Review: THE MURDER OF MARY RUSSELL by Laurie R. King

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

cover80469-medium

I adore the writings of Laurie R. King, and I particularly love her Mary Russell books, featuring the young, talented wife of Sherlock Holmes (yes- the woman behind the man). When I saw this come up on Net Galley I was so excited, but then seeing the title gave me a near heart attack. Murder? Pray tell, what could Mary have gotten herself into now?

Here’s the description from Net Galley:

Description

Laurie R. King’s bestselling Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes series weaves rich historical detail and provocative themes with intriguing characters and enthralling suspense. Russell and Holmes have become one of modern literature’s most beloved teams. But does this adventure end it all?

Mary Russell is used to dark secrets—her own, and those of her famous partner and husband, Sherlock Holmes. Trust is a thing slowly given, but over the course of a decade together, the two have forged an indissoluble bond.

And what of the other person to whom Mary Russell has opened her heart: the couple’s longtime housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson? Russell’s faith and affection are suddenly shattered when a man arrives on the doorstep claiming to be Mrs. Hudson’s son.

What Samuel Hudson tells Russell cannot possibly be true, yet she believes him—as surely as she believes the threat of the gun in his hand. In a devastating instant, everything changes. And when the scene is discovered—a pool of blood on the floor, the smell of gunpowder in the air—the most shocking revelation of all is that the grim clues point directly to Clara Hudson.

Or rather to Clarissa, the woman she was before Baker Street.

The key to Russell’s sacrifice lies in Mrs. Hudson’s past. To uncover the truth, a frantic Sherlock Holmes must put aside his anguish and push deep into his housekeeper’s secrets—to a time before her disguise was assumed, before her crimes were buried away.

There is death here, and murder, and trust betrayed.

And nothing will ever be the same.

*****************************************

Amazing, right? I mean, whoever wrote that synopsis gets an A+ from me. Mrs. Hudson – sweet, retiring, oft-suffering Mrs. Hudson – is the lynch pin in this story, and boy what a backstory that woman has! I was at times horrified at times fascinated by the life experiences that dear Mrs. Hudson has harbored behind her genteel veneer. Wow!

And of course I love industrious, intelligent, level-headed Mary and I certainly wanted her to be okay (because we need more books in this series).

If you love Holmes, if you love old Britain, if you love mysteries, if you love good writing, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this novel today!

Find it at a bookstore or library near you, or online at Amazon.

Thanks ever so much for my review e-copy, Net Galley and Random House!

Egads — I just realized that this is not available until beginning April. So pre-order it and have it arrive as a surprise to yourself in six weeks! 🙂

Review: I’LL SEE YOU IN PARIS by Michelle Gable

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I grabbed I’LL SEE YOU IN PARIS off of Net Galley ages ago, then promptly forgot about it! I was looking through my kindle and my Net Galley shelves and “rediscovered” it a week ago as it just had its Pub Day. What a great read! I absolutely loved this story!

Here’s the description from Net Galley:

Description

Michelle Gable’s I’ll See You in Paris winds together the lives of three women born generations apart, but who face similar struggles of love and heartbreak.

After losing her fiancé in the Vietnam War, nineteen-year-old Laurel Haley takes a job in England, hoping the distance will mend her shattered heart. Laurel expects the pain might lessen but does not foresee the beguiling man she meets or that they’ll go to Paris, where the city’s magic will take over and alter everything Laurel believes about love.

Thirty years later, Laurel’s daughter Annie is newly engaged and an old question resurfaces: who is Annie’s father and what happened to him? Laurel has always been vague about the details and Annie’s told herself it doesn’t matter. But with her impending marriage, Annie has to know everything. Why won’t Laurel tell her the truth?

The key to unlocking Laurel’s secrets starts with a mysterious book about an infamous woman known as the Duchess of Marlborough. Annie’s quest to understand the Duchess, and therefore her own history, takes her from a charming hamlet in the English countryside, to a decaying estate kept behind barbed wire, and ultimately to Paris where answers will be found at last.

*****************************************

While I did have to adjust to the story skipping around in time, and also to the three different story lines – Annie and her mother, the Duchess, and Pru and Win – I got so engrossed in this story that I couldn’t put the book down. It was a fun read, a touching and interesting story, a little romantic, a little about relationships, a little that felt like a mystery.

