A Potpourri of Opinions

The Ways We Hide Kristina McMorris Publication Date: September 6, 2022 by Sourcebooks Landmark Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢 Summary:  A sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path. As a little girl raised amid the hardships of Michigan’s Copper Country, Fenna Vos learned to focus on her own survival. That ability sustains her even now as the Second World War rages in faraway countries. Though she performs onstage as the assistant to an unruly escape artist, behind the curtain she’s the mastermind of their act. Ultimately, controlling her surroundings and eluding traps of every kind helps her keep a lingering trauma at bay. Yet for all her planning, Fenna doesn’t foresee being called upon by British military intelligence. Tasked with designing escape aids to thwart the Germans, MI9 seeks those with specialized skills for a war nearing its breaking point. Fenna reluctantly joins the u...

The Empress Gigi Griffis Publication date: September 27, 2022 by Zando Projects Genre: Historical Romance Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷 Summary: The year is 1853, and Princess Elisabeth “Sisi” of Bavaria has been very clear: She will wait for the head-over-heels love the poets speak of, or she will have no love at all. Just because her older sister, Helene, is eagerly heeding their mother’s advice and preparing to marry Emperor Franz of Austria does not mean Sisi must also subject herself to such a dutiful existence. Sisi knows there is more to life than luncheons and corsets—if only someone would let her experience it all firsthand. Meanwhile, in Austria, the emperor is recovering from an assassination attempt that left him wounded and scared. In a bid to keep the peace, Franz has recommitted himself to his imperial duties—and promised to romance the pliant Helene of Bavaria at his upcoming birthday celebration. How better to unite the empire than with the announcement of a new empress? But when...

Little Eve Catriona Ward USA publication date: Oct. 11, 2022 by Tor Nightfire Genre: Gothic, Horror Rating: 3 👢👢👢 Summary:  “A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.” On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth. The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction. A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong. And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered. My thoughts: The cover and the brief synopsis captured my interest for this read. From the gory opening scene to the ending plot twist I never felt truly engaged with this one. It was a fairly intriguing plot. Eve tells the reader how she lived on the island of Altnaharra w...

  Barnum's Angel (The Pale Chronicles Book 1) Len Boswell Publication Date: October 6, 2022 by Black Rose Writing Genre: Historical Fantasy Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢 To some, Lily was just a beautiful little girl. To others, she was a freakish albino who ate live chickens in a freak show. Charles Darwin called her his impossible girl and tried in vain to classify her. P. T. Barnum called her his angel and tried to take advantage of her. But the creature Barnum thought to turn into a money-making feature attraction is neither girl nor angel. She is something other, a species of unimaginable abilities, with the power to destroy—or save —our world. The power is hers alone, but only the strange blood coursing through her veins will decide when and how to unleash a power she struggles every day to control. From the cold, barren shores of Tierra del Fuego and the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle to the bustling crowds of Victorian London, Lily's story—and her quest—unfolds in a thrilling historical ...

  The Myrtle Wand Margaret Porter Publication Date: October 11, 2022 by Gallica Press Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷 Summary:  The Myrtle Wand, a retelling and a continuation of the classic ballet Giselle, restores original story elements to transform a tale of blighted romances and betrayals into a quest for redemption and restorative love. Princess Bathilde de Sevreau, unlike her school friend Myrte and the peasant Giselle, doubts the existence of legendary vilis, ghostly maidens who rise from their graves by night to roam the forest to take revenge on faithless lovers. Until she, too, has cause to fear being ensnared by that spectral sisterhood . . . Destined for a marriage of convenience with Albin, Duc de Rozel, Bathilde leaves her ancestral château for the Sun King’s sophisticated and scandalous court. As participants in royal ceremonies and entertainments, the princess and the soldier gradually recognize deep feelings for each other and mutual hopes for ma...

  Hester L a urie Lico A lb a nese Public a tion d a te: October 4, 2022 by St. M a rtin's Press a nd M a cmillian A udio Genre: Historic a l Fiction R a ting: 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 Summ a ry:  A vivid reim a gining of the wom a n who inspired Hester Prynne, the tr a gic heroine of N a th a niel H a wthorne's  The Sc a rlet Letter , a nd a journey into the enduring leg a cy of New Engl a nd's witchcr a ft tri a ls. Who is the  re a l  Hester Prynne? Isobel G a mble is a young se a mstress c a rrying gener a tions of secrets when she sets s a il from Scotl a nd in the e a rly 1800s with her husb a nd, Edw a rd. A n a pothec a ry who h a s f a llen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts h a ve forced them to flee Edinburgh for a fresh st a rt in the New World. But only d a ys a fter they've a rrived in S a lem, Edw a rd a bruptly joins a dep a rting ship a s a medic—le a ving Isobel penniless a nd a lone in a str a nge country, forced to m a ke her w a y by a ny...

One Woman's War Christine Wells Publication date: October 4, 2022 by William Morrow & Company Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢 Summary:  From the author of  Sisters of the Resistance  comes the story of WWII British Naval Intelligence officer Victoire Bennett, the real-life inspiration for the James Bond character Miss Moneypenny, whose international covert operation is put in jeopardy when a volatile socialite and Austrian double agent threatens to expose the mission to German High Command. World War II London:  When Victoire "Paddy" Bennett first walks into the Admiralty's Room 39, home to the Intelligence Division, all the bright and lively young woman expects is a secretarial position to the charismatic Commander Ian Fleming. But soon her job is so much more, and when Fleming proposes a daring plot to deceive the Germans about Allied invasion plans he requests the newlywed Paddy's help. She jumps at the chance to work as an agent in the field, ...

  Unnatural Creatures Kris Waldherr Publication date: October 4, 2022 by Muse Publications Genre: Horror, Gothic, Historical  Rating: 5 👢👢👢👢👢 Summary:  For the first time, the untold story of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein is brought to life in a dark and sweeping reimagining of  Frankenstein  by the author of  The Lost History of Dreams .  The Mother Caroline Frankenstein will do anything to protect her family against the nightmarish revolutions engulfing 18th-century Europe. In doing so, she creates her own monster in the form of her scientist son, Victor, whose obsession with conquering death leads to forbidden realms.  The Bride Rescued by Caroline as a four-year-old beggar, angelic Elizabeth Lavenza understands the only way she can repay the Frankensteins is by accepting Victor’s hand in marriage. But when Elizabeth’s heart yearns for someone else, the lives of those she most loves collide with the unnatural creature born...