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Under a Dancing Star Book Review
Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood From Goodreads: In grey, 1930s England, Bea has grown up kicking against the conventions of the time, all the while knowing that she will one day have to marry someone her parents choose – someone rich enough to keep the family estate alive. But she longs for so much more – for adventure, excitement, travel, and maybe even romance. When she gets the chance to spend the summer in Italy with her bohemian uncle and his fiancée, a whole world is opened up to Bea – a world that includes Ben, a cocky young artist who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome too. Sparks…
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Monsters Book Review
Monsters by Sharon Dogar From Goodreads: 1814: Mary Godwin, the sixteen-year-old daughter of radical socialist and feminist writers, runs away with a dangerously charming young poet – Percy Bysshe Shelley. From there, the two young lovers travel a Europe in the throes of revolutionary change, through high and low society, tragedy and passion, where they will be drawn into the orbit of the mad and bad Lord Byron.But Mary and Percy are not alone: they bring Jane, Mary’s young step-sister. And she knows the biggest secrets of them all . . . Told from Mary and Jane’s perspectives, Monsters is a novel about radical ideas, rule-breaking love, dangerous Romantics, and the creation of…
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A Sky Painted Gold Book Review
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood From Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer – a handsome, dashing brother and sister – Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions… And is there something darker lurking at the heart of the Cardew family? A gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance set against a stunning Gatsby-esque backdrop,…
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Witchborn Book Review
Witchborn by Nicholas Bowling Synopsis: The year is 1577. Queen Elizabeth I is struggling to prevent the scheming Mary Queen of Scots from stealing her throne, despite her rival being imprisoned in the Tower of London. But Alyce, on the run after her mother is brutally killed by witch hunters led by the nefarious Matthew Hopkins, is not aware of the political forces gathering around her. Soon, she is embroiled in a secret battle between two rival queens which will alter the fate of England, and Alyce is forced to confront the dark magic running through her own veins. This book came to me as an ARC in a book box…
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Book Review
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee From Goodreads: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to…
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Blood and Sand Book Review
Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk Forged in battle… From the dust of the arena… A legend will rise. Rome is building an Empire. Led by the notorious and vicious Flavius family, the country has already invaded Britannia, as well as Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world has ever seen since Sparta. Attia was once destined to rule Thrace as a queen, but the Romans have destroyed her homeland, leaving devastation and death in their wake. Attia herself is enslaved and forgotten, the last remaining Thracian. When she is given to the gladiator Xanthus, Champion of Rome as a prize to show his master’s favour, Attia tells herself she’d rather…
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Alex and Eliza Book Review
Alex and Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz From Goodreads: Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history. 1777. Albany, New York. As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d…
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Lady Mary Book Review
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review. The time will come for bravery… Princess Mary has grown up with expectations on her shoulders. Daughter to two of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, Queen Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII of England, Mary is expected to bring marriage alliances to her family, forging connections that will help her father, and England, remain the most influential in the world. But Mary is reluctant– all she wants is for her family to stay together. Unfortunately, Mary is only a princess, a girl, and so she’s…
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Unveiling Venus Book Review
Unveiling Venus by Sophia Bennett P.S. This review contains SPOILERS for book one, so if you haven’t read Following Ophelia but want to, please click away now! Mary Adams, once a servant, has now firmly put aside her old life to become Persephone Lavelle– a muse for great artists and a glamorous socialite. But even someone as admired as Persephone has some skeletons in her closet. Having promised to stay away from Felix (a struggling artists) to keep her cousin and niece off the streets, Persephone has no choice but to flee from her feelings. Rather than admit defeat however, she decides to embrace her new-found socialite status. With her best friend…
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Orphan Monster Spy Review
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen A lonely orphan with a dangerous secret. Not just another blonde-haired, blue-eyed little monster. Trapped inside a world full of lies, when does a schoolgirl become a spy. Set against the high-tension, pressure-cooker backdrop of Germany in the late 1930’s, Orphan Monster Spy follows Sarah, a young Jewish girl, who is forced to flee following the brutal death of her mother as they try to escape persecution. Trained in the art of the theatre by her mother, Sarah is cunning and quick, sly and intelligent. And she soon attracts the attention of a British spy. Her mission is simple, but it will turn her into the thing she…
