tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29029476976968684602024-03-09T21:47:54.880-05:00Belle's Library Book Review"With a dreamy far off look, and her nose stuck in a book..." -Beauty and the Beast
Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-86003012785412750502024-01-08T17:33:00.000-05:002024-01-08T17:33:08.358-05:00The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3vte25M" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ouqyz7RwL._SY522_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Cuban Heiress </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="http://www.chanelcleeton.com/" target="_blank">Chanel Cleeton</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/02/next-year-in-havana-by-chanel-cleeton.html" target="_blank">Next Year in Havana</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2023/01/when-we-left-cuba-by-chanel-cleeton.html" target="_blank">When We Left Cuba</a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the</span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;"> Morro Castle </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead—and why.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Elena Palacio is a dead woman. Or so everyone thinks. After a devastating betrayal left her penniless and on the run, Elena’s journey on the </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Morro Castle </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">is her last hope. Steeped in secrecy and a burning desire for revenge, her return to Havana is a chance to right the wrong that has been done to her—and her prey is on the ship.<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">As danger swirls aboard the </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Morro Castle </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">and their fates intertwine, Elena and Catherine must risk everything to see justice served once and for all.</span></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I really enjoyed reading this novel, so much so that it only took me one week to finish it! I bought it on my birthday with a gift card from a friend, and I'm so glad I did!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I loved the intrigue and mystery surrounding so many of the characters. I loved the description of the ship, the passengers, and Havana. I loved the unexpected twist near the end, and of course, the history surrounding the ship itself. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chanel Cleeton's books are so well done and truly enjoyable to read, I cannot wait to read more from this author!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-10246409587976426902024-01-01T16:01:00.000-05:002024-01-01T16:01:07.849-05:00Loyal in Love by Jean Plaidy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48nZDGI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51o9FxceLeL.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">T</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B005HBSQIA" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">itle: Loyal in Love: Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I </span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Alice_Burford" target="_blank">Jean Plaidy</a></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: <span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">The daughter of Henry IV of France, Princess Henrietta Maria, becomes a pawn in a political strategy to stabilize relations between two countries when her father marries her to Charles I of England. Sent abroad, she finds herself living in a Protestant country that views her own faith—Catholicism—with deep suspicion.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Yet her new husband is a man of principle and integrity, and Henrietta and Charles fall deeply in love. Henrietta is passionate about her faith, however, and soon politically powerful people, namely Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans, turn her loyalty to her religion into a focal point for civil war. As the royal couple watch the fall of Thomas Wentworth, first Earl of Strafford, the rise of Puritanism, and Englishmen fight Englishmen, they are undeterred in their dedication to each other and in their belief in the divine rights of king and queen—even as spies lurk in their very own household. - Back Cover</span><br /></span><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My Thoughts</span></u><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Henrietta is such an interesting character as written by Plaidy. She is meddlesome and entitled and yet somehow endearing. It is written in the first person past tense, as though Henrietta is telling her life story. This gives an interesting perspective and allows for some irony of self-reflection. Events move quickly and there was less punctuation than I'm used to, which makes the writing feel more stream of consciousness; like an elderly woman might speak when telling a story. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading others in the series. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></span></div> <p></p></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-65056352360730413352023-12-27T18:52:00.001-05:002023-12-27T18:52:34.408-05:00Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/9118HOCLqaL._SY522_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/9118HOCLqaL._SY522_.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />T</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B005HBSQIA" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">itle: Sex and Vanity</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Author: <a href="http://www.kevinkwanbooks.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Kwan<br /></a></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Genre: Fiction</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/crazy-rich-asians-by-kevin-kwan.html" target="_blank">Crazy Rich Asians</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/china-rich-girlfriend-by-kevin-kwan.html" target="_blank">China Rich Girlfriend</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/10/rich-people-problems-by-kevin-kwan.html" target="_blank">Rich People Problems</a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><a href="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0997389737" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0997389737" style="border: none; margin-top: 0px;" width="1" /></span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can't stand him. She can't stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can't stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can't stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. "Your mother is Chinese so it's no surprise you'd be attracted to someone like him," Charlotte teases. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world - and her heart. - Back Cover</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My Thoughts</span></u><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After reading (and loving) the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, I had high hopes for the latest novel by Kevin Kwan. It was a cute story that I had intended as a palate cleanser between heavy historical fiction novels, but it didn't quite hit the spot as its predecessors had. Some parts were good; light and fun, quick to read; but points it felt so slow that I wasn't interested in picking it up again (thus the long wait between posts). It felt predictable and the characters weren't super interesting. Overall, it was fine, but not one that I'd say anyone NEEDS to read.<br /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></span></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-48286864516325761612023-11-04T14:55:00.003-04:002023-12-27T18:55:24.942-05:00Treachery by S. J. Parris<div class="separator"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47a3h5z" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="343" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71u81QAyDLL._SY522_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://www.sjparris.com/" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">S. J. Parris</a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Mystery</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2023/08/giordano-bruno-series-heresy-prophecy.html" target="_blank">Heresy, Prophecy, and Sacrilege</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">August, 1585. A relentless enemy. A treacherous conspiracy. Elizabethan England is on the brink of war. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Sir Francis Drake is preparing to launch a daring expedition against the Spanish when a murder aboard his ship changes everything.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Giordano Bruno agrees to hunt the killer down, only to find that more than one deadly plot is brewing in Plymouth’s murky underworld. And as he tracks a murderer through its dangerous streets, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the future of England itself. - Back Cover </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I really enjoyed book 4 of this series. It was actually this book that got me into the series. I took it out of the library months ago without realizing it was part of a series. I hate reading series out of order, so I returned it and grabbed books one! I loved the incorporation of Sir Francis Drake. A fresh historical character into an already fun historical series is a highlight for me! The mystery and drama do not disappoint, this novel is as good as all the others so far.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-772616371302733212023-10-16T11:58:00.001-04:002023-12-27T18:57:30.438-05:00To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48fKB5C" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="347" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81v7ZD7qnGL._SY522_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B00U6SFUVK" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: To Sir Phillip, With Love</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/" target="_blank">Julia Quinn</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Romance</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-duke-i-by-julia-quinn.html" target="_blank">The Duke and I</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/09/" target="_blank">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/11/an-offer-from-gentleman-bridgerton.html" target="_blank">An Offer From a Gentleman</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2023/03/romancing-mister-bridgerton-by-julia.html" target="_blank">Romancing Mister Bridgerton</a></span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her . . . and more.<br /></span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking . . . and wondering . . . and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except . . . he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled . . . and when he kissed her . . . the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder . . . could this imperfect man be perfect for her?</span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have enjoyed all of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton novels, but this one is just a little different. For the most part, it takes place away from London and society and the reader gets to know Eloise and Sir Phillip independently from the Bridgerton family. I love that Eloise decides to marry not because she feels she has to, but rather because she wants to; she always does things on her own terms. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also like their love story, it is different than all of Eloise's siblings, and while it isn't without drama, it is less overtly dramatic.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><p> </p>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-20762373581090139552023-10-14T18:59:00.004-04:002023-12-27T18:59:35.118-05:00The Dime by Kathleen Kent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4aBaYVa" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/618qenlNFQL._SY522_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0316311030" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Dime</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.kathleenkent.com/" target="_blank">Kathleen Kent</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fiction, Mystery</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-heretics-daughter-by-kathleen-kent.html" target="_blank">The Heretic's Daughter</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dallas, Texas is not for the faint of heart. Good thing for Betty Rhyzyk she's from a family of take-no-prisoners Brooklyn police detectives. But her Big Apple wisdom will only get her so far when she relocates to The Big D, where Mexican drug cartels and cult leaders, deadbeat skells and society wives all battle for sunbaked turf.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Betty is as tough as the best of them, but she's deeply shaken when her first investigation goes sideways. Battling a group of unruly subordinates, a persistent stalker, a formidable criminal organization, and an unsupportive girlfriend, the unbreakable Detective Betty Rhyzyk may be reaching her limit. - Back Cover</span></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was at the library walking through the fiction section on the second floor and stopped because I saw the name of an author I'd read before. I pulled this one off the shelf and read the blurb inside the jacket cover. It is set in the early 2000s, about a female police officer. Not my usual go-to read. The last book I had read by Kathleen Kent was about the Salem Witch Trials, so I was surprised to see this. I put it back on the shelf. I started to walk away and pulled it back off the shelf again, deciding to read the first page and see if maybe I should branch out. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I flipped a few pages and found the epigraph:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"A patient woman can roast an ox with a lantern" - Chinese Proverb</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I laughed aloud. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day. Even if the book turned out to be a dud, it was worth checking it out for just that quote. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily it was not a dud. In fact, it was an enjoyable read, though the end felt a little rushed to me. There is a second in the series and I look forward to reading it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /></div></div></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=031602449X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-57359452567864898672023-08-26T16:52:00.002-04:002023-12-27T19:07:10.735-05:00Giordano Bruno Series: Heresy, Prophecy, Sacrilege by S. J. Parris <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48eiLqv" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51e2V3rlTSL.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://amzn.to/47fpQ8L" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="288" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518IieTNGIL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="129" /></a><a href="https://amzn.to/3RAJK8x" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="293" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WPexGeTxL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Title: Heresy; Prophecy; Sacrilege</span></div><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.sjparris.com/" target="_blank">S. J. Parris</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Mystery</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: Excommunicated monk, Giordano Bruno, flees Italy and finds himself in the service of Queen Elizabeth I 's spymaster. Murder seems to follow Doctor Bruno and the philosophy and science that made a traitor to the Catholic Church give him the unique ability to track down the perpetrators. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think this series was written with me in mind. Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a protagonist who risks everything for the pursuit of knowledge and the truth, religious contention, and a murder mystery? I would read a book with any of those aspects, but all together in one series? Yes, please.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Naturally, I read the first three books in the series one after another, I couldn't get enough! The series is dark and intriguing and familiar characters appear throughout in unexpected places. The reader gets an excellent picture of the class disparities, religious persecution, and fear of scientific progress present during this time. It feels really well-researched. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I accidentally came upon the series by mistakenly grabbing the fourth book in the series off the shelf at the library. When I realized there were three books before it, I returned it unread in exchange for book number one. I can't wait to go back and take Treachery back off the shelf! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-81929646917680968732023-07-13T20:02:00.003-04:002023-12-27T19:10:18.390-05:00Spare by Prince Harry<div class="separator"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3txsWHp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41dJArSXfDL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0593593804" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Spare</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Memoir </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: Prince Harry tells the story of his life, one plagued by paparazzi and family difficulties, explaining why he and Meghan Markle chose to leave royal life behind.</span></p><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm catching up on my summer reads</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">! I have been reading I just wasn't good about reviewing them in June. I had heard mixed reviews about this book ahead of reading it. I adored Queen Elizabeth II and love watching <i>The Crown</i>, so I knew I had to check it out for myself. After hearing that it was written in a stream-of-consciousness style, I decided my best chance of enjoying it was to listen to the audiobook; to hear the story straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. For me, that was the best choice. Every night, after reading a bit from whatever novel I was working through at the time, I'd listen to 30 minutes of Spare. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The chapters are short, most under 5 minutes, and the book itself runs about 16 hours. I found Prince Harry's telling of his life story intriguing, some of it familiar, much of it new. I especially enjoyed hearing about his military service. Some parts dragged a little or felt unnecessary to moving the story forward, but it's his life, he should include the details he felts were important. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'd say if you are even a little intrigued to read this memoir you should give the audiobook a whirl. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-39001171025315858982023-05-15T15:08:00.002-04:002023-12-27T19:11:47.739-05:00The Family by Naomi Krupitksy<div class="separator"><span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3RY0fgg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51KM1TTfkCL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /></span></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Family</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: Naomi Krupitsky</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fiction</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, loud and untamed. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends since birth, they live in the shadow of their fathers’ unspoken community: the Family. Sunday dinners gather them each week to feast, discuss business, and renew the intoxicating bond borne of blood and love.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">But the disappearance of Antonia’s father drives a whisper-thin wedge between the girls as they grow into women, wives, mothers, and leaders. Their hearts expand in tandem with Red Hook and Brooklyn around them, as they push against the boundaries of society’s expectations and fight to preserve their complex but life-sustaining friendship. One fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested. Only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late." - Back Cover </span></span></p><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The best book I've read in a long time, I could not get enough of this story. I loved the characters, the style it was written in, and how raw it felt. The characters are wonderfully human, a coming-of-age story that feels so very honest. To me, it felt like a fresh take on a classic mafia story.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was exactly the book I needed to read right now. I typically don't enjoy novels that have so little dialog, but it was done so well that I didn't even miss it. The Family got me out of a reading rut and I'm so glad I pulled it off the shelf. I finished it two days ago and I'm still sad that it is over. It's a contender for my favorite book of 2023, yep, I said it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0525542000" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-90086173709486991242023-04-18T20:42:00.002-04:002023-12-27T19:14:41.379-05:00American Royals by Katharine McGee<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47a97DW" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xwbZ1h42L._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: American Royals</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://katharinemcgee.com/" target="_blank">Katharine McGee</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fiction</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren't just any royals. They're American.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there's Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If he'd been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">his</span></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> heart." - Back Cover</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The most interesting part of this novel is that it is based on the premise that George Washington accepted the American People's offer to become their king and that this is the story of the modern American Royal family. When I realized that other nations that are now republics also maintained their monarchies in the story because their revolutions were inspired by the formation of The United States without a traditional monarch, I was geeking out. I'm not sure how many people reading this type of novel normally pick up on the brilliance of that choice by the author and the historical context that it brings, but I loved it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As for the plot itself, it is not super original,(oldest daughter is dutiful and has to marry someone suitable, younger siblings lost with no role, plain girl has a crush on her best friend's popular brother) but it is entertaining. It was disappointing that nothing really got resolved by the end, making it feel like a ploy to force the reader to continue the series, rather than choose to pick up the next book because the first was so good. Do I want to know what happens? Yes. Do I still find this tactic annoying? Also yes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1984830201" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-47892195851541688152023-03-31T17:03:00.005-04:002023-12-27T19:16:07.075-05:00Ms. Demeanor: A Novel by Elinor Lipman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3NKRCDf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715nuigMq0L._SY522_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0358677882" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Ms. Demeanor</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://elinorlipman.com/" target="_blank">Elinor Lipman</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fiction</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm—or </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">was,</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment building. Police are summoned, and a punishing judge sentences her to six months of home confinement. With Jane now jobless and rootless, trapped at home, life looks bleak. Yes, her twin sister provides support and advice, but mostly of the unwelcome kind. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn't the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. As she tries to adapt to life within her apartment walls, she discovers she hasn’t heard the end of that tattletale neighbor—whose past isn’t as decorous as her 9-1-1 snitching would suggest. Why are police knocking on Jane’s door </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">again</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">? Can her house arrest have a silver lining? Can two wrongs make a right? In the hands of "an inspired alchemist who converts serious subject into humor” (</span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">New York Times Book Review</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">)—yes, delightfully." - Back Cover</span></span></p><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many of the books you'll find in past posts fall in the genre of historical fiction, a genre I clearly love. I am deliberately taking a break from my favored genre to explore the world of contemporary fiction and I'm glad I started with this novel! Ms. Demeanor (despite being about a woman who loses her job and is on house arrest) is light, funny, and relatable. The family dynamics are familiar, with a modern twist. Jane is relatable and remains delightfully unapologetic about the 'scandalous' act that was the catalyst for her home detention, which I find endearing. Probably because I fall into the category of educated, high achieving, rule-following, thirty-something woman just like Jane, so her not backing down feels like a justified rebellion. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Were there some plotlines that were borderline far-fetched and convenient? Sure. Could I forgive them because the storyline was so enjoyable? Absolutely. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-56136991496307080802023-03-22T20:30:00.001-04:002023-12-27T19:17:35.337-05:00The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray<div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48ADF2z" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513Wy5ICEBS._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Personal Librarian</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.authormariebenedict.com/" target="_blank">Marie Benedict</a> & <a href="https://victoriachristophermurray.com/" target="_blank">Victoria Christopher Murray</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">The Personal Librarian</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives." - Back Cover </span></span><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This story is about race, but it's also a coming-of-age story of a young woman who has been trained all her life not to stand out, not to draw attention, to be careful and cautious. I love Belle's transformation as she realizes in order to hide in plain sight, she must stand out. She is a woman working in a profession with mostly men, she is a woman from humble beginnings who must socialize with the New York elite, and she is an African American woman who must disguise herself in a white society. Shying away from any of those roles would cause more skepticism and rumors than leaning in, learning how to manage people while also expanding her skills and Mr. Morgan's library. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Belle grows from every experience she has, good and bad. The depiction of her relationship with Bernard Berenson and all the social taboos surrounding it, not to mention the disappointment and heartbreak she endured, really give depth to her character.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was an enjoyable novel and I think the authors having different types of writing backgrounds gave it a really unique feel, historical fiction with a modern pace.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B08HL999ZD" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-53493227265082123422023-03-10T21:00:00.001-05:002023-12-27T19:19:07.513-05:00Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn<div class="separator"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3viOk3N" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51LgtFPHbzS._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0063141248" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/" target="_blank">Julia Quinn</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Romance</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-duke-i-by-julia-quinn.html" target="_blank">The Duke and I</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/09/" target="_blank">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/11/an-offer-from-gentleman-bridgerton.html" target="_blank">An Offer From a Gentleman</a></span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn’t know him at all.</span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat— or his promise of a happy ending?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hot take...Penelope Featherington is the best character Julia Quinn has written. The end.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Okay, maybe not really the end, but I find her so wonderfully and utterly relatable, more so than any of the other female protagonists. Don't get me wrong, I like Daphne, and Kate, and Sophie. They are all strong and smart and know what they want, but Penelope just feels less like a character in a novel, and more like my dear friend. She isn't an anachronistic heroine with strong opinions and attitudes that often dominate Regency-era stories; she's a wallflower who grows to possess all of the qualities of those other women but shows them in an understated manner. She is talented and pragmatic except in her long-term crush on the incredibly popular Colin Bridgerton and her long-hidden secret. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> These are so delightful to read when you need something light and uplifting, because like most of the Romance genre, you know they will get their happily ever after. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><p> </p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B00SCVIQS2" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-25870122393704837252023-02-27T15:34:00.003-05:002023-12-27T19:21:13.618-05:00The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47dJulK" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BabiZquLL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator"><br /></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1984802127" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">T</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">itle: The Women of Chateau Lafayette</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Author: <a href="http://www.stephaniedray.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Dray</a></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Genre: Historical Fiction</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Other books by this author that I've read: <a href="http://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/03/americas-first-daughter-by-stephanie.html" target="_blank">America's First Daughter</a>,<a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-dear-hamilton-by-stephanie-dray-and.html" target="_blank"> My Dear Hamilton</a></span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0997389737" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0997389737" style="border: none; margin-top: 0px;" width="1" /></span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Synopsis: "</span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">Most castles are protected by men. This one by women.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />A founding mother...</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">1774</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">. Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette’s political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear, Adrienne must renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />A daring visionary...</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">1914</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing—not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France firsthand, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime: convincing America to fight for what's right.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />A reluctant resistor...</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">1940</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">. French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan's self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become." - Back Cover</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My Thoughts</span></u><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This novel has been on my TBR list for a while now and I'm so glad I finally got to it! A book with storylines from the American Revolution, French Revolution, WWI, and WWII? What more could I ask for in a story? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">While each woman's story stands alone, they are beautifully woven together through a shared home, a belief in fighting for what is right, and helping those without a voice. The romantic relationships each of the women have are complex, gritty, and wonderfully human in their imperfections; not fairytale love but love nonetheless. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The relationship between The United States and France and the critical roles each played in helping ensure a future for both countries is also highlighted throughout the novel. Just like Lafayette and Adrienne, one would not be its best without the other.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span><br /><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-42579042358291505292023-02-03T18:42:00.002-05:002023-12-27T19:22:54.465-05:00Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/41Gu7kI" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="299" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Fl4hID1ZL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator"><br /></div><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Lessons in Chemistry</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.bonniegarmus.com/" target="_blank">Bonnie Garmus</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fiction</span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">average</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">Supper at Six</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. - Back Cover</span></span><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This novel is such a breath of fresh air. I received it as a Christmas gift, perfect for my chemistry teacher heart. The cover art is amazing, the edges of the pages are teal and a periodic table lines the front and back inside covers... to die for. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then you get to the actual story, which had moments that made me laugh out loud and moments that were absolutely soul-crushing (in the best possible way, haha). I enjoyed that there were several viewpoints explored throughout the novel, my favorite being the one of Six-Thirty, Elizabeth's faithful dog. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This novel felt like a step away from books I usually choose for myself, and it was fun to read something in a different style. Despite the casual and amusing writing style, there are some really profound sentiments about societal views surrounding women, and I found tears rolling down my cheeks near the end. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-35535852081924602882023-01-12T16:30:00.002-05:002023-12-27T19:25:40.907-05:00When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3THhoMC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="347" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81SBVU-9WhL._SY522_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: When We Left Cuba </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="http://www.chanelcleeton.com/" target="_blank">Chanel Cleeton</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/02/next-year-in-havana-by-chanel-cleeton.html" target="_blank">Next Year in Havana</a></span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: <span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">"</span></span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: verdana;">Beautiful. Daring. Deadly.</span></span></div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: verdana;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez—her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future—but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything—not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart..." - Back Cover </span></span><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First, can we please talk about how beautiful the cover art on this book?!? You can definitely judge this one by it's cover. It's beautiful inside and out. I was so excited to receive this book as a Christmas gift from a friend. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beatriz is such a force, it's impossible not to admire her. I love how she does what she feels is right, whether it follows convention or not. As a woman in her 20s in the 1960s, there is a lot of convention to buck. She wants to be educated, to have a career, to be independent.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's wonderful to read about a woman who has convictions but also has a softness to her. She doesn't reject her tenderness of heart which lends an authenticity to her love story with Nick that leaves the reader at turns devastated and completely consumed. Cleeton again adds a twist that I did not see coming, and was very well done. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I look forward to reading more books in this series! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div>Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-66267043609266303132022-12-31T12:52:00.002-05:002022-12-31T12:52:46.610-05:00Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon<div class="separator"><span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Bees-That-Gone-Outlander/dp/110188570X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672504054&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=a986244d83b09a25d8a0335e95893f2d&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=110188570X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: </span><a href="http://www.dianagabaldon.com/" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Diana Gabaldon</a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Genre: Fiction, SciFi, Historical, Fantasy</span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/04/outlander-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">Outlander</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/07/dragonfly-in-amber-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">Dragonfly in Amber</a></span>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/08/voyager-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">Voyager</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/09/drums-of-autumn-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">Drums of Autumn</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-fiery-cross-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">The Fiery Cross</a>,<a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/05/a-breath-of-snow-and-ashes.html" target="_blank"> A Breath of Snow and Ashes</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/08/an-echo-in-bone-by-diana-gabaldon.html" target="_blank">An Echo in the Bone</a>, <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/09/written-in-my-own-hearts-blood-by-diana.html" target="_blank">Written in My Heart's Own Blood</a> </span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p>Synopsis: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">War leaves nobody alone. Neither the past, the present, nor the future offers true safety, and the only refuge is what you can protect: your family, your friends, your home.