Go into it with eyes wide shut, if you know what I mean, and don’t try to over-analyze and figure it all out by the halfway mark. Enjoy the well-crafted story!

Find this novel at bookstores or a library near you – or online at Amazon. It published on 2/9. Thank you for my review e-copy!

25663810

HFVBook Blast for WAR AND ME by M. A. Wood

February 17, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

03_War and Me_Book Blast Banner_FINAL

Hello, Readers!

Today I’m blasting it up for the YA historical fiction novel WAR AND ME by M.A. Wood. I haven’t read it yet but it is definitely on my TBR list!

Here’s what HFVBT has to say:

War and Me by M.A. Wood

Publication Date: September 26, 2013
eBook; 200 Pages
ASIN: B00FGJLG08

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Romance

Flying model airplanes isn’t cool, not for fifteen-year-old girls in the 1940’s. No one understands Julianna’s love of flying model airplanes but her dad. When he leaves to fly bomber planes in Europe forcing Julianna to deal with her mother’s growing depression alone, she feels abandoned until she meets Ben, the new boy in town. But when he signs up for the war, too, she has to consider whether letting her first love drift away would be far easier than waiting for the next casualties.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the Author

03_M.A. Wood

Marcy Blesy is the author of several middle grade, young adult, and new adult novels and short stories. Her picture book, Am I Like My Daddy?, helps children who experienced the loss of a parent when they were much younger. She has also been published in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books as well as various newspapers and magazines. By day she runs an elementary school library and enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys.

Marcy is a believer in love and enjoys nothing more than making her readers feel a book more than simply reading it. She likes to connect with her readers via twitter (@marcyblesy), email (mablesy(at)yahoo.com), or her blog(www.marcyblesy.com).

Book Blast Schedule

02_War and Me

Monday, February 15
A Chick Who Reads
Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 16
A Holland Reads
CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, February 17
Beth’s Book Nook Blog
The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, February 18
A Book Geek
What Is That Book About

Friday, February 19
So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, February 22
#redhead.with.book
Queen of All She Reads

Tuesday, February 23
Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, February 24
The Reading Queen

Thursday, February 25
Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, February 26
Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

But wait == there’s more!

You can win a $10 Amazon gift card through a giveaway (and maybe even use it to get the book!). Here is the information:

Giveaway

To win a $10 Amazon Gift Card please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 26th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Giveaway Direct Link: https://gleam.io/ng84w/war-and-me

Audiobooks — Nightfall and The Japanese Lover

February 16, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Oh my ears!

I love listening to audiobooks in my car on the way to work. I got two last month: NIGHTFALL by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski (which I paid for) and THE JAPANESE LOVER by Isabel Allende (which I used Audible credits for).

These were two very different books!

51m0EuOe8EL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_NF

I first heard about NIGHTFALL at BEA last spring. It is a YA novel with a twist – about a group of preteens left behind on their community’s island when everyone else leaves as part of the tradition of moving when night comes, once every 14 years. Marin is left behind with her twin brother Kana and their friend Line. They need to survive the beasts that accompany the night and they each are changing as they understand the true meanings of the rituals and traditions that shape their community.

Wowza! This was a tough one to read while driving because I had zero interest in the traffic and full interest in the story. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but it is compelling and unique and well-written. It’s a very creative take on the old fear of being afraid of the dark and the power of friendship and the ties that bind. I’m so glad that I got it for myself since I wasn’t able to get it any other way! Ably read by Nicholas Guy Smith, NIGHTFALL runs just over 10 hours.

Book_Review-The_Japanese_Lover-07be2-1041

On a totally different note is THE JAPANESE LOVER by Isabel Allende. If you know me, you know I love all her books! I’ve been a tad disappointed in the last few but this one marked a return for me to her best genre: historical fiction with a touch of magical realism. In this novel, young Alma Belasco is sent from Europe to live with relatives in the United States to escape the horrors of WWII. She falls in love with the son of the Japanese gardener and so begins a lifelong love affair between them.This story was beautiful yet heart-breaking. It moved through time a bit – which can be disorienting if you are in the car listening – but overall was easy to follow and written in the hallmark prose that marks Allende as a true genius of the craft. Joanna Gleason narrates this nine hour tale.

