The eve of the US Civil War in the states along the dividing lines was a powder keg of union vs. secessionist politics. Talented historical fiction author, Robert W Smith weaves a tale of suspense, emotion- both heartwarming and heartbreaking against the backdrop of the War Between the States drawing on real life people in […]
About a dozen years ago, a harrowing adventure befell Darcy and Elizabeth in Jan Hahn’s Pride and Prejudice variation, The Journey. Now, a dozen years later, the author chose to write for her last book, Belle Lisette, a follow-up novel when Darcy and Elizabeth with their grown children have taken a journey to the New […]
When Darcy encounters ‘The One’ – the only woman for him, this should have been a moment of triumph, but instead, starts a thought-provoking emotional journey of the heart to win a woman’s love. I’ve read two enjoyable mystery romps from Kelly Dean Jolley and I was aware that he wrote a few Jane Austen-related […]
A recently married family friend tries her hand at matchmaking among the Hales sisters to interesting, humorous results. Suzan Lauder’s authentic Regency backdrop and her flare for comedy show forth in this breezy, light romance. The Reluctant Chaperon is the second of the Cecilia’s Mismatches series of standalones featuring the next Hales sister to find […]
Is Train noir a genre? If not, it should be. Kelly Dean Jolley can turn contemporary into nostalgic classic with the turn of a phrase. I had to keep reminding myself I was reading contemporary because I felt like the setting was the golden age of train travel and the characters and plot fit so […]
Four magical stones control the destiny of so many lives. On the cusp of going away to college and grieving the loss of a beloved grandmother, a young woman along with her closest friend who secretly crushes on her is whisked magically through a portal to a fantastic other world and embarks on a journey […]
An evil insidious plot sets in motion a chain of events to a tale that turns Jane Austen’s light comedy of manners into a deep, rich, and riveting family saga full of intrigue, action and romance. Debut author, Barry Richman’s Doubt Not, Cousin started out as an intriguing curiosity and turned into my desperate need […]
At the end of Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet ride off into the sunset with their handsome, wealthy husbands and Lydia is off to the North unaware yet that her Wickham was no prize while a brief summary about the rest of the Bennets wrap things up neatly for the reader. But, many […]
Turn of the (Twentieth) Century Chicago is a place and time where history is raw and heartbreaking, but seedy and dangerous for those of the lower and immigrant classes. I was keen to read the story of a young first generation Irish American come to this blustering city to find his older brother and ends […]
How hard can it be? An infamous thought before a young woman discovers how naïve she is about the workings of a household, village life from the working class perspective, and most importantly, a gentleman she was early on eager to dismiss as cold and arrogant. Grace Gibson, an author I have enjoyed in the […]