</span></p></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them twenty years of loss and heartbreak to find each other again. Now it’s 1779, and Claire and Jamie are finally reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children, and are rebuilding their home on Fraser’s Ridge—a fortress that may shelter them against the winds of war as well as weather.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">But tensions in the Colonies are great: Battles rage from New York to Georgia and, even in the mountains of the backcountry, feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows that loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long before the war is on his doorstep.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Not so far away, young William Ransom is coming to terms with the mysteries of his identity, his future, and the family he’s never known. His erstwhile father, Lord John Grey, has reconciliations to make and dangers to meet on his son’s behalf and on his own, and far to the north, Young Ian Murray fights his own battle between past and future, and the two women he’s loved.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. Jamie sharpens his sword, while Claire whets her surgeon’s blade: It is a time for steel." - Back Cover</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am always amazed at how many storylines Gabaldon can incorporate into one novel (albeit a 900 pg novel). They are interesting, intertwined perfectly, fully developed, and somehow still easy to follow. I'm delighted every time characters make their reappearance. (Anyone else just LOVE Lord John Grey?)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I find that my favorite novels in this series have the Fraser family all back in the same time period. While this entire story does not take place at Fraser's Ridge, I'm glad that much of it does, making the reader feel enveloped in the nostalgia of a place visited once before. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the best things about the previous eight novels can be found in this latest addition to the series. I absolutely cannot wait for book ten, bittersweet knowing it will be the last installment of Claire and Jamie's story</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=110188570X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-10487824680923317522022-11-06T07:48:00.003-05:002023-03-10T15:27:08.365-05:00An Offer from a Gentleman: A Bridgerton Novel by Julia Quinn<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Offer-Gentleman-Bridgerton-Bridgertons-3/dp/0063139510?hvadid=507909480224&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13854380467596751620&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015306&hvtargid=pla-1180876355646&psc=1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=2830608669f2aff3b03b86a5fd32017e&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0063139510&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: An Offer From a Gentleman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/" target="_blank">Julia Quinn</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Romance</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other books I've read by this author: <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-duke-i-by-julia-quinn.html" target="_blank">The Duke and I</a> , <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/09/" target="_blank">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a></span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Sophie Beckett never dreamed she’d be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball—or that “Prince Charming” would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.</span></div><div class="separator"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana;">Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid’s garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy-tale love?</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the beginning of the novel, there is a strong play on the Cinderella story, evil stepmother, 2 step-sisters, and a masquerade ball that Sophie has to leave by midnight. Honestly, I felt a little put off by that, because cases of mistaken identity always make me feel stressed out (I discovered this when reading Shakespeare for the first time in high school, haha). I also worried that it might make the story feel played out and predictable and ultimately, not as good as the first two novels in the series. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once past the initial two chapters, where the Cinderella references were the strongest, the story began to take its own turn and feel much more like the Bridgerton series I've come to love. So much so that I finished this one in only 5 days. I looked forward to coming back to it every night. Even if Benedict wasn't already my favorite Bridgerton brother, reading his story would put him at the top of the list. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><p> </p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B00SCVIQS2" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0063139510" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-67438171294124247282022-10-28T10:23:00.004-04:002022-10-28T10:23:58.502-04:00When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Women-Were-Dragons-Novel/dp/0593466578?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1666963893&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=5e657a50013f6c9e3782acd43e42792a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0593466578&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: When Women Were Dragons</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://kellybarnhill.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Kelly Barnhill</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Fantasy</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important;">When Women Were Dragons</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve." - Back Cover </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I won this book from the publisher, Doubleday Books, in an Instagram contest, and it would not have been a title that I would normally have chosen off the shelf myself. I found it a little slow to start and it took some time for me to grasp where it was going. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, I liked the idea of repressed 1950s women becoming dragons in order to live their best lives and came to love Alex and Beatrice and their unique relationship as cousins & sisters. It was not my favorite book that I have read recently, but it was interesting to step into a different genre for the first time in a while!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /></div></div></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=031602449X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B0160FAYMW" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0593466578" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-66306399630492651562022-10-13T11:06:00.000-04:002022-10-13T11:06:31.662-04:00Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross<div class="separator"><span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Joan-Novel-Woolfolk-2003-04-21/dp/B0160FAYMW?crid=2FDP4YY22KE4&keywords=pope+joan+book&qid=1665671955&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjk3IiwicXNhIjoiMS41NCIsInFzcCI6IjEuNjgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=pope+joan+book%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-3&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=df921c9ba2ab9184f5642d3489de5684&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0160FAYMW&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p> </p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Pope Joan</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.popejoan.com/author.htm" target="_blank">Donna Woolfolk Cross</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die - Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now in this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak - and his identity - and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom - wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price...." - back cover </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I loved this novel so much. I love that the author suggests that Joan was more than just a myth. I love the depiction of Joan's love of learning as a child and her time learning at the schola. I love that Gerold loves her for her intelligence and curiosity. I love that she wants the freedom to learn and speak her mind so much that she is willing to disguise herself as a man for years. I love that her intelligence and spirit garner the trust of so many people that they elect her pope. It is just so well done. It is at turns uplifting and heartbreaking. I could not put it down.