The Secret Chapter

The Secret Chapter (Invisible Library 6)- Genevieve Cogman
Ace
Release Date: January 7, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Some Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: A Librarian’s work is never done, and Irene is summoned to the Library. The world where she grew up is in danger of veering deep into chaos, and she needs to obtain a particular book to stop this from happening. Her only choice is to contact a mysterious Fae information-broker and trader of rare objects: Mr. Nemo.

Irene and Kai make their way to Mr. Nemo’s remote Caribbean island and are invited to dinner, which includes unlikely company. Mr. Nemo has an offer for everyone there: he wants them to steal a specific painting from a specific world. But to get their reward, they will have to form a team, including a dragon techie, a Fae thief, a gambler, a driver, and the muscle. Their goal? The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, in an early twenty-first-century world, where their toughest challenge might be each other.

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A Librarian's main job is to collect unique books from different worlds in order to stabilize those worlds between the forces of chaos and order.  Irene may have accidentally found herself getting more involved with politics lately (The Mortal Word), but when she learns that the world where she went to boarding school is mysteriously tipping into chaos, she's determined to get the manuscript necessary to save it.  The only problem is, the manuscript is currently in the hands of the secretive Fae Mr. Nemo, and in order to get her hands on it, Irene is going to have to do something for him: steal a specific painting from a specific world with the help of Kai, a Fae thief, a Fae gambler, a Fae driver, a Fae thug and a dragon techie.  What could possibly go wrong?

Genevieve Cogman says it herself: at some point, you knew there had to be a heist.  And more than the garden variety 'acquiring' of books that makes up the main work of a Librarian.  Think James Bond meets The Italian Job, Ocean's Eleven, and any other heist movie you can think of, add scheming Fae and a dash of dragon politics and you have The Secret Chapter.  The world in question is under heavy control of CENSOR, a police force whose cameras are everywhere and who will raid a place looking for demons, vampires, or werewolves at the drop of a hat.  This, of course, is less than optimal for a group of thieves who need to steal a gigantic painting from Vienna's most famous museum.  

Irene is her usual excellent self: trying to keep Kai and dragon Indigo from killing each other, trying to keep the unlikely mix of characters organized in order to steal the painting and putting their individual agendas on hold- all with the least violence necessary.  She has a deadline to save a world and is determined to do it.  What's interesting is that despite her doubts of her own morals or ethics, she does actually have them.  Sometimes this is highly inconvenient since it makes her try to get everyone out of a situation alive instead of going for the easy way out, but I found it rather comforting.  She's a more complex and relatable character because of her morals, and because she questions whether she has them.

We get to see a more of Irene's parents in Chapter than we ever have before, and it definitely shows us where Irene gets her practical attitude!  Vale and Lord Silver make almost no appearance, which on the one hand is disappointing because they are always fun, but on the other hand they wouldn't have worked in this book so it was good of Cogman to try not and fit too much in one book.  There is still a relationship between Irene and Kai that I'm not convinced of, but Cogman kept the romance basically  'off-stage', which was great as far as I was concerned.  The new Fae characters will seem like completely familiar examples of their tropes (which is the point) but Cogman intrigues readers with a few hints about Fae nature and what exactly a Fae is that I hope she'll explore in future books.  And we learn a few dragon secrets that have the potential to be highly explosive in the future.  

The Secret Chapter drags a little  sometimes as Cogman sets the scene, but overall this is one of her better in the series.  Between intriguing secrets, expected betrayals, unexpected betrayals, dragon fights, and sharks, it has plenty to enjoy.  For me, the best part of a Genevieve Cogman book is her writing style: full of dry humor, rapier sharp wit, beautiful descriptions, and delightfully detailed world(s) building.  One of Cogman's greatest skills is her ability to create an image in only a few words and letting the reader'a imagination take it from there.  A perfect example? Levitating corgis.    

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Trace of Deceit

A Trace of Deceit- Karen Odden
William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: December 17, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: A young painter digs beneath the veneer of Victorian London’s art world to learn the truth behind her brother’s murder... 

