomes Julie's model for breaking free of the past.
In the ever-widening scope of this story, Julie is given a front-row seat to not one but two of the greatest love affairs of all time: the undeniable on-screen chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett, and off screen, the deepening love between Carole and Clark. Yet beneath the shiny façade, things in Hollywood are never quite what they seem, and Julie must learn to balance career aspirations and her own budding romance with outsized personalities and the overheated drama on set. Vivid, romantic, and filled with Old Hollywood details, A Touch of Stardust will entrance, surprise, and delight".

2.24.2015 Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin

"It's 12 Century England and the civil war between Queen Matilda and King Stephen is raging. But life in the fens carries on as usual. Until the mercenaries ride through. And a small red-haired girl named Em is snatched and carried off. After the soldiers have finished with her they leave her for dead. But fenland girls are not easy to kill. Although she has lost all memory of her past life including her name, Em survives and teams up with Gwyl a Breton archer who has almost completely lost faith in humanity. Together Gwyl and his new protege--now crop-headed and disguised as a boy--travel through the countryside giving archery exhibitions. But there is one man who hasn't forgotten the little red-haired girl. He has some unfinished business with her and he is determined to finish it. And one freezing winter in a castle completely besieged, he might well get his chance...
Winter Siege is a stand-alone historical novel started by the late Diana Norman under her pseudonym Ariana Franklin. It has been completed by her daughter Samantha Norman".

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Book Review: QUEEN HEREAFTER by Susan Fraser King

Margaret became Queen of Scotland after her family had been ship wrecked on the coast of Scotland; her family had been seeking refuge from England.  Her brother Edgar of England had been out lawed by their uncle after their father’s sudden death. They had secured sanctuary through Margaret’s marriage to the warrior King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland. Her mother, brother and sisters lived with her at the evolving Scottish court. Malcolm and Scotland needed to grow to become more of a stately country to be taken more seriously in the political world of their times. Margaret was the virtuous good Queen to modernize the Scottish court.  She was fully devoted to her new husband and home. Her nature was giving almost to a fault Margaret had previously wanted to enter the church but had done her duty and married Malcolm to firmly secure her families place.

Surprisingly Margaret and Malcolm’s marriage ended up being a love match. Margaret was everything that Malcolm was not. She nurtured the cultured good king Malcolm had potential to be. Malcolm reined Margaret in when she starved herself for her beliefs and when she would literally give everything they had to help the needy. Margaret was over zealous when it came to her devotions almost to a fault but Malcolm was ever watching out for her well being because they truly loved each other. Early on in her marriage she had heard it mention of a female bard that excelled at the harp in the north of Scotland. The bard was the granddaughter of the Queen of the North the notorious Lady Macbeth. The latter had been stirring up trouble for Malcolm lately which led to him demanding that Lady Macbeth surrender her grand daughter to Malcolm as a royal prisoner to his changing Scottish court. Plus it was a good way to please his new Queen.

Eva, a Celtic princess was a skilled bard and her specialty was the beautiful harp. Eva begrudgingly befriends the new young queen at first. Their relationship deepened with time as Eva and Margaret grew to know the true person they were. The closeness made Eva regrets her agreement with her willful grandmother. Eva had agreed to spy on the royal family and to gather information about a book that Malcolm was commissioning. The book was set to be Malcolm’s version on the history of the previous ruling Scottish kings that were not just Malcolm’s kin but were Eva’s and Lady Macbeth’s. Lady Macbeth’s motive was plain Eva was to find the book and prevent it from spreading historical lies about Eva’s kin. Caught between her love for the saintly Scottish Queen Margaret and love of her own kin folk Eva can not choose a side until in an ill chosen event leads to Eva’s arrest for trying to kill her best friend in the whole world Margaret. With nowhere to turn for help Eva holds out hope that the queen speak on her behalf because her rash actions might cost her everything including her life.

4/5 Fast paced and a real page-turner, mainly because you never knew what Margaret was going to do next. King beautifully portrayed Margaret as a courageous young queen that passionately cared for the people of Scotland. This was a new time period and setting for me but I would highly recommend this novel to anyone curious about Scottish history.

FTC- this novel was sent to me by the publisher for review.

PG-13 Rating for mild violence and sexual reference.

Amazon: Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King

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Book Review: THE SHARP HOOK OF LOVE by Sherry Jones

A 12th century version of Romeo and Juliet, Heloise d’ Argenteuil possessed a gifted mind and a pure heart. Raised in a convent her future had been decided long before her mother had died. Her uncle Filbert had fetched her from the convent upon her mother’s death because she was to be educated in Paris by the finest scholars. Heloise was a woman ahead of her times and her uncle thought she was “gifted” for a woman. As she got to know her uncle Cannon Filbert she discovered he was committed to the church only for ambitious reasons and he had developed a violent drinking problem. Filbert spent his nights drinking himself into a stupor while Heloise avoided him at all costs.

