Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {7}

I know it's been quiet on the blog recently but I'm trying to get some motivation to cross post my mini-reviews from Instagram and write longer reviews for the books I have more to say about. I've got a few reviews and ideas in the wings so stay tuned if you're still here! I've been reading so many incredible books lately so here's a roundup of mini-reviews of the books I've been reading and loving lately!

DEAR MRS BIRD by AJ Pearce | A few weeks ago I read DEAR MRS BIRD because Hannah had read and loved. She definitely nailed it with a historical Bridget Jones vibe and I had such a great time reading this book. A woman with goals to be a Female War Correspondent accidentally finds herself instead being an assistant to a crotchety, set-in-her-archaic-views advice columnist. I loved this book! It was so fun to read, I loved the heroine Emmy and her ambitions and her relationship with her best friend. While there are many moments of humor, there also was a surprising level of emotional depth that I wasn’t expecting. War time does not come without its costs and how Emmy navigated her own choices and the advice she gave was fantastic to read about. READ THIS IF...you love historical fiction, WWII London, and females with Ambition.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Travel by Page Behind Enemy Lines

As I'm sure many of you readers can relate to, I am constantly being inspired by books. I recently started rereading THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn on audio and it immediately brought me back to my deep love for this book. It also reminded me of my deep love, fascination, and inspiration for the very real women spies that played such a vital role in previous wars. With this love and inspo running through my veins, I thought it would be a fun post idea to do a Travel By Page...Behind Enemy Lines to highlight my favorite female spy novels. If you haven't read any of these books below, you need to immediately because they.are.amazing.!.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {6}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! I fell into a huge blogging slump with less than zero motivation so here's a few highlights of some of my favorite reads over the past few months...and longer...Enjoy!

The Opposite of Love is one of Hannah's all-time favorite books and I knew at one point I had to give it a try...and I was SO happy I did! I loved this book. There are so many quiet elements to this book that had me thinking about it long after I shut the final page. At it's core, it truly is the making of a family. I loved reading about Emily's journey to the family she's always wanted and felt like she'd been missing. I adored her relationship with her grandfather. I loved that she was imperfect and had flaws and struggled to figure out what she wanted in life. I loved that it was about family. This book was a slow delve in Emily's life and being in her head and living her story was a fantastic journey. It's one of those beautiful books that doesn't shout at you to listen, it sits back and lets you absorb it's message slowly and long after the final page is turned. I was thinking about this book and certain moments from it for days after reading it. If you're looking for a story about family that takes a roundabout way to get there but is beautiful in its quiet moments...this book is for you. 

The Castle Always Knows

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Gothic Mystery

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 368

Publication Date: April 17th, 2018

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads

My Thoughts
If you've been here before or know me you'll know that I love Laura Andersen's alternate history Tudor novels. When I saw that she was writing a Gothic mystery taking place in Ireland I was like, SIGN ME UP! And while it's always exciting to start a new book by one of your favorite authors, it's also a littler nerve-wracking not knowing if you'll enjoy this departure in genre as much as the other. I can safely say I had nothing to worry about.

5 Reasons You Should Read Pillars of the Earth

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a state that no book person ever expects to find themselves...my TBR was 0. I had a few 'keep in the back of your head' books I could have picked up but one book had been haunting my Kindle for the last 3 or so years...Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Why has it been haunting my Kindle, you ask? Because its approximately a thousand pages and quite the undertaking. But...I had no other books to read and was in the mood to commit to a thousand page tome of historical fiction. The results? Better than I could have ever imagined.

What a Gal!

"Hey, how about me?"

--Susan Isaacs, Shining Through

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper & Row

Pages: 402

Publication Date: July 1st, 1988

Source: Borrowed from Library

Find on: Goodreads 

My Thoughts

The Belle After reading and loving The Alice Network, there is a 'For Further Reading' section at the end. Of course, I looked up each book and Shining Through stuck out to me immediately. An American Jewish woman in love with her boss in 1940 finds herself traversing through a series of dramatic life events that eventually brings her to 1942 Berlin...as a spy. How does she get there? Well, you'll definitely have to read the book to find out.

The Past is Never Forgotten

"I'm stronger by myself. I'm stronger than you know."

--Victoria Fox, The Silent Foutain

Genre: Adult Contemporary and Historical Ficiton

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Pages: 400

Publication Date: October 31st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Silent Fountain was pitched to me because of my love for Susanna Kearsley, so of course I was all over it. Dual timeline. Mystery. Foreign setting. I was sold.