Edwin is dead. That’s what Inspector Matthew Hallam of Scotland Yard tells Annabel Rowe when she discovers him searching her brother’s flat for clues. While the news is shocking, Annabel can’t say it’s wholly unexpected, given Edwin’s past as a dissolute risk-taker and art forger, although he swore he’d reformed. After years spent blaming his reckless behavior for their parents’ deaths, Annabel is now faced with the question of who murdered him—because Edwin’s death was both violent and deliberate. A valuable French painting he’d been restoring for an auction house is missing from his studio: find the painting, find the murderer. But the owner of the artwork claims it was destroyed in a warehouse fire years ago.

As a painter at the prestigious Slade School of Art and as Edwin’s closest relative, Annabel makes the case that she is crucial to Matthew’s investigation. But in their search for the painting, Matthew and Annabel trace a path of deceit and viciousness that reaches far beyond the elegant rooms of the auction house, into an underworld of politics, corruption, and secrets someone will kill to keep.  

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Annabel Rowe has been slowly working to reconcile with her brother Edwin, but one day she arrives at his flat to discover two detectives there with the news that Edwin is dead.  Murdered, with a valuable painting he had been cleaning now missing.  Annabel needs to understand what happened to her brother to gain some closure on his death (and life) and she convinces Inspector Matthew Hallam that her knowledge of the art world and Edwin will prove valuable to discovering his murderer.  But what they discover is the darkness behind the art world, where secrets fester and can prove worth killing for.

A Trace of Deceit is an engrossing Victorian mystery with a strong central figure in Annabel.  A student at the Slade Art School, she is trying to find her place in the masculine world of painting.  She sees herself as an observer instead of a participant in the world and holds herself apart from fellow students and her older brother, trying to prevent herself from being hurt.  But Annabel is only fooling herself- she's a caring, compassionate woman who feels deeply.  Edwin's death hits her hard, but she finds strength in working with Matthew to discover the killer.  She doesn't shy away from hard truths, although she might not think of them as automatically as a more cynical person would.  And there are plenty of hard truths about Edwin that she has to accept in order to understand his murder.

Where Odden's A Dangerous Duet brought readers into intimate contact with the city of London, A Trace of Deceit focuses on its people.  Like Annabel herself, we focus on how they interact, what they show, and what they hide.  We see through the eyes of a painter the light and the dark that make up the world around Annabel and Matthew.  Odden uses this not only to give the reader brilliant descriptions of the lives around our heroes, but to plant red herrings and clues with equal strength, forcing the reader to continually adjust their view of what seems, at first, to be a simple murder.  

Engrossing from start to finish, A Trace of Deceit will keep readers guessing from start to finish, in a book impossible to put down until the last stone is unturned and the last secret is revealed.  Full of heart and empathy, Odden explores how individuals deal with personal and family tragedies, betrayals, and secrets.  A must read for fans of Sherry Thomas, Anne Perry, and Victorian mystery lovers everywhere.

Madness of Sunshine

A Madness of Sunshine- Nalini Singh
Berkley Publishing/Penguin Group
Release Date: December 3, 2019 

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates. 

That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement to not look back. But they can’t run from the past forever. 

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.  

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

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A Madness of Sunshine is a departure from Nalini Singh's usual paranormal romance (Wolf Rain, Archangel's War).  A psychological thriller with a bit of romance on the edges, Sunshine dives deep into the darkness that is people.  Whether small town or large city, rich or poor, everyone has their secrets- and suddenly those secrets could mean the difference between life and death in Golden Cove, New Zealand.  When Anahera returns to Golden Cove and a young woman disappears, Anahera and her friends find themselves remembering the disappearances of three hikers when they were teens.  The disappearances were a decade apart so they couldn't be related. Could they?

 Singh does her usual masterful job in creating three-dimensional characters (whether primary, secondary, or brief walk-ons) and Golden Cove, the surrounding jungles and beaches, and New Zealand itself become as much a character as any of the people. The sense of place is incredibly strong, and the reader is instantly drawn into the wild West Coast of New Zealand.  Anahera is a strong and wonderful person- damaged and trying to piece herself together again, she is trying to find ways to deal with the loss of her mother and husband, her husband's betrayal, and coming back to Golden Cove both opens old wounds and helps heal them. Will, Golden Cove's only police officer, is an outsider who was moved in to deal with tourists after his superiors worry he's burned himself out on a case that ended in flames and still haunts him.  He's smart enough to know the locals may be friendly, but they aren't going to share secrets with someone from outside- even before danger hits.  He may be hiding and piecing himself together as well, but he worries some parts of himself have burned away for ever.

