Another Year!

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5 stars, academia, Ahsley Poston, Blake Crouch, books, cartography, Contemporary Romance, fairies, genetic engineering, ghosts, Heather Fawcett, historical, historical romance, humor, India Holton, Madeline Martin, magical realism, maps, Mimi Matthews, paranormal romance, Patricia Briggs, Peng Shepherd, romance, scifi, series, urban fantasy, witches, WWII

7 years ago today, I shared my first book review on Whiskey With My Book.  To mark this occasion, I thought I’d recap last year by listing my 10 favorite 5-star books of 2022.  It is really hard to choose only 10, but for your sake and mine, I did.  It is even harder to rank them, but I managed.  Note: If I reviewed the book, I included the link. Clicking on the cover will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$)!

10 and 9 – The Bell of Belgrave Square and The Siren of Sussex.  These are the first two books in The Belles of London series by Mimi Matthews.  The historical romances are about women and men who find love outside society’s expected boundaries. 

8 – Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson, #13) by Patricia Briggs.  Between 2021 and 2022, I read (or listened to) the entire Mercy Thompson series.  Binging the urban fantasy series was a great way to soak it up. I reviewed 1-12 before I read #13.

7 – The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.  Wartime in London is fraught with danger and heartbreak.  This was a moving story enriched by historical detail, complex characters, and books.

6 – The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd.  An absolutely fascinating bit of magical realism, secrets, maps, mapmakers, and intrigue. 

5 – Upgrade by Blake Crouch.  This was one of two Blake Crouch books I read last year.  Upgrade examines the ethics of scientific advancements.

4 and 3 – The League of Gentlewomen Witches and the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton.  The first two books in the Dangerous Damsels series are highly entertaining.  Crammed full with humor, romance and flying battlehouses, what’s not to love?

2 – Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.  I was completely charmed by this tale of two academics whose study of faeries becomes an adventure you will never forget.

1 – The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston.  I don’t read a lot of fiction set in current times, so I was quite surprised that this contemporary romance turned out to appeal to me so much!  I even recommended it to my library’s book club.  I hope they love it as much as I did.  I plan to share a review of this book eventually.  I might save it for Valentine’s week.

Thank you for following my blog. I hope, if you are looking for a good book to read, you will find something great here! 

Belles of London by Mimi Matthews – Series (to date) Review

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5 stars, Book Review, books, favorite series, horses, Mimi Matthews, romance, series, Victorian

I recently read the first two books in Mimi Matthews’ Belles of London series. I had received an ARC from Netgalley for book 2 and when I saw book 1 on sale, purchase it. I loved both of these, so I have a couple of quick reviews for you today.

Review of The Siren of Sussex

I was drawn to the cover of this book.  And happy to find inside, a story as lovely as the cover.  Evelyn is a skilled and daring equestrienne who intends to use her riding skills and stunning costumes to attract a husband.  Instead, she finds the man she is attracted, her tailor, is all sorts of wrong for her. 

A humble tailor from India, Ahmad should stay away from Evelyn.  He is still trying to make a name for himself in an intolerant society.  Only his skill as a designer and tailor can set him on the road to success.

Evelyn and Ahmad end up in each other’s company so much that they cannot ignore their feelings.  The story is about overcoming racial and class prejudices, jealousy and their personal pragmatism.  I was cheering for this couple to make it and make it big!  One of the best Happily Ever Afters I have read in a long time!

About The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.

Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.

But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?

Review of The Belle of Belgrave Square

As with the first book in this series, I love the cover of this book.  But the real hook was the heroine.  I could absolutely relate to Julia as an avid novel reader.  While her home life was less than ideal, Julia was able to escape to books.  I hate to use the term ‘evil’ when describing her parents, but they absolutely failed in the loving, supportive parent category.  Plus, they thought novels were bad for her.  How disturbing is that?  In an era of rampant book censorship, that really resonated.

When she meets Captain Jasper Blunt, his reputation has Julia wary.  Jasper is looking for an heiress to save the estate where he is raising a family.    But Jasper allows a glimpse at his compassionate side, through a mutual admiration of an author.  They form a marriage of convenience.

The couple has many obstacles to overcome: children, parents, meddling friends, and secrets.  It’s the secrets that make the story intriguing and provide a few surprises that will delight the reader.  I enjoyed seeing the couple fall in love and form a family.  One of my favorite chapters was when Julia set her ‘evil’ parents straight. 

The Belle of Belgrave Square is the second in the Belles of London series.  The historical romances set in the Victorian era stand alone, but also, quite nicely, fit together.  

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

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About The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

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The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk – Review

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3 stars, Book Review, books, Eva Jurczyk, library, mystery

Review of The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

When Liesl Weiss’s boss has a stroke, she must take over running the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.  First order of business, find the missing, very expensive book.  With uncooperative co-workers, a demanding college president and the ever-present entitled donors, Liesl’s job just went from satisfying to stressful.  

In every job I’ve had, the more trying the situation, the more people knuckled down and worked together.  Not the bunch at this library.  Avoiding blame and placing it seem to be everyone’s strategy.  Sounds like politicians.   The result was a bunch of characters that left me unsympathetic.  Which means I didn’t get engaged in the story.   Liesl, the heroine, struggles through the entire book to gain my sympathy, but always falls short – as a manager, as a wife, as a friend.  I’m not saying that heroines have to be strong and nearly perfect.  However, I would have enjoyed Liesl a little more if she had a bit more backbone.

Not everyone who reads this book will feel the same way.  Others might get excited about university politics and departmental infighting.  Some might be into rare books.  I prefer accessible books.  Other readers may really like solving the mystery to find the thief.  Half-way through the book, I knew who the culprit was, so there wasn’t even much of a puzzle. 

There were a couple of themes that the author put out there.  One of the side-stories was about mental illness.  There was also the subject of good old boys doing things their way while those that disagree (women) have to find a way to work around them.

This was a disappointing book for me, though was good enough to read to the end.  And in the end, Liesl did the right thing. 

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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About The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

What holds more secrets in the library: the ancient books shelved in the stacks or the people who preserve them?

Liesl Weiss has been (mostly) happy working in the rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she’s left to run things, she discovers that the library’s most prized manuscript is missing.

Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book but is told repeatedly to keep quiet to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian goes missing as well. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues’ pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long—and about the people who preserve and revere them—shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life.

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