Caledon by Virginia Crow Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: 22nd January 2019
Publisher: Crowvus
Page Length: 180 (A4 size) – the book is approx. 80,000 words
Series: Caledon (Book One)
Genre: Historical Fantasy

Synopsis

"Go out and tell all those you meet, Caledon has risen. Caledon will be protected and defended. And to you who would cause her harm, be prepared. A new fight has come."

After the destruction of the Jacobite forces at Culloden, Scotland is divided, vulnerable and leaderless, with survivors from both sides seeking to make sense of the battles they have fought against their fellow Scots.

New Release Challenge 2023 - My Sign Up Post

Hosted by: Brandee and Lexie at (un)Conventional Bookworms
Challenge period: 1st January to 31st December, 2023
Sign Up: By 1st September, 2023
Aim: To read and review books released in 2023.
Twitter Hashtag: #2023NewReleaseChallenge

All the information can be found here on the sign-up page.

HIstorical Fiction Reading Challenge 2023 - My Sign Up Post

Hosted by: Marg @ The Intrepid Reader
Challenge period: 1st January to 31st December, 2023
Sign up: anytime during the year
Challenge hashtag: #histficreadingchallenge

All the details are available on the sign-up page.

There are six different reading

European Reading Challenge 2023 - My Sign Up Post

Hosted by: Gilion @ Rose City Reader

Challenge period: 1st January to 31st December, 2023, with until 31st January, 2024, to finish reviews and write a wrap-up post.

Aim: To read books set in European countries or books by European authors, any genre – fiction, nonfiction, novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, etc. No two books

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2023 - My Sign Up Post

Hosted by: Carol @ Carol's Notebook
Challenge period: 1st January to 31st December, 2023
Sign Up: Ends March 15, 2023
Aim: To read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres and books need to be at least 100 pages long.
Challenge Hashtag: #CloakDaggerChal

2022 Reading Challenges - Wrap Up

This is my wrap-up post for the various challenges I participated in during 2022. I failed most of them. In hindsight I probably set my goals too high (I based them on my 2021 results).

Sisters of Castle Leod by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: January 19, 2023
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Page Length: 293
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction
Cover Art: oil on glass painting, © Alison Hale, https://alisonhale.co.nz/ 

Synopsis

**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards**

Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander books and television series, but few know that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle, Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth century were among the most fascinating and talked-about

The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Mystery by J. Lawrence Matthews A Short Book Review

It's Christmas morning, 1902, and Dr Watson calls on Sherlock Holmes to invite him and his brother, Mycroft, for Christmas dinner. Holmes refuses the invitation, as Watson new he would and remains steadfast despite Watson's cajoling.

When sand is found substituted for the wine in a bottle of Beaune, a Christmas gift from Holmes to Watson, Holmes fears that the new king's (Edward VII) life is in danger. What follows is a madcap dash around London, with Holmes and Watson one step behind those they are pursuing, ending with a delightful twist, making this a very heartwarming novella.

While not the mystery I anticipated, it was very entertaining and shows that the great detective could be outwitted. A great Christmas read!

Thanks to Ellen Whitfield of Books Forward for a review copy.

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: January 3, 2023
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Co
Length: (416) pages
Format: Hardcover, Trade paperback & eBook 
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction

Synopsis

In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer Book Review

Synopsis

Good old Uncle Willie - rich, truculent and seemingly propped up by his fierce willpower alone - has come to stay with the Redpaths for the holidays. It is just their luck for him to be found dead the morning after Christmas day, dressed in his Santa Claus costume, seemingly poisoned by his favourite chocolates. Or was there something sinister in the mince pies? If so, was it the ones stashed in his room or those sent to him mysteriously by post? More importantly, since his will was recently redrafted, who stands to gain by this unseasonable crime?

First published in 1944, Murder After Christmas is a lively riot of murder, mince pies and misdirection, cleverly playing with beloved murder mystery tropes to create

Under a Veiled Moon by Karen Odden Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books>br> Series: An Inspector Corravan Mystery (Book 2)
Length: (336) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook
Genre: Historical Mystery, Detective Mystery, Victorian Mystery

Synopsis

September 1878. One night, as the pleasure boat the Princess Alice makes her daily trip up the Thames, she collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier. The Princess Alice shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who

Top Ten Tuesday Books on My Summer 2022-2023 To-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. A topic is assigned to each Tuesday. For that topic you are encouraged to make a top ten list, putting your own spin on it, if needed. Upcoming topics and