Portrait of a Scotsman (#3 in A League of Extraordinary Women) by Evie Dunmore (2021)

 

Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Woman is made up of four Oxford students who have banned together in 1880 over their belief that changes needed to be made to the Married Women’s Property Act which gave husbands financial and legal control over their wives along with control of all property owned by the now married woman and that woman deserved the right to vote.

Hattie Greenfield is the heroine of Portrait of a Scotsman, who after being caught kissing her father’s business rival, financier Lucian Blackstone, is forced to marry him. Hattie only knows Lucien by his reputation for being ruthless in business and fears he will be the end of her dream of becoming a recognized artist.

Lucien is a self-made man driven by political ambitions and a need for revenge. He has wealth but no power and marriage to Hattie is his entry into polite society where the power is held.

As in so many romances Lucian has no time for his new bride but things start to change when he takes Hattie to Scotland with him to check out a mine he just purchased. Although the two discover they really do care for one another, Hattie asks for a divorce when they return to England. Divorce was a scandalous thing in 1880 and had to be allowed by the husband. Hattie was not willing to stay with a husband whom she felt had bought and paid for her, she wants to be wooed.

The Married Women’s Property Act was finally changed in 1882. The new law allowed women to own/buy/sell property, keep any income from the property or an occupation, and keep any inheritance. The law also made both parents equally responsible for their children. Under the former law woman had no rights to their children. The women of Britain were granted the same voting rights as men in 1928.

Although it is not necessary to read the books in order, the characters and events from previous novels are mentioned in the books that follow.

Bringing Down the Duke (2019)

A Rogue of One's Own (2020)

The fourth title has not yet been announced

3.96 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

A Darker Reality (Elena Standish #3) by Anne Perry (2021)

 

Anne Perry is well-known for her historical mysteries and the annual Christmas mystery she has written since 2004, but A Darker Reality was my introduction to the author. Now I know why Perry has so many dedicated fans.

The Elena Standish series (one of several by Perry) takes place in pre World War II Europe. Elena is a photographer from England in her late twenties but she is a lot more she appears. Her father is a career diplomat and his father once headed MI6. Let’s just say this apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Elena travels to America with her parents for the 60^th wedding anniversary party of her American mother’s parents in Washington, D.C. Her grandfather, Wyatt Baylor, is a very powerful financier who has just been appointed an adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt, who is also attending the party. When one of the guests is found dead after being run over by his car, Wyatt is arrested. He claims he is being framed by his enemies and Elena and her father set out to find the truth. The book also touches on the feelings of many Americans at that time – isolationism and racial purity. The splitting of the atom also has a role to play.

Anne Perry is a master at building the suspense throughout the book until the surprise ending. Although it is not necessary to read the books in order, readers will find this title refers quite often to the events of numbers 1 and 2. I have already checked them out!

The Loyal League Books 1, 2, and 3 by Alyssa Cole

 The Loyal League is a covert organization of spies during the Civil War, many of whom are former slaves. Although each book can be read as a standalone novel, it is helpful to read them in order as the main characters return as secondary characters in books 2 and 3.

An Extraordinary Union (#1) (2017)

Elle Burns, a former slave, is living in freedom in Massachusetts. She possesses an extraordinarily memory for visual images and uses this skill to aid the Loyal League, a covert organization of spies. For her latest mission, Elle agrees to return to the South as a mute slave to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective in Pinkerton's Secret Service masquerading as a Union soldier. His mission is to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia. Elle and Malcom join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor.

Because Elle is acting as a slave she is regarded as less than human in the South. The members of the Caffrey household she serves, and their visitors, speak freely when Elle is in the room, never realizing they are giving away secrets. The situation is a spy’s gold mine.

Malcolm’s skills lie in his charm which make it very difficult for Elle to trust him, even when they are working together. He is also white but appears to have some understanding of the black man’s world.

The author never loses sight of the black perspective. She freely shares Elle’s thoughts and emotions about how blacks are viewed and treated and the danger of her growing feelings for Malcolm.