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /></div></div></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=031602449X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B0160FAYMW" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-6783347040608915052022-09-07T11:40:00.000-04:002022-09-07T11:40:01.106-04:00The Viscount Who Loved Me: A Bridgerton Novel by Julia Quinn<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Quinn-Viscount-Loved-Paperback/dp/B00SCVIQS2?crid=29Y58IF0501XA&keywords=the+viscount+who+loved+me&qid=1662564091&sprefix=the+viscount+who+loved+me+%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-4&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=526ae308914c93b03cdd637238bb7411&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00SCVIQS2&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Viscount Who Loved Me</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/" target="_blank">Julia Quinn</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Romance</span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better... - Lady Whistledown's </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Society Papers</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">, April 1814</span></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry - he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands - and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister - but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself. - Back Cover</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I loved this book so much that I read it super quickly. Fans of the Neflix series will find a great many differences from season 2 and this novel. While the overarching story is the same; *SPOILER* overprotective older sister wants to shield her more classically beautiful younger half-sister from a bad match and falls in love with the man herself instead *END SPOILER*; the little details of how all happens are quite different.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> For one, Kate, Edwina, and their mother have the surname Sheffield in the book, not Sharma. As with the first novel, the color-conscious casting of the tv series isn't present. Also as with the first novel, I liked the book better. The book gives even more depth to Anthony that just can't quite be conveyed on the screen. Kate is very similar in personality to how she is portrayed on screen but we get some fun scenes with her dog, Newton, and a different reason for why she and Anthony get married. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What I love best about this series of books is how light and fun they are to read. While there are definitely serious moments and difficulties for the characters they are just so so enjoyable, and as with romance as a genre, you know there will be a happy ending! Plus the version I read included the second epilogue that allows ou to check in on the characters years after the book ends. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div><p> </p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B00SCVIQS2" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-77669932859512949852022-08-21T20:18:00.000-04:002022-08-21T20:18:00.833-04:00The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heretics-Daughter-Novel-Kathleen-Kent/dp/031602449X?pd_rd_w=wpy1H&content-id=amzn1.sym.cea269b5-2b99-44d4-a309-214a6674c0a9&pf_rd_p=cea269b5-2b99-44d4-a309-214a6674c0a9&pf_rd_r=67F3F6N2QEY67CDJBAQW&pd_rd_wg=7elEP&pd_rd_r=713626b0-5709-4428-b46a-4a8cc423d24d&pd_rd_i=031602449X&psc=1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=19605be26c715dac8dba6d53477caf23&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=031602449X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Heretic's Daughter</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.kathleenkent.com/" target="_blank">Kathleen Kent</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Salem, 1752. Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter that reveals the secret she has closely guarded for six decades: how she survived the Salem Witch Trials when her mother did not.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sarah's story begins more than a year before the trials, when she and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. As they witness neighbor pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, the hysteria escalates -- until more than two hundred men, women, and children have been swept into prison. Among them is Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier. In an attempt to protect her children, Martha asks Sarah to commit an act of heresy -- a lie that will most surely condemn Martha even as it will save her daughter.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived. - Back Cover</span></span><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I haven't read about the Salem Witch Trials in a long time. Like many my age in the US, I read The Crucible in high school and went to our school production of it as well. Then I read more about the trials when I was taking US history in college. I have always found it horrifying and yet incredibly intriguing. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This novel did not disappoint. I love that the author is actually a descendant of Martha Carrier because I think that reminds the reader that while this is a work of fiction, unfortunately, the Salem Witch Trials were devastatingly real. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I liked that this novel didn't focus on the people of Salem but on a family that lived in a nearby town. It shows how the lunacy and fear spread, and how if you did not fit the social norms or if you weren't friends with the right people, your family could still be accused. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also thought that it was a great choice for the story to come from the perspective of Martha's daughter, Sarah. Having a child's view of the events from outside Salem gives a unique twist that doesn't make this novel feel like just another Salem Witch Trials book. Be prepared to cry.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /></div></div></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=031602449X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-62715652243449733632022-07-24T19:38:00.001-04:002022-07-24T19:38:33.290-04:00The Rose Code by Kate Quinn<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Code-Novel-Kate-Quinn/dp/0062943472?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1658704047&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=5131e79377217bb634130ae88938969c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0062943472&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Rose Code</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: Kate Quinn</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer.. - Back Cover </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This novel was a thoughtful Christmas gift from a good friend. I was excited because it was on my TBR list! I have to admit, I came for the mention of Prince Philip but stayed for Francis Gray and Harry Zarb. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I love a book with lots of characters, especially when they are all so well done! I am also loving the two time periods but set not so far apart (like I recently enjoyed in<a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/05/sisters-of-resistance-by-christine-wells.html" target="_blank"> Sisters of The Resistance</a>). It keeps the story moving, but also adds suspense and context. I especially enjoyed how the three main characters' differences highlight the wide range of people needed for the important code-breaking work that was happening at Bletchly Park. It didn't matter where you came from or what you did before the war, if you had a skill they needed you were in. This, of course, includes the great importance of women, as highlighted by the different roles filled by Beth, Osla, and Mab. Their stories also illustrate the particular challenges of women of different classes at that time. Each interesting in her own right, I think my favorite has to be Os. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book has a little bit of everything; a coming of age story, family drama, love, mystery, science, war, friendships, falling outs, and redemption. It is really one of the best books I have read in a while, maybe the best I've read so far this year. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am really looking forward to reading more from Kate Quinn! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /></div></div></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0062943472" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-86578253345398421222022-06-26T18:48:00.001-04:002022-06-26T18:48:09.183-04:00The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner<div class="separator"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Austen-Society-Novel/dp/1250797179?crid=1D4QMYI4L8A9O&keywords=the+jane+austen+society&qid=1656282416&sprefix=the+jane+austen+soci%2Caps%2C2092&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=4192560dafe14c9862cae0c64417a961&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1250797179&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><div class="separator"><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: The Jane Austen Society</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://www.nataliejenner.com/" target="_blank">Natalie Jenner</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England's finest novelists. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen's home and her legacy. These people―a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others―could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society. - Back Cover</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My own love for Jane Austen's novels often draws me to novels about her or her writing (see my review of <a href="https://belleslibrarybookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/06/jane-of-austin-by-hillary-manton-lodge.html">Jane of Austin</a>). By the same token, I am always worried it won't do her justice or try to imitate her work and end up making me angry. I walk delicately on the tightrope between reading all Austen-related fiction and reading none. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm really glad that I decided to pick this one up.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The characters come together due to their love of reading Austen. Each of them comes to read her work for different reasons, but they all continue to re-read them finding minutiae to discuss in the relationships Austen creates. In its own right, the novel has complex and compelling relationships, while also following an Austen-like pattern. Those of you who have read Austen know what that means for how the story ends. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book was a breath of fresh air from all of the novels set in WWII that I have read lately, and I would recommend it to any Jane Austen fans without hesitation.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div></div></div></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><p> </p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1250797179" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902947697696868460.post-10201562405809943722022-05-22T12:17:00.000-04:002022-05-22T12:17:08.466-04:00Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Resistance-Novel-Catherine-Network/dp/0063055449?crid=2P8LZ7QBYAOV5&keywords=sisters+of+the+resistance&qid=1653235202&sprefix=sisters+of+the+resistance%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=belslibboorev-20&linkId=b11ed42897827c671d11ceb82ed2e279&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0063055449&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><p><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0063055449" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></p><div class="separator"><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Title: Sisters of the Resistance</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Author: <a href="https://christine-wells.com/" target="_blank">Christine Wells</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Genre: Historical Fiction </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paris, 1944: The war is nearly over, but for members of the Resistance in occupied France, it is more dangerous than ever before. Twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher loathes the Nazis, though as the concierge of 10 rue Royale, she does her best to avoid conflict—unlike her bolder sister Yvette, who finds trouble at every turn. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then they are both recruited into the Resistance by Catherine Dior and swept into a treacherous world of spies, fugitives, and intrigue. While Gabby risks everything for the man she is hiding from the Nazis, Yvette must decide whether to trust an enigmatic diplomat who seems to have guessed her secret. As the threat of betrayal draws ever closer, one slip could mean the deaths of many, and both sisters must make choices they might regret. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paris, 1947: Yvette returns from New York to reunite with Gabby and begin life anew as a mannequin for Dior, who is revolutionizing fashion with the New Look. But first, she must discover the truth behind Catherine’s terrible fate, while Gabby finds that there are many kinds of courage, and that love is always worth fighting for. - Back Cover</span></span></p><div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">My Thoughts</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was so excited to win this book in a giveaway on Instagram! I had been wanting to read it, so when the author shared that she had some copies to give away I knew I had to comment.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You all know I love a novel with a time jump, and this novel is set in 1944 and 1947. It is refreshing to have two time settings that are not 100 years or 50 years apart, but rather only 3 years apart. There is not a generational mystery or pieces of information that seem 'lost to time,' but rather a highlight of how much and how little can change during, and just a few years following a war. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I love that little pieces of the story come together as we learn about Yvette and Gabby's lives during and after the war. There are some curves along the way as the author expertly underscores that what the sisters believe to be true can affect them for years.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span face=""><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">To see more from the author, visit the website linked above</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><p> </p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belslibboorev-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0063078902" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Rachel R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00075096582667527563noreply@blogger.com0