Review: Whitehall - Episode 9: "The Marriage of True Minds"

Whitehall - Episode 9: "The Marriage of True Minds" by Barbara Samuel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The ninth installment into the Whitehall episode: The Marriage of True Minds, again is not disappointing. However, with these episodes being short there isn’t a massive amount of details to give out. Think of this as you’re watching one of your hour long shows. One of the best things about reading this series, is you have time to read it while you’re waiting for one of your children to finish one of their practices, or waiting in the doctor’s office . There great when you finished a book but don’t have time or want to start another book as you don’t want to be up to late reading.
We are coming close to the end of this series. One thing I’ve noticed throughout the series is the writing. It can’t really be easy to have two or more authors writing and not know where each wants to take the story to. However, you can’t tell by the writing unless you’re staring at the author’s name the whole time.

This time around, Queen Catherine is having some health issues, which she doesn’t need this as she’s still trying to get pregnant, and of course Barbara, the King’s mistress is still trying to take him away from Queen Catherine.

This time there was actually a shocker in this episode, I’m not going to tell you what it is at this time, as I real do encourage you to read this series, and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. I’m still Team Catherine all the way!


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Review: Whitehall - Episode 8: "Ambitions Which Climb Upwards"

Whitehall - Episode 8: "Ambitions Which Climb Upwards" by Madeleine E. Robins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The eigth installment into the Whitehall episode: Ambitions Which Climb Upwards, again is not disappointing. However, with these episodes being short there isn’t a massive amount of details to give out. Think of this as you’re watching one of your hour long shows. One of the best things about reading this series, is you have time to read it while you’re waiting for one of your children to finish one of their practices, or waiting in the doctor’s office . There great when you finished a book but don’t have time or want to start another book as you don’t want to be up to late reading. Rich in history, the 17th century to be exact.

As the story continues, Queen Catherine now has to deal with King Charles II’s mistress Barbara is pregnant and Queen Catherine, is yet again disappointed that she herself is not. It is bad enough Queen Catherine has to fight for her husband, and now it appears she’ll have to fight for crown as well. With scheming being done by people who are doing the same to make their own positions more powerful. or to be put in a power positions. And we can’t forget Monmouth, the little snake that he is.

You really feel sorry for Queen Catherine, and you can’t help but cheer her on, or give her words of encouragement. Barbara is one person I don’t like. When is King Charles II going to actually wake up and see Barbara for who she truly is, when will he see how hard his queen is trying to adapt to his country’s way, and help her fight to stay his queen.


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Review: Whitehall - Episode 7: "Imperfect Enjoyment"

Whitehall - Episode 7: "Imperfect Enjoyment" by Barbara Samuel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The seventh installment into the Whitehall episode: Imperfect Enjoyment, again is not disappointing. However, with these episodes being short there isn’t a massive amount of details to give out. Think of this as you’re watching one of your hour long shows. One of the best things about reading this series, is you have time to read it while you’re waiting for one of your children to finish one of their practices, or waiting in the doctor’s office . There great when you finished a book but don’t have time or want to start another book as you don’t want to be up to late reading.

A delegate from Russia shows up at court bearing gifts, and of course Barbara, King Charles II’s mistress, loves all the excitement and intrigue from the foreign visitors. Queen Catherine is still trying to fit into the King’s life, while also fighting for him from Barbara.

There wasn’t a lot going on this time, as it’s building up towards the end of the series, the pace seemed to slow down some. But it won’t stop me from continuing on with the series.


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Review: The Beekeeper's Promise

The Beekeeper's Promise by Fiona Valpy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book of Fiona Valpy in which I have read, and I’m so very grateful I was allowed to read it. One of the top 10 books of 2018 thus far. I enjoyed the way the author would do the past and then the present without getting the reader lost or couldn’t remember which character they were read. I felt she connected the characters and made them like they were telling me their story face to face, to introduce me into their lives. I found myself being drawn into their lives as well. The writing was smooth, to where it kept me intrigue as to not what to put it down. You could feel the emotions of the characters from abuse to love, suspense, history, as this is set in WWII, and then you could feel the healing process in which they needed.

In 1938, one of the main character’s Eilane is a beekeeper at Château Bellevue, in rural France. She meets, falls in love, and marries Mathieu Dubosq. When the German’s occupy France, their lives takes a turn for the worse, something neither one of them thought would ever happen. Eilane makes a decision to join the resistance, along with fellow French men and women, family, friends. Here Eilane learns how strong she actually is during these dark times for her country. She knows the danger, and what could happen to her if she gets caught.