At this time Pierre Abelard was head master at the Notre-Dame Cloister School; he had taken the position and turned his back on his inheritance to follow his dream of being a prolific scholar. He was handsome and also possessed a gifted mind that only people like Heloise could banter with. The pair had crossed paths by chance one day yet Heloise’s reputation for her keen intellect and virtue had preceded her. Abelard had heard of her this great woman scholar and he had hoped to cross her path. The pair became instantly smitten with each other. They convinced uncle Filbert to allow Abelard who was considered one of the most brilliant scholars of the time to tutor Heloise.

Heloise quickly found herself falling deeply in love with Abelard. They were like mirrored souls both in intelligence and beauty. Acknowledging their illicit love would be the beginning of a tumultuous love affair that would nearly consume them. They fiercely loved each other yet their lives had been pre-determined long before they had fallen deeply in love. Abelard was sworn to the church and Heloise was promised to the abbey. If their love affair became public knowledge it would be a scandal with dire consequences. Love or religon, this romantically tragic novel will play at your heartstrings. Sherry Jones’ vividly portrayed Heloise and Abelard as France’s own 12th century star crossed lovers.

5/5 Beautifully tragic in all the best ways a book could possibly be. This novel really grabbed me into the story of Heloise and Abelard. Sherry Jones wows with another great historical fiction novel that is just the right mixture of love and loss. I would highly recommend this novel to all historical fiction lovers.

FTC- this novel is part of my personal collection
R-Rating for sexual reference and violence.

Amazon: The Sharp Hook of Love by Sherry Jones

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Book Review: PRINCE LESTAT by Anne Rice

The vampire Lestat is finally back. This time he has a purpose he just does not know it yet. Picking up in modern times Lestat is still the pitiful self-made outcast.  Loathing himself he has refused to intergrade himself back into his vampire family. In his self-imposed exile Lestat roams the world haunted by the past that he cannot change. While wandering he does a few miraculous things, first he saves a little girl named Rose from utter destruction and becomes her uncle “Lestan”. Second he meets two unique vampires one of very ancient lineage named Seth that is the human son of the dead queen of the damned Akasha. Seth’s newly made vampire partner Dr. Fareed is a genius doctor that has quickly become a valuable asset to the “vampire tribe”. In his medical experiments Fareed has discovered a way to stop the vampire blood in the body long enough to give Margaret new eyes and Flavious a new leg.  With these medical break troughs whirling around the vampire community is on the cusp of a new era not just medically but also socially. The vampire dj Benji has taken notice of this and on his nightly broadcasts he tells all the vampires that  “we are a tribe of one” and every night he begs Lestat to come home and help the tribe. Lestat refuses to do so but Benji’s pleas do not go unheard.

The whole vampire community is still recovering in the wake of the terrible events that Queen Akasha dealt them. At the time no one knew that when she awoke she also woke up many super ancient vampires that had been sleeping for centuries and even some millenniums. As they have been coming to many have found that this mysterious “voice” has been talking to them demanding the destruction of the young vampires all across the world. Some of the ancient ones had fallen victim to incessant demands of the Voice nearly driving them to madness. Lestat has become a great vampire of interest to the Voice and loved to torment him.  The torment of the Voice had been harassing Lestat for quite some time until the burnings of the young ones began. That was Benji’s reason in vigilantly calling Lestat home to the tribe. There is only one way the vampire tribe was going to figure out what this mysterious Voice wants. They would all have to come together to and use all of their strength to find out where this voice is coming from. Only then will they discover its reasons for wanting to destroy the young ones.  The Voice must be stopped at all costs before it kills them all.

5/5 I loved this wonderful addition to the Vampire Chronicles because it almost brings every single one of the vampire characters together. The only part of this novel that I did not like was that Anne left out Tarquin Blackwood and Mona Mayfair.  The only reason it upset me that there was no mention of them was because the last two previous novels in the series were completely devoted to Lestat’s adventures with Mona and Quinn in New Orleans. I was disappointed because I felt that if everyone was coming together to be a tribe then that would include Mona and Quinn. On a really positive note there was a new feature I really found useful that none of the previous novels had and at the very end of the novel there is a full character index and an “informal” guide to the whole series. I found both of these features really helpful in jogging my memory on the previous novels events and it really helped in keeping track of all the newly awaken vampires. I would not recommend this novel as a stand-alone novel because it literally pulls the previous twelve novels together. If you really want to read this novel with out reading all twelve other novels I would recommend at least reading “The Queen of the Damned” because then you will at least get the major points in the back history.

R ~ Rating for sexual references and graphic violence

FTC ~ this novel is from my personal collection. I received no compensation for this review and it is reflective of my honest opinion of this novel.

A M A Z O N

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

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Book Review: OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall and her husband Frank took a well-deserved second honeymoon to Scotland to celebrate their reunion. The couple had been separated for a long period of time during their years of service to the British military during WWII. Claire served as a combat nurse and Frank was fully invested in the ultra exclusive MI-6. Both had survived the war but had sacrificed the first years of their marriage to the cause. Scotland was the perfect place for a bit of rest and relaxation while Frank the once historian researched his family genealogy.

