Tag: historical

The Library of Light and Shadow by M. J. Rose

Title: The Library of Light and Shadow Author: M. J. Rose Pub. Date: 18-July-2017 Rating: 4 Stars

The Library of Light and Shadow by M. J. Rose is the third installment in the Daughters of La Lune series. The book can be read as a stand-alone and is a pleasant mix of historical fiction, romance and fantasy. The setting is during the roaring twenties, known in France as “annees folles” or crazy years. This was a time when excess was all the rage and women were just starting to redefine their role in society.

The story is about Delphine Duplessi, a gifted young artist from France living in New York City. Delphine makes her living as a party favor drawing “shadow portraits” at high society parties. The portraits reveal the darkest secrets of those she draws. While this ability is a gift, it is also a curse. It can, and did, wreak havoc in the lives of those whose shadow portraits revealed secrets not meant to be uncovered. Continue reading “The Library of Light and Shadow by M. J. Rose”

Book mail!

I love book mail! These are the new books I received this week. One book was a gift from a friend. One came from an author for review.  Another I requested from a publisher. The rest…. well, I could not pass up because they were on sale. Two of the best words in the world when said together, “Books” and “Sale”. How is a girl to resist?

The Nazi’s Daughter by Tim Murgatroyd

Title: The Nazi’s Daughter
Author: Tim Murgatroyd
Pub. Date: 31-May-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

The Nazi’s Daughter is set in present day New York City and 1943 Europe at the height of WWII. Elise Van Thoof-Noman is the daughter of a very powerful Dutch Nazi. She is a prima ballerina that has suffered a career ending tendon injury. After recuperating in Paris, Elise heads off to a remote island off the coast of Holland. Once there she meets Pieter Goedhart a school teacher and reluctant resistance fighter. They are drawn to each other, but Pieter must take care with Elise. She cannot find out about the people he is hiding from the Nazis in his attic. If she does, it could jeopardize both their lives and the lives of those he is hiding. Continue reading “The Nazi’s Daughter by Tim Murgatroyd”

Hannah’s Moon by John A. Heldt

Title: Hannah’s Moon
Author: John A. Heldt
Pub. Date: 8-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Hannah’s Moon is the last book in the American Journey series. Do not worry if you have not read any of the other books in the series, because this one can be read as a stand-alone and you will not feel lost. In fact, I have only read one other in the series, September Sky, which is the first one. The entire series is based on a sci-fi, time travel theme. Expect also to get a little romance, suspense and WWII history with this one.

Claire Rasmussen wants nothing more than to have a child. After numerous attempts with the last one ending in a still birth she and Ron, her husband, decide to adopt. They soon discover that in 2017 this route is difficult and a very long process. Fortunately for them, a distant relative enters into the picture. Professor Bell, a relative of Claire’s, does have a solution and offers to send them back to 1945 where adoptions are much quicker and red tape a lot less. Continue reading “Hannah’s Moon by John A. Heldt”

The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George

Title: The Confessions of Young Nero
Author: Margaret George
Pub Date: 7-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

The Confessions of Young Nero is the first installment of a two book series that follows the life of Nero, as he rises, at a young age, to become one of the better known emperors in Roman history. The story is fiction but the facts behind the story are very real. The author takes us into the world of Roman royalty in which greed, deception and murder are a part of everyday life.

We enter the story when Nero is a young child of four. He is not yet Nero, but Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus whose father is dead and mother has been exiled. At this early age he is introduced to the savagery that is part of his heritage when his uncle, the emperor, tries to kill him. Upon his Uncle’s demise, Nero’s mother, Agrippina, is able to return to Rome and reunite with her son. She sees young Nero as a way to achieve her ultimate goal of ruling the Roman Empire. All she needs is the right pawn. Continue reading “The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George”

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Title: The Radium Girls
Author: Kate Moore
Pub. Date: 2-May-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

I almost don’t know where to begin because The Radium Girls is a tragic story.  It is probably one of the most difficult books, emotionally, I have ever read.  It is the true story of the young women who worked in factories that applied a luminous Radium paint onto watch dials so they would glow. Of course, the women did not know it was dangerous and their employers went out of their way to make sure they remained ignorant of the facts. Their struggle to get answers about why they were so sick and get justice once they discovered it was caused by the Radium is inspiring.

For these “girls”, some as young as fourteen, it was a dream of a job. The pay was excellent and to be working with the wondrous new element Radium, that almost every day some new benefit was found, was an added benefit. You were indeed lucky to be hired on to work in the painting studio. The Radium dust settled in the women’s hair and clothes causing them to glow. Everyone wanted to be one of the alluring luminous Radium girls. Even some privileged girls would work for a short period of time to experience it. Continue reading “The Radium Girls by Kate Moore”

All the King’s Soliders by John Anthony Miller

Title: All the King’s Soliders
Author: John Anthony Miller
Pub Date: 17-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

All the King’s Soldiers is set in 1940 Lisbon shortly after the German invasion of France. There is a large network of spies, of multiple nationalities, in and around Lisbon, given that Portugal has decided to remain neutral.

The story opens with the murder of Taylor Hartridge, a British spy, in a small town just outside of Lisbon. It is thought he was killed for the contents of his safe.  It is believed the safe contained the German invasion plans for Great Britain, a very valuable commodity and definitely one to kill for.  Continue reading “All the King’s Soliders by John Anthony Miller”