The Winter Duchess by Jillian Eaton

Title: The Winter Duchess (A Duchess of All Seasons #1)

Author: Jillian Eaton

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 181

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Women Authors; Romance

Their wedding was the event of the season...
A shy wallflower, Caroline hasn’t the faintest idea why the Duke of Readington chose her to be his bride. She could ask, but that would mean speaking to him…and truth be told she’d rather have a conversation with the devil. Her new husband may be one of the most powerful men in all of England - not to mention the handsomest - but he’s also cruel, callous, and has a heart colder than ice. 

But it was never meant to be a love match…
Eric married Caroline for one simple reason: he wasn’t in love with her. Having seen firsthand how love can bring a man to his knees, he’s determined not to make the same mistakes his father did. Which is why he’s going to spend just enough time with his new bride to assure himself of an heir before he leaves her and returns to London. At least that was the plan until a winter storm leaves them stranded. Now every time Eric turns around he finds himself stumbling over the wife he never wanted...but is slowly beginning to desire. 

….or was it? 
As cold winds howl outside the manor, inside of it a duke’s heart is finally starting to melt as he finds himself falling for the one woman he was never supposed to love…but can she love him in return?

This was another Amazon Prime Reading selection. I enjoyed the fluffy romance story of Eric and Caroline. I would have liked a bit more towards the end of the story. The beginning of the novella was lots of fun and I really enjoyed the fast pace. Caroline is a great character. Overall, this was a nice and fluffy romance quickly read before bed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Magnolia Inn by Carolyn Brown

Title: The Magnolia Inn

Author: Carolyn Brown

Publisher: Montlake Romance 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 272

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Literary Escapes - Texas; Romance

Inheriting the Magnolia Inn, a Victorian home nestled in the East Texas pines, is a fantasy come true for Jolene Broussard. After living with the guilt of failing to rescue her self-destructive mother, Jolene knows her aunt and uncle’s B&B is the perfect jump start for a new life and a comforting place to call home. There’s just one hitch: stubborn and moody carpenter Tucker Malone. He’s got a half interest in the Magnolia Inn, and he’s planting his dusty cowboy boots squarely in the middle of her dream.

Ever since his wife’s death, Tucker’s own guilt and demons have left him as guarded as Jolene. The last thing he expects is for his new partner to stir something inside him he thought was gone forever. And as wary as Jolene is, she may have found a kindred spirit—someone she can help, and someone she can hold on to.

Restoring the Magnolia Inn is the first step toward restoring their hearts. Will they be able to let go of the past and trust each other to do it together?

Too much God talk for me. And the characters were pretty bland and obnoxious at times. I just really didn’t like this book at all. At least this was a free Amazon Prime read for me. I think I should stay away from contemporary romance in general. It’s not my genre at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Title: Lilac Girls

Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 487

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebooks; Popsugar - Plant in Title; Women Authors

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

This one was such a disappointment to me. It’s gotten great reviews and my book club picked it for April. My strongest reaction to this book was “meh.” The writing was clunky in certain parts. The story definitely needed to be edited down in sections. But my biggest complaints center on the characters. I just didn’t care about them. There was no emotional connection for me. Were we supposed to feel something for Herta? Or even Kasia when she was struggling with her anger? And Caroline was so flat at times, I just couldn’t. I didn’t really get the message we were supposed to ascertain. I know WWII was horrendous and terrible things were done to people, but beyond that, what?

In finishing the book, I read the afterward from the author. Caroline and Herta were real people. She researched them, Ravensbruck, and the horrors of WWII to create this fictionalized account what happened during and after the war. Okay, so they were real people? I would have rather read biographies of them than this imagining of what went on. And apparently Caroline’s romance with Paul was completely made up. I knew I didn’t like that storyline for a reason. It was so unbelievable and flat to me. Turns out it wasn’t real. That makes me feel better. Overall, I was really disappointed in this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Growing Season by Melanie Lageschulte

Title: Growing Season (Season #1)

Author: Melanie Lageschulte

Publisher: Fremont Creek Press 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  Ebook; Women Authors; Literary Escapes - Iowa

Melinda is already at a crossroads when the “for rent” sign beckons her down a dusty gravel lane. Facing forty and downsized from her successful career at a Twin Cities ad agency, she's struggling to move forward when a phone call brings her home to rural Iowa. 