These days I’m working through CUTTING FOR STONE on my commute. This is an intriguing story, though I do get a little squeamish over the medical details! More to come on this one when I finish it!

Find these books online at Amazon, at your library, or at an indie near you!!

HFVBook Tour for LETTERS FROM A PATCHWORK QUILT by Clare Flynn

February 15, 2016 / drbethnolan / 2 Comments

04_LFAPQ_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL I

I am excited to be one of the kick off points today for the Historical Fiction blog tour of LETTERS FROM A PATCHWORK QUILT by Clare Flynn! This was a captivating story following two star-crossed lovers as they tried to overcome the forces that conspired against them in the late 1800’s.

Here’s the overview from HFVBT:

Letters From a Patchwork Quilt by Clare Flynn

Publication Date: Sept 2015 (eBook) | Oct 2015 (PB)
Cranbrook Press
Paperback & eBook; 350 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

In 1875 England, a young man, Jack Brennan, from a large and impoverished Catholic family refuses to be pushed into the priesthood and runs away to fulfil his dream of becoming a teacher.

Jack falls in love with Eliza Hewlett, but his dreams and plans are thwarted when his landlord’s daughter, Mary Ellen MacBride, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting.

Rather than be forced to marry his accuser, Jack decides to run away to America with Eliza. Just as they are about to sail, Jack is arrested and dragged from the ship, leaving Eliza alone en route to New York with just a few shillings in her pocket.

AMAZON

Praise

“The story is different, original and touching. It’s interesting to read how the lives of Jack and Eliza unfold in different countries. The plot is powerful, the characters are well sketched, memorable, and their personalities will remain in the minds of readers even after they finish the story. It’s a story of love loss and tragedy; a heartbreaking and moving tale where readers will wish to see Jack and Eliza reunited and happy together. The narration is descriptive; it also speaks about the society that existed during that age and pulls readers into the story. It’s well written and the story is not predictable, making it a engaging read.” -Readers’ Favorite (5 Star Medal)

I really enjoyed this story and had trouble putting it down! (Spoiler Alert!!) I have to admit, I was holding out for a happy ending; and while the ending was positive and uplifting, it was not simple or “neatly tied with a bow”. Poor Jack and Eliza suffered through so much. To be honest, though, isn’t that the way life is? A lot of young people suffered due to no fault of their own in the days when not everyone was free to make their own future (and it still happens). I thought it was so interesting to see how they each tried to make the best of a bad situation; and how they each ultimately had the result of their efforts: Jack with alcoholism and Eliza with a family. This was a well-written yet sometimes sad look at life at the turn of the century for two young people who were trying to make a new life together in America.

Thank you for my review copy!

About the Author

03_Clare Flynn

Clare Flynn is also the author of A Greater World, set in Australia in 1920 and Kurinji Flowers, set in India in the 1930s and 40s. She is a graduate of Manchester University where she read English Language and Literature.

After a career in international marketing, working on brands from nappies to tinned tuna and living in Paris, Milan, Brussels and Sydney, she ran her own consulting business for 15 years and now lives in West London. Co-founder of the popular website, Make it and Mend it, and co-author of the 2012 book of the same name, Letters From a Patchwork Quilt is her third novel.

When not writing and reading, Clare loves to splash about with watercolours and grabs any available opportunity to travel – sometimes under the guise of research.

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | AMAZON |GOODREADS | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM

Discover a new blog!

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 15
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Tuesday, February 16
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, February 17
Review at A Holland Reads
Review at With her Nose Stuck in a Book

Thursday, February 18
Interview at A Holland Reads

Friday, February 19
Excerpt at Layered Pages
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Monday, February 22
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 23
Review at Back Porchervations
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, February 24
Review at Book Nerd
Excerpt & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, February 25
Review at A Silver Twig
Review at Author Dianne Ascroft’s Blog

Friday, February 26
Review at #redhead.with.book
Excerpt at Boom Baby Reviews

Review: Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue – a Gaslight Mystery by Victoria Thompson

February 8, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

51yh6WzyRDL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_VT

If you know me, you know I love the cozy mystery series of “Gaslight Mysteries”, following the adventures of midwife Sarah Brandt in turn-of-the-century NYC. A new one came out at Christmas time and my husband bought it for me – MURDER ON ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE.