Rich With the Spoils of Time

Something Dangerous // Into Temptation

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 736 // 675

Source: Gifted by Hannah--thanks, love!
Publisher : Overlook Press

Goodreads

Do You Believe in Fairies?

"You don't need anybody's permission to live the life you desire, Olivia.
You need only the permission of your heart."

--Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Adult Contemporary & Historical Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 364168

Publication Date: August 1st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
This being my first Hazel Gaynor novel, I didn't know what to expect. But when I started reading the prologue I knew I was in for a captivating story of fairies, magic, and growing up. This story is a dual timeline with the past component taking place from 1917-1920 and is about an actual historical event known as the Cottingley Fairies when two young girls seemed to capture real fairies while playing in the beck behind their house. The present day story is about a woman who inherits her grandfather's bookshop after his death and finds one of the little girl's from 1917 story about those events.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {5}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! So I feel a little bad giving mini-reviews to two of my hands down, all-time, will buy everything they write, favorite authors but I just love them so much that it's hard for me to articulate WHAT makes me love them so much so flailing mini-reviews of feels combined with JUST READ THE BOOK YOURSELF ALREADY is what we get. Susanna Kearsley and Mhairi McFarlane deserve more words than I give them but I just haven't figured out how to translate flails into text yet. Maybe one day. Enjoy!

As you probably know by now, Susanna Kearsley has become an instant favorite author. Her books speak to me on such a deep level. I feel as literally transported as is possible while not leaving my couch. Which actually fits perfectly with her books because they almost always involve some sort of transportation. Kismet. The Rose Garden did not disappoint in any respect from what I have come to expect from Kearsley. This book had love. Longing. Deep and complex emotions. Historical elements. Time travel. It was incredible. It's truly hard for me to articulate exactly what makes these book so special to me, they just are. The fill me with a desire. A sense of longing parallel to what her characters are feelings. I feel at home when reading her books. I feel like I want to experience a journey just like her characters and book a plane ticket to somewhere in Britain and never come back. How I feel about the UK and the feelings it invokes in me for no reason at all is exactly how her characters always seem to feel so I feel akin to her characters in a way I never thought I would be able to feel. She describes these places and sense of belonging to a place you shouldn't feel a longing for in the exact way I feel I cannot say enough how much I love her books and will enjoying re-reading all of them immensely and eagerly await for her newest book! Rating: VIP

An Unbreakable {Code} Love

"Any man deserving of your notice will need nothing to impress him but that you should be yourself, 
and any man deserving of your love will see you as you truly are, 
and love you notwithstanding."

--Susanna Kearsley, A Desperate Fortune

Genre: Adult Contemporary and Historical Fiction

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: 528

Publication Date: April 7th, 2015

Source: Borrowed

Previous Books By This Author: 
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
If you can't tell, I've been binging all of Susanna Kearsley's backlist of books and I thoroughly enjoying it! As with her other books, I fell in love with this one. I've come to expect certain things when I read a Kearsley book and those things were all present in this book.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // From Page to Plane with The Alice Network

"There are two kinds of flowers when it comes to women...The kind that sit safe in a beautiful vase, or the kind that survive in any conditions...even in evil."

--Kate Quinn, The Alice Network

The Alice Network & the French Countryside

My Thoughts

The Belle
When I found out Kate Quinn (an instant favorite author after I read Mistress of Rome and the rest of the series) had a new book coming out I instantly perked up. When I found out it took place in both WWI and WWII, I immediately emailed the publisher begging for a review copy, they took pity on me and thank the gods because it was hands down one of the best reading experiences I have ever had.

A King's Obsession

"What can a woman do outside of marriage?...
She can learn, she can be creative in many ways, and she can be herself."

--Alison Weir, Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Publisher: Ballatine Books

Pages: 544

Publication Date: May 16th, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
Anybody that knows me knows I am beyond obsessed with Anne Boleyn. So when I found out Alison Weir, a favorite author of mine in regards to historical fiction and non-fiction Tudor books, I knew I had to read it. The second of six in a series exploring Henry VIII's six wives, I found this book to be everything I was hoping for.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // From Page to Plane with The Empress of Rome Series

Daughters of Rome // Empress of the Seven Hills // Lady of the Eternal City

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400 // 486 // 512

Source: Bought
Publisher : Berkley
Previous Book in Series: Mistress of Rome

Goodreads & Amazon

For Love of Family

"I did it only for him actually"

--Penny Vincenzi, No Angel

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Publisher: The Overlook Press

Pages: 626

Publication Date: October 5th, 2004

Source: Gifted by Hannah--thanks, love!