It’s not long before she’s caring for a barn full of animals and working at her family’s hardware store in the community of Prosper, whose motto is “The Great Little Town That Didn’t.” And just like the vast garden she tends under the summer sun, Melinda soon begins to thrive. But when tragedy strikes, can she hold on to the new life she's worked so hard to create?

Filled with memorable characters, from a big-hearted farm dog to the weather-obsessed owner of the local co-op, “Growing Season” celebrates the challenges and joys of rural life.

I picked this one up from Amazon’s Prime Reads. Wasn’t quite sure what I was expected, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this little story of a woman finding her way on a farm in Iowa. I really enjoyed Melinda and her interactions with all the fun side characters. It’s a sweet little story without a definite end clearly setting everything up for the rest of the series. My only negative was when the author really pushed the idea that country living is superior to city living. It was a little heavy-handed in parts. I could have done without all the times she brought it up. At any rate, I think I’ll probably pick up the next book.

Season

• #1 Growing Season

• #2 Harvest Season

• #2.5 A Tin Train Christmas

• #3 The Peaceful Season

• #4 Waiting Season

• #5 Songbird Season

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

Title: A Beautiful Poison

Author: Lydia Kang

Publisher: Lake Union 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Motif - Cover Love; Historical Fiction

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

A promising idea for a book: focusing on poison as murder weapon during WWI and the Spanish Flu. I was intrigued and very excited to read this one. Unfortunately the book fell very flat for me. I didn’t like a single character. They were all vain and selfish. Just couldn’t get behind all of those… But the big problem I had was the twist ending. After finding out who the murder was, I was very confused. The motivations of the murderer just didn’t make any sense, at least how the author portrayed the character and the reasoning for the murders. Nope. I was really disappointed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Title: Heart-Shaped Box

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2000

Genre: Horror

Pages: 402

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Keyword - Heart; Horror

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.

For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?

But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.

And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . .

After reading later Joe Hill, I had to go back into his back catalog. This one was thoroughly creepy. I could only read it during the day time. Night time reading gave me too many weird nightmares. Back to the story, Jude is a great character. His whole aging rock star persona is a great anti-hero. Originally I didn’t like Georgia, but she definitely grew on me. And the side characters were all great additions, especially Bon and Angus. The last 100 pages were a whirlwind.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Craven Manor by Darcy Coates

Title: Craven Manor

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Black Owl Books 2017

Genre: Horror

Pages: 300

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Popsugar - Ghost Story; Horror

Daniel is desperate for a job. When someone slides a note under his door offering him the groundskeeper’s position at an old estate, it seems too good to be true.

Alarm bells start ringing when he arrives at Craven Manor. The mansion’s front door hangs open, and leaves and cobwebs coat the marble foyer. It’s clear no one has lived there in a long time.

But an envelope waits for him inside the doorway. It contains money, and promises more.

Daniel is desperate. Against his better judgement, he moves into the groundskeeper’s cottage behind the crypt. He’s determined to ignore the strange occurrences that plague the estate.

But when a candle flickers to life in the abandoned tower window, Daniel realises Craven Manor is hiding a terrible secret… one that threatens to bury him with it.