They both became quickly immersed in the quiet ways of Scottish life. Seeing all of the sights the couple had decided to venture to Craigh Na Dun, which was similar to the mysterious Stonehenge we know today. Caught by surprise they witness a secretive pagan like celebration dance that was performed around the stones by some of the local village women. Hiding from the women’s site they knew they had witness something they should not have been privy to and they went dashing off before they were discovered. Claire decided to go back the next day and investigate the stones further.

Leaving Frank behind to work on his genealogy of his ancestor Black Jack Randall, Claire decided to head to the stones alone. Standing in front of the stones Claire felt this irresistible urge to touch them as she had seen the village women do the day before.  Once her hands were upon the stones this awful sound of buzzing bee’s overwhelmed her and she was immersed in complete darkness. When she came to after touching the stones she found she was still at the stones and had no idea where the sound or darkness had come from. Deciding to venture from the stones Claire found her surroundings vaguely familiar but not exactly the same and the car was gone. Deciding to walk back to the village Claire found herself in the woods with no clue as to what had transpired. As bad luck would have it the first person she encountered was a man dressed in a military red coat and once her eyes locked on his face she instantly called for her husband Frank. After a violent introduction this man that had the same face as her husband stated his name was not Frank but instead Jonathan Randall, captain of the English Dragoons. With her mind reeling from fighting off an unexpected attack from Jonathan Randall, Claire did what her instincts told her to do and she ran. Unfortunately when she took off from Randall she ran straight into a group of rough Scottish highlanders. Having no choice in matters the highlanders scooped her up and fled from the pursuing Randall.

Now a captive of the highlander men Claire offers her medical service to the men’s obvious injuries. One of the young men in the group was a handsome man that the others called Jamie. He suffered from a dislocated shoulder, which she quickly popped back into place and wrapped up. Her skills were noted by the highlanders and decided she had valuable skills that would be highly useful back at home because they had not had a healer for some time and were in desperate need of one. The highlanders really had no other option than to take her with them because they could not just let her go they knew she was English and could very likely be a covert spy sent to watch the highlanders.  Claire was now a liability that had to be watched at all costs.

Castle Leoch eventually loomed ahead and Claire was in the worst-case scenario. She was now a captive of the Mackenzie clan and their laird Colum and his brother Dougal. With her mind still reeling from being sucked into the stones, not know when or where she was, she began to search for answers. It was a tremendous shock to discover the date it was not 1946 anymore instead the year was 1743! Shocked to the core Claire had no other option than to try and fit in at castle Leoch and bide her time until she could escape back to the stones. She must find a way back to her native 1940’s and her husband Frank. Home was always her first thought in her mind but with time it seemed to fade and she found her heart began to grow towards her highlander patient Jamie. Her heart began to open to Jamie and after a turn of awful events Claire and the band of highlanders were on the run from the evil forces of Captain Randall. Still trying to find her way back to the stones Claire was forced into a marriage that would protect her from Randall. Lucky for her it was Jamie that had offered his protection to her but they both were on the run from Randall and only time would tell if they could escape the evil Dragoons. In her heart Claire still wanted to go home to Frank but with a new love budding between Jamie and her she found she was being pulled between two lives and eventually she would have to choose one over the other.

4/5 Loved it and I know I say that about every novel I read but it is honestly how I feel. I am starting to think that I either loved it or hated it, there really is not much in-between for me.  Can I just say that I ended up picking this novel up because I watched the first part of season one of Outlander on Starz and Jamie is so smoking hot! Before the TV series I have to admit I was really intimidated by this series because there are a ton of books in it and for a Outlander newbie it is kind of scary to see eight plus novels at over 700 pages a piece but I am glad I finally got into it and it was more than worth it. I would highly recommend this novel to every historical and romance reader because it is a unique story line and is really romantic.

R ~ Rating for violence and graphic sexual references.

FTC ~ This novel is from my personal collection. I received no compensation for this review and it is reflective of my honest opinion of this novel.

A M A Z O N

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

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Top Reads of 2014

Hey everyone I decided to do my top reads of 2014 a little different this year because my blog has changed a bit lately. As you can see below I made a youtube video for all of you. I hope that you all get the chance to check out my latest video embedded below. I also made a list of the books I picked with links to the synopsis on Goodreads, my review on the novel, and where to buy it on Amazon. I hope you all had a lovely holiday and happy new year, and HAPPY READINGS!

In no particular order:
♡ A Triple Knot by Emma Campion
synopsis
my review
Amazon
♡ Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
synopsis
my review
Amazon
♡ The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas
synopsis
my review
Amazon
♡ Light on Lucrezia by Jean Plaidy
synopsis
my review
Amazon
♡ Blood and Gold by Anne Rice
synopsis
my review
Amazon
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