Who's That Earl: An Exciting & Witty Regency Love Story (Love and Let Spy Book 1) by Susanna Craig

 

Who's That Earl

An Exciting & Witty Regency Love Story

(Love and Let Spy Book 1)

By  Susanna Craig  

 

 Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?
 
Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever?  Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night . . .
 
After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he’s now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?

 

What a great book to kick of a series with . I thought this novel not only portrayed the era, but it also captured my attention. I thought both 
Jane and Thomas were brilliantly portrayed, and very believable. 

There are some steamy scenes in this novel, but that should not come as any surprise. 

I really enjoyed this book, and I cannot wait to read book 2!

 

Amazon 

 

 

 

DId you really read the book?

 Um, yes I did!

 I am a little upset today. I had an author accuse me of not reading her book because my review was too short. Um, excuse me. Just because I write short-reviews and I am really scared I am going to give away spoilers does not mean that I have not read the book. Why on earth would I bother to write reviews and have this blog if I did not read the book. Talk about being ungrateful.

I have read all the books that I have reviewed on this blog, and if you don't believe me or don't like my reviews, then fuck off. The more I think about the... I am going to stop right there, otherwise I might end up taking down this blog.

Nurse's Date with a Billionaire: A clean billionaire romance (Billionaire Date Book 1) by Amelia Addler #BookReview #Romance

 

Nurse's Date with a Billionaire: 
A clean billionaire romance 
(Billionaire Date Book 1)
By Amelia Addler

She saved his life. He gave her a second chance…

Nurse Kali is sure she’ll never love again…until she meets Craig. He’s everything she ever wanted —handsome, funny, and sweet. Too bad he’s also a former patient suffering from amnesia. A relationship is out of the question, but when Kali finds out Craig has no place to stay while recuperating, she offers him her rental apartment. All she’ll have to do now is figure out how to ignore the annoying attraction she feels for him.

Craig feels like his whole life is a puzzle. He doesn’t know what landed him in the hospital or even where he came from. The only thing he does know is that he’s quickly becoming way too attached to his landlord/former ICU nurse. He can’t remember anything about his life before her… and now he’s not even sure he wants to anymore.

Craig knows Kali won’t consider making new memories with him until the mystery of his past is solved. But what if the truth he seeks is the one thing that could destroy their budding romance before it even truly begins?

Nurse’s Date with a Billionaire is a sweet and wholesome, contemporary romance. It’s part of the Billionaire Date series, but can be read as a standalone. Get your copy now and dive into this whirlwind romance!

Oh, this book, it had all the feels. It is a sweet romance built upon a tragic set of circumstances, but as with all romances, I knew that there would be a happy ending.

I have seen some reviewers say that the pace of the story seems rather slow, but I didn’t find it slow at all. I thought it was tautly gripping from beginning to end. 

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it certainly will not be the last.

AMAZON

Amelia Addler writes always sweet, always swoon-worthy romance and women's fiction stories and believes that everyone deserves their own happily ever after. Her soulmate is a man who once spent five weeks driving her to work at 4AM after her car broke down (and he didn't complain, not even once). She is lucky enough to be married to that man and they live in Pittsburgh with their little yellow mutt.

The Boys In The Boat: An Epic Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin by Daniel James Brown

 

The Boys In The Boat:

An Epic Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin

By Daniel James Brown 

 

Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past.

What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler’s Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others – and to find his way back home.

Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive.

 

 

One word - WOW!

This book was brilliant from start to finish. It is filled with story - if you know what I mean. I really could not turn the pages fast enough. Absolutely brilliant. You really have to read this book for yourself to get a true understanding of what I am talking about!

Amazon 

 

 

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

 Big Summer

By Jennifer Weiner 

 

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favour to ask. Daphne hasn't spoken one word to Drue in all this time - she doesn't even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media - so when Drue asks if she will be her maid of honour at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything - except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne's no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She's built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend's siren song.
 

Firstly, it is a great book, but there are a few inconsistencies that would not have taken much to sort out, and it kind of seemed rushed, as if the author had a deadline and therefore editing was not a big issue. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun read, but with a little more time I think this book could have been a lot better than it was.

