Elizabeth The Queen by Sally Bedell Smith

 Title: Elizabeth The Queen

Author: Sally Bedell Smith

Genre: Biography

Synopsis: From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II was the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well did we really know the world’s most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last twentieth and twenty-first centuries with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace.

 
In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children.

Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines—the “red boxes” of documents she reviewed each day, the weekly meetings she had with twelve prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the press—as well as her personal relationships: with her husband, Prince Philip, the love of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

I loved following and learning about Queen Elizabeth II and English Royal Family history in general, so when The Queen passed away in 2022 I felt sad. It was the end of an era. With Charles, William, and George there won't be a reigning queen in Britain for generations. On my next visit to my parents' house following her death, my mom had this book waiting for me, understanding how I felt. I started to read it then, but just didn't feel ready. So now, over two years later, I picked it back up and thoroughly enjoyed reading about Queen Elizabeth's life. The book is well researched and written, so while it is a long book, it reads pretty quickly and doesn't feel dry. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, especially when she was young.

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The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

 

Title: The Last Train to Key West

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Genre: Historical Fiction

Other books I've read by this author: Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Cuban Heiress 

Synopsis: In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys.
For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.

After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life.

Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.

Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

As ever, Cleeton brings together seemingly different characters and intertwines their lives seemlessly. The story brings together history, love, the difficulties faced by women and veterans of the time, loss, marriage, and of course a natural disaster. Throughout the entire novel I was drawn in, wondering what would happen next. I love the author's writing style and her manner of telling a story. Not to mention, she loves to drop in some unexpected twists along the way. I have another one of her novels in my TBR basket and I am looking forward to reading it this year!

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Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower

Title: Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Author: Amanda Flower

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Synopsis: January 1855 Willa Noble knew it was bad luck when it was pouring rain on the day of her ever-important job interview at the Dickinson home in Amherst, Massachusetts. When she arrived late, disheveled with her skirts sodden and filthy, she'd lost all hope of being hired for the position. As the housekeeper politely told her they'd be in touch, Willa started toward the door of the stately home only to be called back by the soft but strong voice of Emily Dickinson. What begins as tenuous employment turns to friendship as the reclusive poet takes Willa under her wing.
Tragedy soon strikes and Willa's beloved brother, Henry, is killed in a tragic accident at the town stables. With no other family and nowhere else to turn, Willa tells Emily about her brother’s death and why she believes it was no accident. Willa is convinced it was murder. Henry had been very secretive of late, only hinting to Willa that he'd found a way to earn money to take care of them both. Viewing it first as a puzzle to piece together, Emily offers to help, only to realize that she and Willa are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that reveals corruption in Amherst that is generations deep. Some very high-powered people will stop at nothing to keep their profitable secrets even if that means forever silencing Willa and her new mistress.... - Back Cover

My Thoughts

The title and the shelf note "Local Author" drew me to pull this novel off the library shelf. What a fun idea to have Emily Dickinson and her maid work together to solve a mystery. The reader learns about Emily Dickinson's background and gets a historically based murder mystery as well. I didn't know Emily's father served as a representative in Washington. It was interesting to read about her trip to visit him, which really happened, though the events of the trip are fictionalized. As a renowned recluse later in life, I enjoyed reading about Dickinson as a young woman moving in social circles in her town of Amherst, Massachusetts. The mystery of the murder of Willa's brother kept me guessing until almost the very end. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

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The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen

 

Title: The Games Gods Play

Author: Abigail Owen

Genre: NA Fantasy

Synopsis: "I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus. Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won't notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus' patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.

The worst god. Hades.

For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead. So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me—a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders—as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his? I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky? Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost." - Back Cover

My Thoughts

I was intrigued by the title and cover of this book on the shelf at the library. It is a little outside of my usual genre preferences, set in modern day in the US. But the addition of the Greek Gods and mythology had me interested. I’d say this is novel is a combination of Greek Mythology and The Hunger Games, but a little more grown up. (New Adult vs Young Adult is not super different, I even had to look it up.) 

 I looked forward to reading it every night. It is suspenseful, unexpected, and heartfelt. The cliffhanger ending is a killer, so I patiently await the publishing of the sequel.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

 

Title: The Magnolia Palace

Author: Fiona Davis

Genre: Historical Fiction

Other Books I've Read by This Author: The Address, The Lions of Fifth Avenue

Synopsis: Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City's most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica's financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

I loved reading this novel. Cross-generational storytelling is so fun and it was interesting to compare the lives of both Lillian and Veronica as models trying to support their families. Davis always brings an air of mystery to her novels which is engaging and reveals aspects of the characters along the way. The ending is a bit unexpected and I really enjoyed it! Mystery and history, what more could I ask for? A trip to The Frick in NYC may be in my future after reading this novel.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Title: When He Was Wicked

Author: Julia Quinn

Genre: Historical Romance

Other books I've read by this author: The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, An Offer From a Gentleman, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, To Sir Philip, With Love

Synopsis: In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one’s life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London’s most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca’s surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer—the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then . . . Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love . . . until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets . . . - Back Cover

My Thoughts

As always, Quinn's Bridgerton novels are so fun to read. I loved that this novel gave so much of Michael's perspective and it was more about his happily ever after than Francesca's (though she gets there, of course!). While it still had the general formula of a Bridgerton novel and historical romance, When He Was Wicked is about finding love after loss, so it feels different from others in the series. 

I can't wait to see the TV adaptation of this novel as part of the Netflix series!

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Title: The Silence of the Girls

Author: Pat Barker

Genre: Historical Fiction

Other books I've read by this author: The Women of Troy

Synopsis: Here is the story of the Iliad as we’ve never heard it before: in the words of Briseis, Trojan queen and captive of Achilles. Given only a few words in Homer’s epic and largely erased by history, she is nonetheless a pivotal figure in the Trojan War. In these pages she comes fully to life: wry, watchful, forging connections among her fellow female prisoners even as she is caught between Greece’s two most powerful warriors. Her story pulls back the veil on the thousands of women who lived behind the scenes of the Greek army camp—concubines, nurses, prostitutes, the women who lay out the dead—as gods and mortals spar, and as a legendary war hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

After reading the sequel to this novel first, while it stood alone just fine, it was so nice to have more context and backstory for the characters. This novel felt even heavier than the first and I'm taking a break from this trilogy for some lighter books. I look forward to reading the final book in the series when I'm ready for something a little intense again.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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