The Gentleman's Daughter by Bianca Schwarz

I was SO excited for this second book in the series and it was more than I could have possibly asked for. How am I supposed to rave about this novel without giving spoilers! Sigh.

Listen, I was worried at first that my anxiety would be triggered like the first novel, but I only needed to remind myself to not hold my breath, because the twists and turns in this novel are AMAZING. The ending, oh my sweet goodness. I sat and devoured this book in five hours and I regret nothing. I'm coming prepared with snacks for the next book.

Bianca, you have my reading loyalty; you wrote the underlying issues of PTSD, trauma, and consent so well and I friggin' love you for that. I'm a survivor, and seriously, you nailed this book and I wish I could hug you.

Buy it here! 

Sir Henry, secret agent to the crown, must marry a lady above reproach to afford his illegitimate daughter entrance into society. After narrowly escaping marriage to a highborn bigot, he takes an assignment in Brighton, leading him to an abandoned abbey full of dark whispers, and a sinister secret society, the very one Henry has been investigating for three years.

Isabella is as beautiful as she is talented, but falling in love isn't part of her plans. She only wants to paint, forget her painful past, and keep her overbearing mother at bay. But gaining one's independence isn't easy for a woman in 1823, so Isabella embarks on a fake courtship with Sir Henry. Soon, love and a painting career no longer seem so utterly incompatible.

But when the man Isabella fears most kidnaps her, all appears lost. Realizing the kidnapper is part of the same organization he is investigating, Henry chases after them. Entrapped in a web of secrets, both Henry and Isabella must face old enemies, and fight for their happily ever after.

Be sure to also read the first book in the The Gentleman Spy Mysteries series, The Innkeeper's Daughter.

Pub Date 06 Jul 2021

The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable

I've been enthralled by the works of Michelle Gable since she published "A Paris Apartment" and this one has even more of my heart because I'm an aspiring author whose day job is grant writing. I'm also from Northern Virginia and grew up cheering for the NFL Washingtons until I transplanted to West Virginia and Appalachia. Yeah yeah, I know this is a book of fiction, but finding yourself on the pages of one of your favorite authors is still really rad. Just let me have a moment to fan-girl, mmk?

(If you want to understand the above connection to the main characters, then read "The Bookseller's Secret".)

She tied historical fiction in with women's fiction for two subplots that aligned beautifully and had me whispering "Oh my God, what!?" so many times.

Exhibit A:

"We were always either on a peak of happiness or drowning in black waters of despair; our emotions were on no ordinary plane, we loved or we loathed, we laughed or we cried, we lived in a world of superlatives."




Buy it here! 

In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.

Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.

Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present…

Pub Date 17 Aug 2021

Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam

I love this novel for its intercultural couple that faces family pressure to follow in parental plans and the adversity that comes with daring to break out of those cultural roles and traditions. The entire novel I was hoping for recipes and was so excited to find them from the author! I'll be traveling to her website shortly for her subscription boxes, wink wink.

Buy it here! 

Trixie Nguyen is determined to make her sex toy business a success, proving to her traditional Vietnamese parents that she can succeed in a nontraditional career. She's made a fresh start in Washington DC, and her first pop-up event is going well—until she runs into the ex who dumped her. With a Post-it note.

The last person Andre Walker expected to see in his soul food restaurant was the woman he left behind in New Orleans. Their chemistry is still scorching, but he's desperately trying to save his family restaurant from gentrifying developers. The solution? Partnering with his ex to turn Mama Hazel’s into a vibrator pop-up shop for hungry and horny clients.

Thanks to their steamy truce, both businesses start to sizzle and their red-hot desire soon reignites deeper feelings. But when Trixie receives an incredible career opportunity, will pride ruin their second chance at happiness?

Pub Date 18 May 2021

The Nine by Gwen Strauss

I am really looking forward to purchasing this book so that I can see the illustrations of these women and again read their tenacious story of survival. The amount of strength they show and how they support one another is astounding.


My paternal ancestors lived in France during this war. I can't help but wonder how my great-grandparents survived this time period.



My maternal grandfather fought during this war as an American soldier. I'm going to go through his things with new eyes.

Buy it here!

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris.

The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. The group formed along the way, meeting at different points, in prison, in transit, and at Ravensbrück. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.

Drawing on incredible research, this powerful, heart-stopping narrative from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.

Pub Date 04 May 2021 

The Radio Operator by Ulla Lenze

Ulla’s writing style reminds me of Ernest Hemingway’s and I love historical fiction. Nonetheless, I found myself zoning out at times and having to rescan paragraphs. I didn’t connect with the novel.

Pub Date 04 May 2021 

Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras

I can't wait to travel again so that I can go roam Key West with this novel in hand. Shout out to the author for writing a small-town tropical romance.

Buy it here!

Award-winning photographer Alejandro Miranda hasn’t been home to Key West in years—not since he left to explore broader horizons with his papi’s warning “never to come back” echoing in his ears. He wouldn’t be heading there now if it wasn’t for an injury requiring months of recuperation. The drama of a prodigal son returning to his familia and their beloved Cuban restaurant is bad enough, but coming home to the island paradise also means coming face to face with the girl he left behind—the one who was supposed to be by his side all along . . .

Anamaría Navarro was shattered when Alejandro took off without her. Traveling the world was their plan, not just his. But after her father’s heart attack, there was no way she could leave—not even for the man she loved. Now ensconced in the family trade as a firefighter and paramedic, with a side hustle as a personal trainer, Anamaría is dismayed that just the sight of Alejandro is enough to rekindle the flame she’s worked years to put out. And as famillia meddling pushes them together, the heat of their attraction only climbs higher. Can they learn to trust again, before the Key West sun sets on their chance at happiness?
 

Pub Date 27 Apr 2021

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen

I am dedicated to devouring every novel about the Paris apartment that was left untouched for 70 years, and this one is by far one of my favorites!

The number of times I caught myself breathless and wrapped up in the characters was astounding and by the end of the novel I was shouting, "Wait, but what about --?" Lo-and-behold, the author threw a curveball and gave me the ending I needed.

This historical fiction romance reminded me that the fights against fascism are still not over and many changes are still needed, for "If I am not fighting -- if I am not doing everything I am capable of -- then I am complicit in every atrocity that has happened and will continue to happen. This I know with every fiber of my being."

I'm buying this book and reading it again and again!

Buy it here! 

London, 2017: When Aurelia Leclaire inherits an opulent Paris apartment, she is shocked to discover her grandmother’s hidden secrets—including a treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. One obscure painting leads her to Gabriel Seymour, a highly respected art restorer with his own mysterious past. Together they attempt to uncover the truths concealed within the apartment’s walls.

Paris, 1942: The Germans may occupy the City of Lights, but glamorous Estelle Allard flourishes in a world separate from the hardships of war. Yet when the Nazis come for her dearest friends, Estelle doesn’t hesitate to help them, no matter the cost. As she works against the forces intent on destroying those she holds dear, she can’t know that her actions will have ramifications for generations to come.

Set seventy-five years apart, against a perilous and a prosperous Paris, both Estelle and Lia must unearth hidden courage as they navigate the dangers of a changing world, altering history—and their family’s futures—forever.

Pub Date 20 Apr 2021