The mystery is full of clues and red herrings, hints that seem like red herrings until the end and shocking twists and turns the whole way through.  Full of descriptions of lush jungle trails, crashing ocean waves, and both the best and worst of human nature, A Madness of Sunshine will be a joy for long-time Nalini Singh fans and a revelation for new-comers.  A book you won't be able to put down once you've started, A Madness of Sunshine shines bright among new thrillers.    

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Labyrinth of Ice

Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition- Buddy Levy
St. Martin's Press/MacMillan
Release Date: December 3, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚


Synopsis: In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps. Their goal: Farthest North. What would follow was one of the most extraordinary and terrible voyages ever made. 

Greely and his men confronted every possible challenge—vicious wolves, sub-zero temperatures, and months of total darkness—as they set about exploring one of the most remote, unrelenting environments on the planet. In May 1882, they broke the 300-year-old record, and returned to camp to eagerly await the resupply ship scheduled to return at the end of the year. Only nothing came. 

250 miles south, a wall of ice prevented any rescue from reaching them. Provisions thinned and a second winter descended. Back home, Greely’s wife worked tirelessly against government resistance to rally a rescue mission.

Months passed, and Greely made a drastic choice: he and his men loaded the remaining provisions and tools onto their five small boats, and pushed off into the treacherous waters. After just two weeks, dangerous floes surrounded them. Now new dangers awaited: insanity, threats of mutiny, and cannibalism. As food dwindled and the men weakened, Greely's expedition clung desperately to life.

Labyrinth of Ice tells the true story of the heroic lives and deaths of these voyagers hell-bent on fame and fortune—at any cost—and how their journey changed the world.

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In July 1881 Lt. Adolphus Greely and 24 men set off on the adventure of a lifetime: to explore the Arctic, collect two years worth of scientific recordings on the climate, and, if possible, break the English record for Farthest North that had lasted for 300 years.  None of the men had Arctic experience but Greely had read everything he possibly could on all previous expeditions.  They built a base, learned how to last through sunless winters, experienced -30 to -50 degree temperatures, and explored.  New areas were mapped, a new Farthest North and Farthest West were reached and they gathered incredibly detailed scientific observations and records for others to examine.  For two years they lived successfully in their Arctic fort, but scheduled annual resupply ships never came.  So they began to travel 250 miles south to meet the ship that was supposed to pick them up.   And then the real challenges began. . . 

For anyone (like me) who has never read a book on Arctic exploration, Labyrinth of Ice will be a real eye-opener.  The weather alone would be enough that most people would never even consider such a trip, yet here was a group of Army men, none with any experience in these kinds of conditions, who were so excited to participate that several of them literally begged to be allowed to join the expedition.  There was no giant monetary reward in it for them- they wanted to be known for doing something few had done and to possibly set new records.  None of them were scientists but they were meticulous in their records and got observations on time everyday despite occasionally gale-force winds and white-out blizzards.  The tons of supplies they packed, the planning that had to be done in advance, the hiking that had to be done, all seem unimaginable in today's world.  And those were considered the good conditions!  When things went bad (and don't they always in Arctic exploration?) unimaginable doesn't even begin to cover it.

Labyrinth of Ice is meticulously researched and Levy uses the words of the explorers themselves whenever possible to fully bring the journey to life. Detailed and wonderfully written, the reader is pulled straight into the men's experiences: the beauty of the aurora borealis, the difficulty of hiking in blizzards, the dangers of the watery voyage south, and finally the misery and terror of the final eight months in Camp Clay waiting for rescue or death. The creativity in what could be eaten and the strength and bravery of the men will astound you. Whether you are a newcomer or loyal follower of all things Arctic exploration, Labyrinth of Ice will thrill you from first to last.  A must-read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

All Fired Up

All Fired Up (Road to Love 3)- Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: November 19, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚

Synopsis: Charlotte Parrish has always wanted a certain kind of man: someone responsible, settled, boring. Bad boys need not apply. But when her car leaves her stranded and a mysterious stranger with brooding eyes and a protective streak comes to her rescue, she can’t deny how drawn she is to him. In town searching for family he’s never met, Mitch is everything she never thought she wanted—and suddenly everything she craves. 