Unlike the former novels – all of which I’ve read – this one has Sarah and Frank off to Europe on their honeymoon with the house and children left in charge of assistant Maeve, with Mrs. Malloy and Mrs. Decker (Sarah’s mother) assisting. When a family friend comes to them because she feels her daughter is unjustly accused of murdering her husband, Maeve and the rest of the family – along with friendly police officer Gino – know they must work together to solve the mystery. Of course nothing is simple and the events keep the characters and this reader guessing right up to the last chapters!

I enjoyed this installment in the series, which Ms. Thompson mentions in the afterward she was asked to write for the holidays. Seeing further character development of some of the minor characters (e.g. Mrs. Malloy, Mr. Decker, Gino) was gratifying. I was never fond of the Felix Decker character, but he was much more multi-dimensional after reading this novel.

The characters hint at the fact that they will work together on future mysteries for the “Malloy Detective Agency” so I trust that Ms. Thompson has many more creative plot lines in store for us!

If you like historical cozies, this is a series for you. Each title can stand alone, but reading them in order is a treat as you get to know the characters along the way.

Find this title at a bookstore, library, or online – below is to Amazon where I am an Associate:

Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue: Gaslight Mystery (A Gaslight Mystery)

Historical Fiction Virtual Tour for TAMING THE TWISTED by Jodie Toohey

February 8, 2016February 5, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

04_Taming-the-Twisted_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL

Here I am today as part of one of my favorite things – an HFVBT blog tour! Today we are featuring TAMING THE TWISTED by Jodie Toohey.

Here’s what HFVBTours has to say:

TAMING THE TWISTED
BY JODIE TOOHEY

Publication Date: August 15, 2015
Wordsy Woman Press
eBook & Paperback; 242 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

READ AN EXCERPT.

Taming the Twisted is written in a similar style to Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Little House books though updated for modern times. It might read as if she’d left in all of the juicy tidbits about things people didn’t talk about during the time when she was writing. Taming the Twisted is a story of destruction, romance, mystery, and deceit set against a back drop of an actual historical event.

In early June, 1860, Abigail enjoyed a peaceful home life with her parents, younger sister, and twin toddler brothers. Their home in Camanche, Iowa, where they’d emigrated from Pennsylvania, was almost complete and her beau, Joseph Sund, had recently proposed marriage.

That changes the evening of June 3rd when a tornado rips through town, killing her parents. At the mass funeral for the over two dozen people who perished in the storm, she learns Marty Cranson, with whom Abigail witnessed Joseph having a heated argument, died, but at the hands of a person rather than the tornado.

In addition to being faced with raising her young siblings, Joseph has disappeared without a trace and a stranger, Marshall Stevenson, appears, offering to help Abigail repair the families’ home and cultivate the newly planted farm crops.

Abigail, while developing romantic feelings for Marshall, tolerating the scorn of town woman Pamela Mackenrow, and working as a seamstress and storekeeper to support her siblings, becomes obsessed with finding out who killed Marty, hoping that and not that he no longer loved her, was the reason Joseph left without saying goodbye.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

About the Author

Jodie Toohey is the author of four additional books, two poetry collections – Crush and Other Love Poems for Girls (2008) and Other Side of Crazy (918studio, 2013) – as well as two novels, Missing Emily: Croatian Life Letters (2012) and Melody Madson – May It Please the Court? (2014).

When Jodie is not writing poetry or fiction, she is helping authors, soon-to-be-authors, and want-to-be authors from pre-idea to reader through her company, Wordsy Woman Author Services.

WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER |GOOGLE+ | GOODREADS | PINTEREST

*********************************************************

Here I am again!

While I enjoyed this story I did have a few issues with it. For me, personally, I find it challenging when books jump around in time (unless it’s a clear flashback/telling of a story for the majority of the book). The beginning of this book moved around from the tornado then backstory then back to the tornado. I think it could have built to the tornado without starting there. That said, I also have some issues with the “mash-up” genre, which is quite popular now and which most people find exciting, especially as it relates to YA/kids books. Is this historical fiction? Romance? A problem novel? A mystery? All of the above? To me at least, I like my books (and my theater, too) to commit to a genre and stay there! I know that many would disagree.