Abi is a broken woman, she believes she isn’t good enough to have someone lover her. When she is offered a job at the Chateau Bellevue, which is now known as the Estate of Count Comte, she takes the job in hopes of healing herself, both mental and physically. Abi learns some of the history of the old Chateau Bellevue, and one part of history in which she finds intriguing is Eilane’s.





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Review: Death Over Easy

Death Over Easy by Maddie Day
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This reminds me of a little restaurant with a gift shop inside from my hometown. The cozy feel of the restaurant, where a lot of the locals frequent in the mornings to gather over coffee, and breakfast before heading off to work, or the fields, or where ever their day was taking them. When people have out of town guest, they bring them for a meal, where they sit and talk and catch up, they introduce them to town. Maddie Day has done just that in the fifth instalment of her Country Store series.

Robbie Jordan is the owner of Pan N Pancakes, with a little country store gift shop included, in her small Indiana town. Robbie has also renovated her second floor with a small B&B, and just in time, as Beanblossom the neighboring town is having its annual Bluegrass festival. Not only are a few of her guest, some of the musicians playing at the festival, but her father, Roberto and her step-mother Maria have come for a visit from Italy.

While at the festival, Roberto and Maria notice a girl, Pia, who looks like another girl, whom Maria knows from her town in Italy. While they discuss her they realize she is the twin who left Italy and hasn’t been back since.

While at the festival Pia is sitting-in Robbie’s boyfriend, Abe’s band. Right before they are to go on, everyone sees Abe and Pia arguing. The band plays their set and nothing is seen or heard any more of the argument between the two. That is until the next morning Pia’s body is found…dead.
As the investigation unfolds, there seem to be a lot of suspects as to who had motive to kill her. Robbie, who has “helped” solve a couple of murders, swears she doesn’t have time to get involved with the case, suddenly is pulled in when her boyfriend, friends, guests, are among the suspects.
I like the characters as well as the plot, the story moves at a good pace, and it’s easy to follow along without reading the other four books in the series. The murder is pretty easy to figure out, but the story of the characters keep you intrigued as well as the motive as to what happened to Pia.



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Review: Counting Chimneys: A novel of love, heartbreak and romance in 1960s Brighton

Counting Chimneys: A novel of love, heartbreak and romance in 1960s Brighton by Sandy Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. Second of all I’d like to apologize to everyone for not getting the reviews posted soon as I had some major health issues. I am fine now thanks to my wonderful doctors. I would like to say that it has been wonderful to be able to sit and catch up on my reading.
This is book two in the Brighton Girls Trilogy. I honestly didn’t know this was a trilogy nor the second book in it the series. However, I didn’t have any trouble with being lost, feeling like I needed to read the other one first. This is a very good example of an author writing a series, but makes the books read like a stand-alone.
As I was reading the characters seemed very real and relatable. It was fun to visit the ‘60’s era, a time where you had a rotary phone, no computers, video games, cell phones. A time where children played outside, families actually sat down to supper together and had conversations.
Dottie returns to Brighton after living in London. She soon runs into her friend, ex-boyfriend, the one she thought was her soulmate, the one who broke her heart, Ralph. He ended up marrying on of Dottie’s friends, and then she died leaving him to raise their child on his own. But is she really over Ralph, as it appears he has moved on and Dottie is still single.
This is a book that fills you with so many emotions, relating to the characters and feeling as if they were your friends, you find yourself cheering for them, laughing with them and at them, your crying for them. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the first book in the series as I wait for the third and final book.


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Review: Garden of Stars

Garden of Stars by Rose Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think one of the things that drew me to the book was how pretty the cover was. It gave me this relaxes feel. Although I don’t recall reading a book by Rose Alexander didn’t shy me away from it. I did give this book a four star review as I enjoyed it very much.

There are several journeys in this book, a marriage from the past and the other in the present. The stories are woven together. The two ladies in the book are aunt and niece, both harboring inner secrets of the men they actual love, and the men they marry. Sarah has never gotten over someone she met in Portugal many years ago. As time moves on Sarah does marry, but when her life becomes restless, she’s asked if she will go and write a story on Cork. She goes back to Portugal, not sure if she’s going there to relive her youth, or is she seeking out the love she left behind there.
Her Aunt Ines has a diary which is given to Sarah, as she reads the diary, of Ines’s youth, and life in Portugal, in the diary, there are family secrets, and some of them will shed some light on Sarah.

The author has done a great job of describing Portugal to where one feels like they are there or have been there. The story is well written, filled with strong emotions, and the characters are well woven and developed to where the reader can relate to them. The reader is kept engaged in the stories, which I found easy to follow. There was a section I felt that slowed down the book, but I kept with it and before long I was back on track with the story. For being a debut book, I can see the author will have success for many years to come.



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