Finding his half brothers after all these years is more than Mitch Crews has allowed himself to wish for. Finding love never even crossed his mind…until he meets Charlotte. She’s sweet, warmhearted, sexier than she knows—and too damn good for an ex-con like him. But when his past comes back to haunt him, putting Charlotte—and the family he’s come to care for—in danger, Mitch isn’t playing by the rules. He’s already surrendered his heart, but now he’ll risk his life.

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Book 3 in Lori Foster's Road to Love series (Driven to Distraction, Slow Ride) introduces readers to Mitch Crews, the illegitimate half-brother of Brodie and Jake.  Mitch has had a rough life, full of neglect and abuse, but has tried to do the right thing throughout.  Being a driver once on a deal he thought would protect his addict mother landed him in jail for five years- which honed his self-preservation instincts and left him tough but not cruel.  Once out of jail he wants to meet his unknown half-siblings and see if starting a new life might include new people.  But he's unprepared for the warm welcome he gets from not only his brothers, but their mother, and their best friend Charlotte as well.  He's also unprepared for the instant chemistry he has with Charlotte.

You can always count of Lori Foster to include some adorable animals in her books, but this is the first book I can think of where Mitch's rescue dog, a pit bull mix named Brute, is such a perfect reflection of his person.  Both have been abused and neglected since childhood, neither trusts easily or has any idea what to do with unthreatening, non-judgmental acceptance.  Both might want love, but don't know how to handle family. And both are willing to take a bite out of anyone who threatens the family they do claim.  Mitch might have hoped for a chance to build a relationship with Brodie and Jack, but he never expected the acceptance he gets and has no idea what to do with it.  It is both sweet and heartbreaking to see Mitch (and Brute) awkwardly try to work out how to interact with their new family when their expectations were so different.  Fortunately, the Crews family is pushy enough not to let Mitch back away once they have him and they teach him just what family is supposed to mean.  Mitch's relationship to Charlotte is similar: he's sure he's no where near good enough for her and as much as he wants her he backs away for her sake- and Charlotte isn't willing to let him back off too far.

Above everything, All Fired Up is a book about family.  What it can be, what it should be, and how the really good ones are with you through the bad times as well as the good ones.  When a drug dealer from Mitch's past threatens him, the entire Crews family steps up and surrounds him, both with love and with support of whatever violence might be necessary to end the threat.  Mitch's new family might be a little kooky and a lot pushy, but he's on the road to learning that true family, like true love, is always willing to help you bury the bodies when needed.

Book 3 in a series, All Fired Up doesn't necessarily need to be read in order but could be a stand alone for new readers.  The writing isn't as tight as some of Foster's books and drags in a few spots thanks to some repetition, but overall it's full of wonderful chemistry between Mitch and Charlotte, entertaining interactions among the family, and insanely adorable dogs.  Grab your furry friend to read alongside you and enjoy! 

I received an ARC of this book from BetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Ship of Dreams

The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era- Gareth Russell
Atria Books
Release Date: November 19, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: In April 1912, six notable people were among those privileged to experience the height of luxury—first class passage on “the ship of dreams,” the RMs Titanic: Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes; son of the British Empire, Tommy Andrews; American captain of industry John Thayer and his son Jack; Jewish-American immigrant Ida Straus; and American model and movie star Dorothy Gibson. Within a week of setting sail, they were all caught up in the horrifying disaster of the Titanic’s sinking, one of the biggest news stories of the century. Today, we can see their stories and the Titanic’s voyage as the beginning of the end of the established hierarchy of the Edwardian era.

Writing in his elegant signature prose and using previously unpublished sources, deck plans, journal entries, and surviving artifacts, Gareth Russell peers through the portholes of these first-class travelers to immerse us in a time of unprecedented change in British and American history. Through their intertwining lives, he examines social, technological, political, and economic forces such as the nuances of the British class system, the explosion of competition in the shipping trade, the birth of the movie industry, the Irish Home Rule Crisis, and the Jewish-American immigrant experience while also recounting their intimate stories of bravery, tragedy, and selflessness.

