historical

Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

Title: Speculations in Sin Author: Jennifer Ashley Series: Below Stairs Mystery #7 *heart eyes* MUCH thanks to Jennifer Ashley, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kaila Mundell-Hill once again for inviting me on the blog tour. Yes, another approval from Berkley! They waited several months to approve my request only four days before publication, but a win’s a win! I LOVED this book!! Ashley’s writing …

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Interview with Kristin Hannah (The Women)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Women by Kristin Hannah is yet another home run. It has become obvious for those who have read her books she must own stock in Kleenex because people will go through a tissue box. The novel is split into two parts: during the Vietnam War and after. The story has a twenty-year-old, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, after finishing nursing school, deciding to serve in Vietnam as an Army nurse. Nothing can prepare Frankie for …

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Interview with Alyssa Maxwell (Murder at the Breakers)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell is now a Hallmark movie on the Hallmark Mystery Channel. It has just been released last week. As with most books that have been made into movies there were changes made but the overall arc of the plot was still intact. In 1895 a society page writer, Emma Vanderbilt Cross, witnesses a murder while attending a ball at a Vanderbilt mansion in Newport Rhode Island. She soon …

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A Haunting in the Arctic by C. J. Cooke

Title: A Haunting in the Arctic Author: C. J. Cooke Series: n/a didn’t end well Much thanks to C. J. Cooke, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Kaila Mundell-Hill for inviting me on the blog tour. Yes, you read correctly—Berkley actually let me have an ARC. No, no, don’t run to your bunker. Stay close, though. Ghost story, psychological thriller, historical fiction—this novel has it all…..if …

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Review Roundup Early 2024

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Early 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: Don’t Let Her Go Author: Willow Rose Series: Detective Billie Ann Wilde #1 Much thanks to Willow Rose, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was fine. A good mystery to pass the time, if not a terribly unique one. I feel kinda slimy saying child abduction and …

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The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Schillace

Title: The Framed Women of Ardemore House Author: Brandy Schillace Series: n/a ? Lacks focus but great characters Omg, I’m preparing this review and unexpectedly watching Schillace on the “Strange Experiments” episode of The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd (History Channel). How funny is that? Much thanks to Brandy Schillace, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kali Luckhee for inviting me to …

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Interview with Amanda Flower (Emily Dickinson Mystery Series)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower has her venturing into historical mysteries. These books have a unique portrayal of the famous American writer Emily Dickinson. Emily along with her maid, Willa, become sleuths and help to solve murders. But a bonus is having readers getting glimpses of how Emily thinks and what the culture of mid-19th century was like. Elise Cooper: …

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Review Roundup Winter ’23-’24

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Winter 2023 – 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: Death by Demo Author: Callie Carpenter Series: Home Renovation Mystery #1 Much thanks to Callie Carpenter, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudiobook in exchange for an honest review. This book was great! Jaime was likeable and sympathetic, and I loved her conversations with Demo. I enjoyed watching her outsmart her adversaries. Also the lumber …

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Interview with Renee Ryan (The Paris Housekeeper)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Paris Housekeeper by Renee Ryan is very relevant today. After the October 7th Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians that included the raping of women and children, burning babies alive, and brutal torture, readers will understand why people have dubbed this the Holocaust of the 21st Century. Ms. Ryan has a knack for getting into the minds and hearts of her readers. In this story there are three main characters who become connected through …

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Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Title: Inheritance Author: Nora Roberts Series: The Lost Bride Trilogy #1 No self-contained plot, protag too perfect Much thanks to Nora Roberts, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to both read and listen to free ARCs of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The premise checked a lot of boxes for me, as it did for Nora when she was brainstorming her next trilogy. Old haunted mansion, ghosts, spooks, a family curse, …

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