Featuring a timeless love story bolstered by flashbacks and the excavation of a priceless Roman artifact, The London Restoration is a richly atmospheric look at post-war London as two people changed by war rebuild amidst the city’s reconstruction.  

Monday, August 17th: Blooming with Books

Tuesday, August 18th: @my_read_feed

Wednesday, August 19th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, August 19th: @shawntaye1

Thursday, August 20th: Books Cooks Looks

Friday, August 21st: @randi_reads

Saturday, August 22nd: Nurse Bookie and @nurse_bookie

Monday, August 24th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts

Tuesday, August 25th: Living My Best Book Life and @livingmybestbooklife

Wednesday, August 26th: @shobizreads

Thursday, August 27th: @lowkey.bookish

Friday, August 28th: The Lit Bitch and @thelit_bitch

Monday, August 31st: @babygotbooks13

Wednesday, September 2nd: @readsrandiread

Thursday, September 3rd: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Friday, September 4th: @books_with_bethany

Monday, September 7th: She Just Loves Books and @shejustlovesbooks

Wednesday, September 9th: @meetmeinthestacks

Wednesday, September 9th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Thursday, September 10th: Girl Who Reads

Friday, September 11th: @rendezvous_with_reading

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Fleur Richards barely has time to be a wife before she becomes a widow.  After a whirlwind courtship and a hasty, secret wedding to a handsome Australian soldier, she's shocked to hear that Hugh's been killed in the war.  Shaken by grief, she's even more stunned to learn that her humble husband was a wealthy man.  With no other family, Hugh's fortune goes to Fleur.  It hardly seems fair that she should inherit all Hugh's money when, really, she hardly knew him.  With nothing to keep her in England, Fleur decides to take the advice of her husband's solicitor and make her way to Australia.  Intent on passing the inheritance to someone more deserving, she determines to find Hugh's kin.

The Woman in the Green Dress by Australian author Tea Cooper is my favorite kind of historical fiction—clean, atmospheric, mysterious, and entertaining.  The setting is colorful and exotic, the characters likable (especially the irrepressible Bert) and interesting, the mystery compelling and engrossing.  True, I saw most of the plot twists coming.  Also true, I didn't care as I just found this novel absorbing and enjoyable.  The Woman in the Green Dress is my first book by Cooper, but it will definitely not be my last.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Woman in the Green Dress from the generous folks at Thomas Nelson via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions on The Woman in the Green Dress?  Follow along on the book's blog tour by visiting the stops below:

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(Note:  The Painted Castle is the third installment in a trilogy of interrelated books.  While they are not sequels exactly, characters from the first and second books have cameos in the third.  The books can be read as standalones, but if you want to avoid even minor spoilers, I recommend reading them in order.)

Art historian Keira Foley is still reeling from a job and a resulting relationship that turned sour, leading to both professional and personal disgrace in New York City.  She's back in her native Ireland licking her wounds.  When a cocky American bloke struts into her family's pub, taking a keen interest in Keira, her protective brother threatens to have him forcibly removed.  Keira's not interested in the bloke until he dangles a mysterious job offer in a crumbling English castle called Parham Hill in front of her nose ...

Amelia Woods had been married to Arthur—the viscount of Huxley and owner of Parham Hill—barely a year when he was killed in a mission while serving as an RAF pilot.  Four years later, the English countryside is still under threat of attack, especially since an airfield lies just over the hill from the estate.  Amelia is protective of her husband's ancestral home with its precious memories and priceless art, but it's the children boarding inside whose safety is her first priority.  When a group of American military officers becomes her unwitting roommates, Amelia must protect all of Parham Hill's hidden treasures.  Especially her heart.

When Elizabeth Meade was just a child, she witnessed her father's callous murder on the streets of London.  A glimpse of a cloaked man with unusual eyes gave her an idea of the killer's identity—and the germ of a revenge plot.  Now engaged to the very man—the viscount of Huxley—Elizabeth is playing a dangerous long game to avenge her beloved parent.  She soon comes to realize that secrets abound at Parham Hill and its owner may not be what he seems ...