Previous Books in Series: First in trilogy
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
This sat on my shelf for way too long after being gifted to me by Hannah about 2 years ago. Its a tome. 600+ pages, tiny print, and even knowing this book was right up my alley based on thy synopsis I still dragged my feet on committing to it. I regret this decision.

Love Me Hard

"I am Athena. 
Before that I was Thea, singer and slave and lover of gladiators. 
Before that I was Leah, daughter of Benjamin and Rachael of Masada. 
I am as mortal as you, you common little man. 
And I fear no one."

--Kate Quinn, Mistress of Rome

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 470

Publication Date: April 6th, 2010

Source: Borrowed

Previous Books in Series: First in series of 4 companion novels
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
This book sat on my Goodreads TBR shelf for quite awhile. I had inspiration one day to purge my TBR there because it's so unused and I wanted to either read these books or delete them. I've been on a historical fiction binge and a lot of books on there were of that genre so Mistress of Rome immediately jumped out. And wow. This was one of those unexpected and wonderful experiences while reading that made me so happy I finally picked up this book.

Kiss List {Best Books of January}

As I said in my post on Friday, I read so many amazing books in January that I just could not decided which book to highlight! So I decided to make a Kiss List specifically devoted to books. Shocker. But it's really rare to LOVE so many books in such a short period of time. It was like book hangover hair of the dog, I just kept picking up incredible books, lucky me! I was going to post this yesterday but decided to postpone it until today because it's my birthday SO I figured I'd flail about some of my new favorite books!

"Try looking with your soul, instead. The soul sees what truly matters."

MARIANA  by Susanna Kearsley was a book that completely transported me to it's location and time. The present day story molds into the past with ancestor memories bringing a fascinating edge to this story. The romance was heart-breaking and beautiful, the location tangible, and I just DO NOT understand why I don't live in an old house in the English countryside.
Pick This Book Up If...You love historical fiction with a breathtaking love story and a perfectly complemented present day story. Also, if you love any and all stories set in England!

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // From Page to Plane with Mariana

Anybody that knows me knows I'm obsessed with the UK. England has been a huge piece of my heart for a long time and reading Mariana has, yet again, inspired the wanderlust in me to go back to England. Why? Because the heroine in this story finds herself being drawn to the country town of Wiltshire, more specifically she's drawn to a house that coincidence or fate has made to cross her path on more than one occasion. The first time she saw the house she could feel it was hers. From there we get our story.

Mariana and Hever, England

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {4}

Another round of mini-reviews from some books I've read over the past few weeks!

After my The Winter Sea high I was so excited to start this and while I liked it and enjoyed reading it, it was a very small letdown compared to The Winter Sea however I still couldn't put it down and find myself thinking about it even after finishing. Disappointment might be too harsh a word, it was just different than what I expected. Very minimal historical element which is something I wasn't anticipating and what really attracted me to these books in the first place. It was a bit difficult to get into a rhythm with this book even though I wanted to keep reading. I finished it quite quickly (over 2.5 days) but I didn't have that enveloping feeling as I did with her previous book I read. Positives? It takes place in Scotland. The imagery of writing takes your right to the Borderlands with the harbor in the distance and the beautiful fields of Scotland right in my mind's eye. The book was also extremely character-driven rather than plot-driven. I loved getting to know the motley crew of characters and it made up for the lack of Roman history I was expecting. Also, with the addition of a ghost, it was the perfect book to read around Halloween!
Reserved Seating

Bittersweet Love

"Once you've read a book, you and it belong to each other for life."

--Kimberley Freeman, Wildflower Hill

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 524

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2011

Source: Borrowed from library

Previous Books in Series: Standalone
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
One of my favorite things about reading is starting a book you have zero expectations of and that book grabbing you by the proverbial balls and heart strings. Wildflower Hill was that book. I fell down the historical fiction rabbit hole and had this book not been on of Hannah's top recs, I would have never picked it up. Australian historical fiction? What in the actual hell interesting could have happened there? This is when I put my foot in my mouth.