The story is based on Mary Bowser, a freed slave who spied for the Union Army.

3.85 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

A Hope Divided (#2) (2017)

Marlie Lynch, a gifted healer, is the daughter of a freed black woman and a wealthy white plantation owner. Her half-sister Sarah, an abolitionist, acknowledges Marlie as a member of the family and the two live together in the family home. Things go south rapidly when Sarah's brother and his malicious, racist Southern-belle wife return home

Unbeknown to Sarah’s brother, Marlie has been aiding the North’s war effort by providing tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, assisting slaves and Freeman escape north and providing the Union with coded messages about anti-Rebel uprisings in the woods near her. When the vicious Confederate Home Guard takes over Marlie's home as their new base of operations in the war against Southern resistors Marlie’s future is in jeopardy.

Marlie soon learns that having a white father will no longer protect her. Although she's a free woman, she can still be sold into slavery and she becomes a prisoner in the house she'd always considered home. Marlie’s fear and uncertainty and the injustice of it all jumps right off the pages.

What the Guard does not know is that Marlie is harboring a wounded Ewan McCall in her laboratory, after his escape from a Confederate prison. When a shocking family secret is revealed and Marlie's freedom is on the line, she escapes the house with Ewan’s help. The pair follow the path of the Underground Railroad and get caught in a battle before they are even out of North Carolina.

4.09 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

An Unconditional Freedom (#3) (2019)

We first met Daniel Cumberland in An Extraordinary Union. Like Elle, he is also free and one of her closest friends. That all changes when he is kidnapped and sold back into slavery. In An Unconditional Freedom a plot to free Daniel is carried out by Malcolm McCall (the hero of An Extraordinary Union) and Daniel is recruited into the Loyal League. Here Daniel finds opportunities to help take down the Confederacy and vent the rage that consumes him.

Janeta Sanchez’s lives in a small Florida town that has been taken over by the Union army. When her father is unjustly imprisoned for treason, Janeta must spy for the Confederacy in order to gain his freedom. Janeta agrees to infiltrate the Loyal League as a double agent, and she finds herself teamed up with Daniel. Daniel has a secret mission of his own to settle a personal vendetta and has no desire for a partner, particularly one with no experience.

Janeta has been brought up in a culture that supports slavery and life in the real world soon causes her to question everything she believes it. Daniel plays a large part in this de-programing.

As in the other two titles in the series, the author does not shy away from the brutality of the Civil War, the injustice of slavery, the invisibility of slaves, and the pain of family secrets, alongside humor and lightness.

4.11 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5) by Sherry Thomas (2020)

 

Sherry Thomas offers a whole new take on the Sherlock Holmes stories we know and love. Charlotte Holmes (“Lady Sherlock”) is a female detective in Victorian England, a time that doesn’t approve of ladies getting their hands dirty, especially a member of the upper class. Lady Sherlock’s answer to the situation is to create a fictional brother named Sherlock whom she consults with on all her cases.

To advance the charade, Sherlock is always behind a closed door listening to each client’s story and although the investigation is conducted by Charlotte it is at Sherlock’s direction. The role of Dr. Watson is assumed by Mrs. Watson who is Lady Sherlock’s benefactor and assists Charlotte with her caseload. There are also a variety of secondary characters who move from novel to novel. There’s even a role for Moriarty to play.

Murder on Cold Street focuses on Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and Scotland Yard detective. He has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at a manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. The game is afoot to find the real murderer.

Descriptions in the book can be lengthy; the author does love her adjectives and the more the merrier. Murder on Cold Street is not a fast read, but enjoyable none the less. Although each novel in the series can stand on its own, it would be helpful to read them in order to keep up with the backstories of the various characters. There are many references to events from past books that I would have liked to know more about.

A Study in Scarlet Women (2016)

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017)

The Hollow of Fear (2018)

The Art of Theft (2019)

Murder on Cold Street (2020)

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? is due out in November.

4.22 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

None of the Lady Sherlock books are available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get the book(s) for you from an area library.

Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2021)

 

Seven Perfect Things is a story about growing up (Abby), grieving (Elliott), and believing in yourself enough to go after what you really want (Abby’s mother Mary).

Abby Hubble is thirteen-years old living with a mother she adores and a father who makes life miserable for both of them. On her way home one night Abby witnesses a man tossing a wiggling bag into the river. Abby, who is a strong swimmer, jumps in after it because she knows whatever is in the bag is alive. Once Abby and the bag are back on shore, seven perfect puppies emerge. Afraid to leave the puppies to an unknown fate at the pound, Abby decides to take the puppies to the shed of an abandoned cabin where her abusive father will not find them.

Elliott Colvin is a recent widower struggling with the unwanted changes in his life and the words of well-meaning friends that don’t seem to help. He decides to take some time by himself at his hunting cabin which he hasn’t visited in years. When Elliott gets to the cabin, he discovers Abby and the puppies.

As Abby and Elliot’s friendship deepens, Abby begins to wonder what life would be like if her mother Mary were married to Elliott and not her father. When Abby introduces her mother to both Elliott and the puppies, and her father catches wind of it, he abruptly packs up the family and leaves. They move in with his brother where the Mary and Abby are little more than prisoners. An escape plan is needed, the puppies depend on Abby.

If you enjoy feel-good movies with a somewhat unrealistic plot that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, this book is for you. No tissues needed.

4.41 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1) by Julie Murphy (2021)

 

Written with permission from Disney, If the Shoe Fits is the retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a modern-day twist.  Cindy is not the perfectly proportioned princess we all remember from the Disney movies but is a plus-size girl with a stepmother (Erica) and stepsisters (Anna and Drew) who are a bit shallow but have Cindy’s best interests at heart.

After graduating design school in New York with a degree in shoe design Cindy returns to her stepmother’s house in California until she finds employment in her chosen field.  Cindy agrees to be temporary employed by her stepmother as nanny to her two half siblings.  Erica is the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight, a fictional version of The Bachelor. On the flight home, Cindy feels an instant connection with her handsome seatmate and spends her time flirting with him, imagining she’ll never see her Prince Charming again after they land. But this is a fairy tale where dreams come true right?

When Erica needs a last-minute replacement to fill a slot on Before Midnight, Cindy volunteers, hoping the media attention might help jump-start her fashion career. As the first plus-sized contestant in the history of the show, Cindy expects her show tenure will be short. That is until the eligible bachelor on the show turns out to be none other than Prince Charming from the plane, the heir to a fashion empire. Cindy is now all in.

Soon Cindy is encountering backstabbing contestants and a show wardrobe that doesn’t include her size. Cindy faces each challenge with spunk and courage and becomes an instant inspiration for other women that look like her. Princesses everywhere will love her!

A great beginning for a series that promises to entertain. I can’t wait for the next one!

4.18 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson (2021)

 

I LOVE reading historical fiction. More times than not I learn new things, in addition to enjoying a good story. Sisters in Arms has both covered. It is the story of the 6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion (known as the Six Triple Eight), the only all-Black female battalion deployed overseas during World War II.

The story beings in 1942 with the formation of the U.S. Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (soon to become the Women's Army Corps or WAC). Forty black women were allowed to enter the first WAAC officer candidate class. This is when we meet our heroines Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, two women who could not be more different but grew to respect one another.

This well-written, engaging novel follows Grace and Eliza from the WAAC application process, through basic training until their discharge at the end of the war. It is a story about dreams, friendship, courage against all odds, and the prejudices the women faced from white officers, enlisted men, and the general population. Unfortunately, some things have not changed. Some of the supporting characters actually existed and others are fictionalized but based on actual people.

I would recommend this to any history buff.

3.7 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

For more info on the WAC and the Six Triple Eight Battalion, check out https://history.army.mil/brochures/wac/wac.htm and https://history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/6888thPBn/index.html

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel (2021)

 I know what you’re going to say - yet another book about World War II. Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against the odds, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a thoroughly researched fictional accounting of a group of Jews hiding from the Nazis in the forests of Poland.