All that aside, I enjoyed reading this book and liked the characters. I was rooting for the main characters as life was not easy for them. I also love a good clean read, and a happy ending! I found it really interesting that this book was based on a real tornado that occurred in Iowa and which wreaked much havoc.

Thank you for my review copy!

Saturday Snapshot – SNOW!

February 7, 2016February 7, 2016 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

I know it’s Sunday, but…

here are my front and back yards from Friday!

12509633_10153383486713339_4799910327152503235_n

12647271_10153383739048339_6866430184165068420_n

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommyreads.com

See her site for participation details!

Review: EPIPHANY by Nikolae Gerstner

February 5, 2016February 5, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

cover79796-mediumEPIPH

My friends at Smith Publicity sent me an e-copy of EPIPHANY by Nikolae Gerstner recently. This was a fast-paced mystery, centering on a young priest and a murder in his community. Here’s now they describe it:

Description

Philip Rockcastle discovers that an unimaginable crime paved the way for him to become a priest. Now pastor of a neighborhood church, is he doing what he was meant to do or is his life a mistake?

He feels responsible when his counseling efforts drive a mentally troubled parishioner to seek validation for fantasies by making a bogus confession to a murder. Troubled, he visits Tara, a divorced mother of two young boys. The visit is innocent. He is not in love with her. He tells himself that frequently.

When a mysterious young girl finally tells him her name, Philip is too shocked to believe, too hopeful to discredit.

The young girl and Philip’s niece scheme to catch the actual murderer, but he catches them. For once in his life, Philip has no time to reflect. He must act.

Epiphany delivers an intriguing plot with snappy dialogue and unforgettable characters whose efforts combine to solve a murder. More important, Philip solves the dilemma of his life.

About the author:

Nickolae Gerstner (Nicki Baker) served as staff writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education and began her freelance career writing magazine and newspaper pieces.

Her first book was an historical novel, No Bed In Deseret. After listening to Mary Higgins Clark give the keynote address at a writers’ conference, she became intrigued with the mystery genre and launched a mystery writing career. Her mystery novels have been translated into many languages and Finders Keepers, coauthored with Barbara Pronin, was included in a Reader’s Digest Anthology. Two of her books, Finders Keepers and Dark Veil, have been optioned for film.

A native Chicagoan, she is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana campus. She and her husband, John, divide their time between homes in California and New York. Their traveling companion is a Siamese cat named Pippin.

*****************************************

This was a fast-paced novel and I enjoyed it. It did remind me a bit of Mary Higgins Clark in the pacing and the fact that it was not overly violent or “gritty”. I am curious as to whether Ms. Gerstner will continue with more Father Rockcastle stories!

Thank you for my review copy!

In the Spotlight: LIVE TO AIR by Jeffrey L. Diamond

February 1, 2016January 30, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

cover66557-mediumLIVE

Greenleaf Book Group and Net Galley provided information on a new mystery from first time author and former news reporter Jeffrey Diamond. If you like mysteries, you might want to check it out!

Description

Television, politics, and the Russian mob: Live to Air is a riveting crime thriller, jam-packed with intrigue and unforgettable characters.

Ethan Benson is a charming and principled-if sometimes difficult-television producer in New York City who detests doing crime stories. But that’s of no significance to his high-powered boss at the network, and Benson finds himself assigned to investigating a bloody shoot-out in the Meatpacking District, whose old grime and new glitz provide a symbolic background for a sensational murder that has dominated the headlines.

As he pieces together his story, Benson literally covers New York-from Central Park and Fifth Avenue to Little Russia in Brooklyn and Rikers Island in Queens-crossing paths with a fascinating cast of characters on both sides of the law. Unknown to Benson, organized crime may be only one facet of the thrilling investigation. With his wife and son in hiding and his life in danger, Benson draws closer to a resolution that will have explosive results for the criminals-and for some members of New York City’s political elite as well.

***********************************************

Find this title at a bookstore/library/online!