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“The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern” by Lynda Cohen Loigman – Book Review @StMartinsPress #TheLoveElixirOfAugustaStern @lyndacloigman #BookReview | Fictionophile
This is my fourth time reading Loigman's novels. As "The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern" is her fourth published novel, I'm right on pace. Augusta Stern was a great character. A strong, highly intelligent women who was born to a Jewish New York family. Her father owned Stern's Pharmacy and Augusta plans to eventually go…
“Secrets of Rose Briar Hall” by Kelsey James – Book Review @KensingtonBooks #SecretsOfRoseBriarHall @kelseyjamesbook #BookReview | Fictionophile
It was the reference to "Gaslight" starring Ingrid Bergman that originally attracted me to this novel. The early 1900s were a scary time if you were a woman... Wives were considered to be the 'chattel' of their husbands with few rights of any description. Even wealth could not spare a woman if her husband seeks…
“Murder by Degrees” by Ritu Mukerji – Book Review | Fictionophile
Besides being a historical mystery "Murder by Degrees" was also a treatise on the history of social reform, women's rights, and the history of medical education. Set in 1875 Philadelphia, it acknowledged that city's manufacturing and industrial foundations, its multicultural heritage, and its pioneering in the field of medical study. The protagonist, Dr. Lydia Weston,…
“The Orchid Hour” by Nancy Bilyeau – Book Review | Fictionophile
The year is 1923 and the reader is immersed in the not so 'good 'ol days' of Little Italy, New York. A time when prohibition was the law and the 'Black Hand' enforced a protection racket. A time of first generation immigrants, overcrowded tenements, speakeasy's, rum runners, racketeers, bootleggers, and police corruption. It was also…
“The Orchid Hour” by Nancy Bilyeau – Book Review @lume_books @Tudorscribe #TheOrchidHour #HistoricalFiction #BookReview | Fictionophile
The year is 1923 and the reader is immersed in the not so 'good 'ol days' of Little Italy, New York. A time when prohibition was the law and the 'Black Hand' enforced a protection racket. A time of first generation immigrants, overcrowded tenements, speakeasy's, rum runners, racketeers, bootleggers, and police corruption. It was also…
“Swan Light” by Phoebe Rowe – Book Review | Fictionophile
"Lighthouses exist because people are so afraid of the sea that they forget to be afraid of the shore." I was raised just a few short miles from an iconic lighthouse, so I retain an inexplicable fondness for lighthouses of all shapes and sizes. Set on the rugged eastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada, this debut…
“The Cypress Maze” by Fiona Valpy – Book Review @AmazonPub @FionaValpy #TheCypressMaze #BookReview | Fictionophile
Having read several other books by this author I knew I was in for an enjoyable read. Her novels are peopled with realistic and empathetic characters and situations. Told via dual timelines, "The Cypress Maze" transports the reader to Tuscany, Italy. The present timeline features Tess, a young woman who is grieving the loss of…
“Swan Light” by Phoebe Rowe – Book Review #SwanLight @byphoeberowe @LUAuthors #DebutNovel #BookReview | Fictionophile
"Lighthouses exist because people are so afraid of the sea that they forget to be afraid of the shore." I was raised just a few short miles from an iconic lighthouse, so I retain an inexplicable fondness for lighthouses of all shapes and sizes. Set on the rugged eastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada, this debut…
“The Woman On The Bridge” by Sheila O’Flanagan – Book Review @headlinebooks @headlinepg @sheilaoflanagan #TheWomanOnTheBridge #BookReview @RandomTTours #BlogTour@sheila | Fictionophile
Sheila O'Flanagan has accomplished what many have tried and few have been successful at doing. She has put a human face on Ireland's history while making all the myriad allegiances, battles, uprisings, rebellions, and suffering understandable to the lay reader. It is obvious that this novel was intensely researched in addition to the wealth of…
“The Paper Man” by Billy O’Callaghan – Book Review | Fictionophile
When historical fiction is as well researched, and as powerfully written as "The Paper Man", you can't but enjoy the read. And in the hands of Billy O'Callaghan, you must know up front that you just might shed a tear or two... This is a dual time-line novel based on true events. The 1930s time-line…
“The Last Heir to Blackwood Library” by Hester Fox – Book Review | Fictionophile
"Heaven truly was an untouched stash of books, just waiting to be opened and read." This is a gothic ghost story with fantastical elements. There were many parts of this novel that I really appreciated. The protagonist's bibliophilia for one. This is an homage to books and those who love them. It is easy to…