Yona is just two years old (1922) when Jerusza takes her from her wealthy German parents’ home and raises her in the forest, teaching her everything she will need to know to keep herself alive while avoiding civilization. When Jerusza passes away in 1941, Yona is totally alone until she comes across a small group of fleeing Jews. Yona, who knows nothing of the outside world or even how to interact with other people, knows she possesses the knowledge to keep the group alive. It is through her interactions with the group that Yona learns to open her heart to others.

When Yona is betrayed by one of the group members and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change all their lives.

The author’s previous book, The Book of Lost Names (see review on this blog), is also available on the library shelves.

4.36 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021)

 

Reese Witherspoon Book Club Selection.

Being develop as a series starring Julia Roberts on Apple TV+.

Hannah, a skilled wood turner and furniture designer and has been married to Owen, for a little over a year. Owen works for a software tech company and has a 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who wants nothing to do with Hannah after having her father to herself for most of her life. The three live on a houseboat in Sausalito, CA.

The story begins with Owen’s disappearance. Before running, Owen manages to get a note to Hannah with only two words – “Protect Her”. Hannah knows without a doubt that the “her” Owen refers to is Bailey. As Hannah tries to figure out what happened to Owen, his boss is arrested by the FBI for fraud.

When a U.S. Marshall from Austin, TX appears offering to put Hannah and Bailey into Witness Protection, Hannah is even more confused. Hannah refuses to upset Bailey life like that and determines to figure out why Owen disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future, together. Their budding relationship is the crux of the story.

The book is well-written and the characters are well developed. Hannah narrates events in present tense but there are lots of flashbacks of her relationship with Owen. The book is definitely more a mystery that a suspense thriller.

There have been lots of books written about a husband or wife who don’t really know who they married and struggle to find the truth. Dern takes the genre somewhere it hasn’t been before, at least to my knowledge. I never saw the ending coming and that alone is a good reason to read The Last Thing He Told Me.

The Final Twist (Colter Shaw #3) by Jeffery Deaver (2021)

 

The Final Twist takes place in San Francisco and begins just hours after the events of The Goodbye Man (Colter Shaw #2). Colt (“Colt”) Shaw, the son of a survivalist family, is an expert tracker and makes his living as a "reward seeker." He is a restless soul who travels the country in his Winnebago helping the police solve cases and private citizens locate missing persons.

Colt discovers a hidden letter left for him by his deceased father, Ash.  In it Ash asks Colt to carry on his mission to bring down the corrupt BlackBridge Corporate by finding the evidence hidden by the murdered would be whistleblower, Amos Gahl. When Colt’s estranged brother Russell turns up and helps Colt out of a difficult situation, they learn a family with the initials SP is going to be terminated in 24 hours. The brothers now have two missions, and one is a race against time.

The book is full of twists and reversals as the answers to the BlackBridge mystery steadily fall into place.

Deaver is meticulous in his references to the history of the San Francisco area.  The book also provides a great deal of background information on the main characters all of which have a direct bearing on the people they have become.

Character from earlier books reappear and there are references to cases worked in the earlier novels. Although not necessary to read the books in order, the background story of Colt’s family builds from book to book. The Final Twist is the first Deaver book I have read.

Deaver is also the author of the Lincoln Rhyme series.  The first book of the series, The Bone Collector, was the basis of the movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and the short-lived NBC series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. The next Lincoln Rhyme’s book, A Perfect Plan, is due out in September.

4.09 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018)

 

Reese’s Book Club
#1 New York Times Bestseller

Where the Crawdads Sing takes place between the 1950 and 1969 in Barkley Cove, North Carolina. The book begins with two events that seem unrelated, but over the course of the novel intertwine. The portion of the story that takes place in the 50s is that of a young girl named Kya living in the marsh, the latter events revolve around the murder of local football celebrity Chase Andrews.