Amazon

 

I am exciting to be hosting the blog tour for Widow’s Lace by Lelita Baldock #BookReview #BlogTour @BaldockLelita @maryanneyarde

 

 

Widow’s Lace

By Lelita Baldock

A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.

In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.

25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.

Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.

Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?

The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.

Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.

 

 

Well, this book blew me away! I stayed up way past my bedtime so that I could finish it. Widow's Lace is an enthralling mystery that had me guessing right up until the end, and wow, Lelita Baldock knows how to write a great plot-twist!

This story is set in two very different times - modern-day (2018) and the latter part of the 19th century. In 2018, Ellie's life is falling apart, and she has no interest in her studies. But that all changes (I will not give away any spoilers as I don't want to ruin this marvellous book for anyone). Needless, to say Ellie finds herself in the middle of a compelling - who done it, and who is it, adventure!

The historical setting was wonderfully portrayed. I must admit, I don't know a great deal about Australia in 1886, so I was really interested in what it must have been like to live there and how vastly different it was from old Blighty. I really sympathised with Rosalind and Edward because, due to Rosaline's health, they had no choice but to up sticks and make a new life on the other side of the world. It must have been a terribly traumatic experience to leave everything and everyone you knew, knowing that you would probably never see them again. I could understand Rosaline's misery, but I also admired Edward's determination to make the best out of the situation.

I am trying to be really careful in what I say, as it would be so easy to give away the plot. But let me end this review by saying that there are secrets aplenty in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book, and I think you will too.

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU •  Barnes & Noble

Lelita has a passion for stories, especially those with a dark undercurrent, or a twist to be revealed. 

She hopes to tell interesting stories that people will find themselves drawn into. Stories that are for entertainment and escape, and hopefully a little thrill of the unexpected. She truly enjoys the experience of writing, exploring human traits and reactions as well as the darkness that can lurk unexpectedly inside anyone.

Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Lelita holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Education from The University of South Australia. During her twenties she worked as an English teacher in both Australia and the United Kingdom, working with the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

Now Lelita and her husband run a web development business, and she makes time for writing after hours and on weekends. It can mean long days and late nights, but she doesn’t mind, stories are her passion.

Lelita’s long term goal as a writer is to be able to publish her stories regularly and hopefully appeal to a wide range of readers.

Lelita currently resides in the United Kingdom with her husband Ryan and beloved rescue-cat, Jasmine.

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Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

 

 

I am very excited to be hosting this blog tour for The Test of Gold (Hearts of Gold, Book 1) By Renee Yancy #HistoricalRomance #TheTestOfGold #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @YancyRenee @maryanneyarde

 

 

Test of Gold 

(Hearts of Gold, Book 1)

By Renee Yancy

Raised in the shadow of a mother who defied convention, but won’t allow her own daughter the right to make the same choices, heiress Evangeline Lindenmayer has been groomed since childhood to marry into the British aristocracy. 

When Lindy challenges her mother’s long-laid plans by falling in love with a poor seminary student, the explosion is bigger than the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks on Independence Day.

 

 

A tender romance. A controlling mother. And a young woman determined to take control of her own future.

Test of Gold by Renee Yancy is a Cinderella story in reverse. Evangeline isn't looking for a handsome prince - she is looking for a way to escape the destiny that her mother has so carefully planned for her. And to make matters worse, instead of a duke, which would be the ultimate triumph for her mother. Lindy falls in love with a man who is most unsuitable!

 

 This novel is not a typical romance. The heroine is not swept off her feet. Instead, she has to find the courage to break free from her mother's influence and hold.

Lindy's mother is a vile creature - worse even than Cinderella's step-mother. The lengths she is willing to go to to get what she wants is truly awful. And how Lindy comes out the other side is a testimony to her strength and her determination.

I thought this was a fantastic novel from beginning to end, and although it is not a typical romance, it is one of those stories that, once read, is impossible to forget. 

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes and Noble

Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who writes the kind of historical fiction she loves to read – stories filled with historical detail that immerse you in another place and time. When she isn't writing historical fiction or traveling to see the places her characters have lived, she can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and two rescue mutts named Ellie and Charlie. 

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Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club and Renee Yancy for giving me a review copy of The Test of Gold.