If you're a rabid Kate Morton fan like I am, you'll definitely want to check out the Lost Castle series by Kristy Cambron.  I haven't read the first two books in the trilogy since I thought The Painted Castle was a standalone, but I've already put both on reserve at my library.  That should give you a clue as to how much I enjoyed the final installment!  It's a triple timeline novel featuring three women in different eras.  All of the leading ladies are strong, intelligent, independent sorts who find themselves, in some way, through their association with Parham Hill.  They solve mysteries, endure hardship and loss, find love, and make important discoveries about the castle and themselves, all of which makes for an engrossing novel.  Add in vivid prose, excellent pacing, and a few twists to keep things interesting, and you've got yourself an engaging read.  Even better, Cambron keeps things squeaky clean so that this book (and the whole series, presumably) can be handed to any reader, from tween to senior citizen.  Although Cambron writes Christian fiction, The Painted Castle makes only occasional reference to God and never in a way that is preachy or disruptive.  For all these reasons and more, I found myself completely immersed in this engaging, Morton-ish delight.  As I have said, I enjoyed it immensely and am excited to read the rest of the series as well as anything else Cambron has written.  It's always fun to find a new author who writes clean, compelling books.  I know I'm going to relish getting to know Cambron and her work better.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Kate Morton and Susan Meissner)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Painted Castle from the generous folks at Thomas Nelson via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions on The Painted Castle?  Follow along on the book's blog tour by clicking on the links below:

Wednesday, November 20th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books         

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Despite the thin stream of noble blood that runs through her, Rosamund Tomkins belongs neither here nor there.  Especially after the death of her beloved grandmother, a gentlewoman who was teaching her the pretty manners of a lady.  When Rosamund is subsequently taking in by her common, disinterested mother and her greedy, abusive stepfather, she becomes little more than a servant at the family's inn.  Then, a chance encounter with a wealthy London businessman changes the 17-year-old's life in an instant.  Suddenly, she's not just a wife, but also a woman with status and a title.

When Sir Everard Blithman introduces his new wife to his latest business venture—the opening of a chocolate house—Rosamund is immediately entranced.  She's never tasted the exotic beverage, but from the get-go, she proves to be a dab hand at helping to mix it in just the right combinations to entice customers into the shop.  Although having a titled woman so involved in business is considered vulgar by London's wagging tongues, Rosamund feels more at home at the chocolate house than she does anywhere else.  While she senses there is much more going on beneath the surface of her marriage, her husband's mysterious family, and her new friendship with a handsome journalist, she doesn't realize the truth until she finds herself hopelessly entangled in a complex web of deception that threatens to destroy not just Rosamund's beloved chocolate house but everything good in her new life.  With both the business and the fates of the people she's come to love on the line, Rosamund will risk everything to save them.

Although I've been enjoying a grand love affair with chocolate for decades, I knew little about its history.  Thus, I found myself intrigued by the subject of Karen Brooks' new novel, The Chocolate Maker's Wife.  The book's colorful Medieval setting, complete with castles, knights, and the Plague, is likewise intriguing.  Naive, but kind and determined, Rosamund makes for the kind of likable, admirable heroine for whom it is easy to root.  At a hefty 551 pages, The Chocolate Maker's Wife is hardly a page-turner; it did, however, move along fast enough to keep me interested.  Despite a Big Reveal that was obvious from the get-go, the plot offered a few surprises I didn't see coming.  While I didn't end up loving this book, I did enjoy the read overall.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Chocolat by Joanne Harris)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Chocolate Maker's Wife from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Would you like more opinions on The Chocolate Maker's Wife?  Follow along on the book's blog tour by visiting the sites listed below:

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With a degree in criminal justice and a job producing a true-crime podcast, Ryan Gracey is no stranger to solving mysteries.  She's never had one touch her own life, however, until she receives a frantic phone call from her older sister.  Wendy Wainwright refuses to divulge any details, but she begs Ryan to return home to Seabank, Florida, to watch her young girls while their father is deployed and Wendy is away.  Although the last thing Ryan wants is to uproot her life in Delray and go back to the place where she screwed up all her most meaningful relationships, she can't let her nieces down.

Playing mom is tougher than Ryan could have imagined.  Especially when her nieces hint that their mother is not what she seems.  Wendy's mysterious, prolonged absence propels Ryan to start digging into her sister's perfect-looking life.  The more she finds, the more she tends to agree with the girls—there's trouble lurking behind Wendy's flawless facade.  As unsettling clues continue to turn up, Ryan will be forced to face some shocking truths about her sister, her family, and herself.

A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (available June 25, 2019) starts with an intriguing premise, which leads to a compelling plot.  The story gets a little long, but it kept my interest with its mix of mystery/suspense, family drama, and romance.  While I saw some of the big reveals coming, others caught me by surprise, which made for an engrossing, enjoyable read.  I would definitely spend more time with these characters if I could and I will for sure read more by the talented Emilie Richards.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, mild sexual content/innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of A Family of Strangers from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Want to win a copy of A Family of Strangers for your very own?  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter my giveaway.  U.S. addresses only, please.