Kya’s lives on the outskirts of town in the marshland, which unfortunately comes with many preconceived notions from the town’s people. Throughout the novel the reader sees the prejudice the town holds towards those of the marsh. The people of the Barkley Cove assume Kya is uneducated based on her only having attended one day of school. However, Kya has learned the ways of the land by surviving when her family abandons her.  She was also able to make a lifelong friend Tate who decides to help Kya learn how to read and write. During their teenage years the two of them fall in love; however Tate leaves Kya to go off to college, to study the marsh, and breaks her heart.    As the story progresses, they reconnect and Kya becomes a published academic on the marsh.

During the time of Tate leaving for college, Kya gets involved with Chase Andrews. Chase and Kya also develop a relationship; however it’s not what Kya hopes for. Instead, Chase turns out to be an arrogant character that simply sees Kya as the dumb marsh girl, and assumes that he can use her however he wants. Kya eventually discovers that Chase is intending to marry another girl so she cuts off ties with him. However, when Chase turns up dead the people that were aware of their connection automatically assume it was Kya’s doing, including the local law enforcement. This escalates into them bringing charges against Kya based on questionable evidence at best, spurred on by the town’s bias of the marsh. To learn how the court case unfolds and the stories of Kya, Tate, Chase and the rest of Barkley Cove you will have to check out Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I personally enjoyed this book, and found it to be a quick read with well written characters. While I will admit at times the character of Kya may be a bit hard to believe in the sense of realism, I found it easy to dismiss based on the likeability of the story. Originally I simply read this book for the Historical Fiction book club I host at the library without many expectations. When I picked the book I simply based it off of knowing it was a popular book with book clubs and was making its rounds through the library system. After having read it I can understand its popularity and would also recommend it.  If this book or historical fiction interests you, I invite you to check out the library’s Historical Fiction Book Club. We currently meet every third Saturday of the month at noon on Zoom where we discuss books such as this one.

4.46 stars on Goodreads, 4.8 on Amazon

The Lady Has A Past (Burning Cove #5) by Amanda Quick (2021)

 

Lyra Brazier, born and raised to be a wealthy, socialite, is desperate to do something worthwhile once it becomes clear she will not be allowed to follow her father as CEO of the family’s shipping business. Lyra has a brain and she wants to use it.  After moving to Burning Cove, California, she talks her way into becoming an Investigative Apprentice at Kirk Investigations, run by Raina Kirk.

When Raina disappears at a health spa during Lyra’s first week on the job, Lyra is determined to find her. Raina’s mob-connected lover insists Lyra have a partner and brings in Simon Cage, a mild-mannered book antiquarian who isn’t quite what he appears to be.

Simon and Lyra sign into the health spa as wealthy newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Cage. Simon soon learns that while Lyra is inexperienced, her gut instincts and the ability to get people to talk more than makes up for it.  Simon, who lacks the social graces of Lyra has the unique gift of being able to sense energy from inanimate objects. Between the two of them, they possess all the skills necessary to learn the truth and solve the case before one of them gets killed.

Several of the characters have been featured in the other four Burning Cove books so if you have read them you will be revisiting old friends.  If like me you haven’t read any, you won’t even know it until the last part of the book. Each book can stand on its own.

4.34 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie (2021)

 

A familiar tale with a brand-new twist.  Forty-eight-year-old Jennifer Barnes, mother of triplets and grandmother to twins, never expected the news she receives at a routine doctor’s appointment. Jennifer has a terminal brain tumor and only six weeks to live. She also learns that blood tests from the previous year showed a high concentration of lead, but Jennifer is positive she was never told.  Who wants her dead bad enough to deliberately poison her?

The prime suspect is her husband Jake, who asked for a divorce two earlier, a divorce Jennifer is not willing to grant. Jennifer’s three daughters can’t believe their father is responsible for the poisoning and their doubts lead Jennifer to question what she knows is true. Someone wants her dead and she wants to know who.

McKenzie does a great job developing her characters, with chapters devoted to Jennifer and each of the girls. All four women are flawed so be prepared not be real fond of any of them.

What would you do if told you had only six weeks to live?

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.