This one had a lot of promise. I loved the set-up and the initial time at the manor. Once Daniel met Bran, I felt like the suspense started to go out of the story. I wasn’t as intrigued or scared. I feel like the story lost a lot of steam at the end and the final conflict wasn’t as fraught as I would have liked. But I will say that the scene where Daniel first encounters Annaliese is amazing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor

Title: And the Rest is History (The Chronicles of St. Mary’s #8) 

Author: Jodi Taylor

Publisher: Accent Press 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 376

Stars: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Ebook; Seasonal Series - Gifted to Me

No one knows quite how, but Max and her baby are safe at last. No one knows quite how, but  Peterson has persuaded Dr Foster to marry him. No one knows quite how, but Markham's marital status remains unknown. Certainly no one knows quite how a twelve-foot-high teapot has mysteriously materialised on the South Lawn, but it has. But they do know that Clive Ronan is back. They do know that he hates them and that this time he has good cause. And they do know that he will bring death and destruction in his wake. Follow the disaster magnets of St Mary's from the Egyptian desert to the Battle of Stamford Bridge, and from Hastings to the Sack of Constantinople...

Oh my. This volume killed me, seriously killed me. I was devastated in the middle of the book and then even more devastated by the end. But don’t let that statement make you think that I didn’t like this book. I loved every single page of it. I have come to really feel like the characters of St. Mary’s are part of my friend circle. Plus this volume sees the historians finally visiting Hastings in 1066. Woohoo!

P.S. I also read the super short (i.e. 4 page) short story Desiccated Water featuring a science experiment gone wrong. And I read the other super short (i.e. 7 page) short story Markham and the Anal Probing right after reading this book. Oh so much fun!

The Chronicles of St. Mary’s:

• #0.5 The Very First Damned Thing

• #1 Just One Damned Thing After Another

• #2 A Symphony of Echoes

• #2.5 When A Child is Born

• #3 A Second Chance

• #3.5 Roman Holiday

• #4 A Trail Through Time

• #4.5 Christmas Present

• #5 No Time Like the Past

• #6 What Could Possibly Go Wrong

• #6.5 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings

• #7 Lies, Damned Lies, and History

• #7.5 The Great St. Mary’s Day Out

• #7.6 My Name is Markham

• #8 And the Rest is History

• #8.5 A Perfect Storm

• #8.6 Christmas Past

• #9 An Argumentation of Historians

• #9.5 Battersea Barricades

• #9.6 The Steam-Pump Jump

• #9.7 And Now for Something Completely Different

• #10 Hope is for the Best

Next up on the TBR pile:

RC 2019: For the Love Ebooks

From As Told By Tina:

Announcing For The Love Of EBooks Reading Challenge! I had join EBooks Reading Challenge hosted by Book Dragon’s Lair but she hasn’t been active since 2017. So I decided to do my own spin on her challenge hence For The Love Of EBooks was born!

I receive daily BookBub emails to let me know of eBooks that are on sale. I tend to find one interesting and on sale (major bonus!) so I go to buy it only to find out, I’ve owned it for like 2 years. I’ve been meaning to read more of the books I’ve purchased instead of buying tons of new ones only to be lost in the sea of books on my Kindle. I’m hoping For The Love of EBooks can help me out!

For The Love Of EBooks is very simple. Read eBooks! It can be books you’ve purchased, eARCs, or library books! As long as it is an eBooks, it counts!

For The Love Of eBooks Reading Challenge Details:

• For The Love Of EBooks starts on January 1st to December 31st and you can sign up any time.

• Every book must be an eBook. (EBooks, eARCs, library eBooks etc.)

• All genres count.

• Re-Reading and crossovers for other challenges are encouraged.

• You don’t need to be a blogger to join. You can just share that you are joining on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Just spread the word.

• If you are a blogger, I’d love for you to make a sign up post (you can include other challenges you’re joining too, I don’t mind), just to help spread the word.

• Use the hash tag #ForTheLoveOfBooks19 to keep up with everyone’s progress.

• I’ll have a link up open every last Wednesday of the month, so you can link up your reviews. (I’m not sure if I’ll have a prize yet due to my current financial situation).

For The Love Of Ebooks Level Details:

• Phase 1 – 1-10

• Phase 2 – 11-20

• Phase 3 – 21-30

• Phase 4- 31-40

• Phase 5- 40+

I have so many ebooks sitting on my iPad. I really need to start reading these and bringing my number down. I’m going to sign up for Phase 3 with a goal of 30 books.