“Homecoming” by Kate Morton – Book Review @SimonSchusterCA @simonschuster #Homecoming #KateMorton #BookReview | Fictionophile
Ever since reading "The Forgotten Garden", I have been a huge fan of Kate Morton's novels. Since they have been published in 38 languages and have been international bestsellers, it would seem I am not alone. Kate Morton certainly knows how to weave a story. This time, she weaves a narrative that is part family…
“The Walled Garden” by Sarah Hardy – Book Review | Fictionophile
Oakbourne Hall - a once grand Suffolk Manor House. Oakbourne is now dilapidated and needs much in the way of restoration after being requisitioned by Canadian soldiers for the last five years of WWII. There is no money for repairs, no money at all in fact. The once large indoor and outdoor staff are gone.…
“The Secrets of Hartwood Hall” by Katie Lumsden – Book Review | Fictionophile
I'm always keen to try new authors, and this debut novel was a corker! Anyone who enjoyed "Mrs. England" by Stacey Halls will probably love this one. Hartwood Hall is an isolated and somewhat dilapidated manor in Somersetshire, England. It is 1852 and Margaret Lennox is only recently widowed from her husband of three years,…
Friday’s Freebies on Kindle | Fictionophile
Today I downloaded 200 FREE BOOKS from Amazon.ca These are all well known, classic literature stories. You know, the kind you always meant to read, but didn't get around to... Well, now they are all FREE for the taking! These stories were written by such authors as Charlotte Brontë, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, D.H.…
“The Legacy of Halesham Hall” by Jenni Keer – Book Review | Fictionophile
Whenever I see a book with a beautiful cover and the word 'HALL' in the title it is a sure bet that I will want to investigate further. This is likely a throwback to my adolescent reading days filled with gothic suspense fiction. This is my first time reading the work of Jenni Keer and…
“Under A Veiled Moon” by Karen Odden – Book Review | Fictionophile
Scotland Yard Inspector Michael Corravan - an Irishman in his thirties, Michael has twelve years experience of policing. He had a challenging childhood because his mother went missing when he was only eleven - leaving him to fend for himself. Luckily a women named 'Ma' took him in off the Whitechapel streets. Before joining the…
“The Highland Girls At War” by Helen Yendall – Book Review | Fictionophile
Thoroughly enjoyable as an entertaining historical story, this novel also introduced me to The Women's Timber Corps. I had of course known about the 'Land Girls', but this is the first time I've learned about the lumberjills (as opposed to lumberjacks)Set in the forests of Scotland during 1942, the story featured several of the lumberjills…
“The Foundling” by Ann Leary – Book Review | Fictionophile
Mary Engle - is eighteen years old. She has just landed a job at the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. Mary has no family to speak of and was raised mostly in a Catholic orphanage. She is quite in awe of the director, Dr. Agnes Vogel and works as her secretary.…
“The Winter Guest” by W.C. Ryan – Book Review | Fictionophile
"There is an air of desolation about the place." WWI has recently ended but Ireland is still fighting. A Civil War rages in Ireland, and it is an escalating and bloody battle. The action in this novel takes place after the first infamous 'Bloody Sunday'. There is an IRA ambush outside the manor house owned…
Teaser Tuesday – May 10, 2022 #NewBook #TeaserTuesday #TheFoundling @annleary @simonschuster @ScribnerBooks @msrucci | Fictionophile
My Tuesday post where I'll 'tease' you with the cover, blurb, and first paragraph of one of the advanced reader's copies from my own TBR. This book is a title I downloaded from Edelweiss. Today, Tuesday May 10, 2022 I want to introduce one of the ARCs on my TBR. This novel will be published…
“Without The Moon” by Cathi Unsworth – Book Review | Fictionophile
WITHOUT THE MOON, based on a true crime that occurred during the dark days of February 1942, was also longlisted for the 2016 Gordon Burn Prize and made The Times' Crime Book of the Month on publication. Anyone who is interested in the events of WWII will probably appreciate this historical mystery novel. Set in…
“The Matchmaker’s Gift” by Lynda Cohen Loigman – Book Review | Fictionophile
This is the author's third novel and I have read all her work. I have to say that I enjoy her writing enough that if I see her name on the cover, I will get a copy. This book was a charming, dual timeline foray into the lives of two Jewish American women, both of…