Masterful in its superb grasp of the forces of history, gripping in its moment-by-moment account of the sinking, revelatory in discounting long-held myths, and lavishly illustrated with color and black and white photographs, this absorbing, accessible, and authoritative account of the Titanic’s life and death is destined to become the definitive book on the subject.

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Just when you think a subject has been studied to pieces, that nothing new can be written about it, along comes a book like Gareth Russell's The Ship of Dreams.  Thanks to intense research, Russell brings readers into the lives of first class passengers Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes; Thomas Andrews; Ida and Isidor Straus and others: the American millionaire businessmen, British aristocrats, and glamorous movie stars who were among those who sailed on Titanic's maiden voyage.  Readers are swept into the day-to-day life on Titanic through Russell's meticulous attention to detail, his brilliant writing style making you feel as if you are on the deck with the passengers.  This holds true both before, during, and after Titanic hits the fatal iceberg- making for some chilling scenes.

 The opulent furnishings and gilded luxuries of the first class cabins strike many of us today as symbols of an ending era. Russell takes this further, connecting Titanic and her passengers to the changes of society that would come with the end of the Edwardian era and the beginning of World War I.  Russell follows specific people to help connect readers to aspects of the larger world of which Titanic is a microcosm: the British aristocracy, the slowly changing class system and the Irish Home Rule Crisis; the early days of the movie industry and the economic competitions that contributed to the making of American millionaires as well as the Titanic and her sisters; the immigrant experience of Jewish-Americans, the connecting of the world through technology like wireless communication, and more.  Occasionally these shifts from individual stories to the world at large were a little clumsy and hard to follow, but I largely found them both relevant and interesting.  

Russell examines many of the long-held myths of Titanic: that steerage passengers were locked below and unable to get to the lifeboats; that fires in the engine room or substandard metal contributed to the sinking; that the sinking was itself an insurance conspiracy by the White Star Line, and more,  He carefully and without prejudice examines each myth in its turn: why they may have arisen and how accurate (or more often, inaccurate) evidence suggests they were.  What do we know about Titanic from physical evidence versus survivors' memories and how accurate could those memories be?  What images are seared into our collective minds from movies and yet are not wholly rooted in fact?  The Ship of Dreams explores the Titanic as both a symbol of an era and a clash of man and nature.  While its focus is more limited than other books that try to explore the entire experience of the ship from staff to steerage, it certainly deserves to take a place among the greatest and most defining book on the iconic ship and her place in history.      

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

36 Righteous Men

36 Righteous Men- Steven Pressfield
W. W. Norton & Co.
Release Date: November 5, 2019

Rating:
📚📚

Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: When James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai are called in to investigate a string of murders, their investigations take them from the headquarters of the Russian mafia in Brighton Beach to a sweltering maze of shops in Little Hong Kong, with scant leads on the killer. But when Manning and Dewey apprehend a woman—a disgraced but brilliant rabbinical scholar—fleeing one of the crime scenes, they’re brought face-to-face with the shocking truth: the Jewish legend of the hidden Righteous Men, the 36 who protect the world from destruction, is no legend at all. They are real, and they are being murdered.

As the bodies pile up and the world tilts further into chaos, Manning and Dewey must protect the last of the Righteous Men from a ruthless killer able to beguile his victims and command them against their will. Plunged into a deadly game of cat and mouse, the detectives find their arsenal of bullets and blades of little use against a foe who knows their every move.

Joining forces with the rabbinical scholar and a renowned anthropologist, Manning and Dewey set off on a perilous quest from New York to Gehenna in Israel to confront a murderer who won’t stop until he’s killed every one.

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It's the year 2034.  Sea levels have risen and environmental refugees crowd the still dry portions of the world.  Massive superstorms, cyclones, sandstorms, and rises in temperature mean that 120 F in April in New York City is the new norm. Detectives James Manning and Covina "Dewey" Duwai are part of a special investigation division of the NYPD working a series of murders that could be connected to ecological terrorism, Russian mafia, or something else entirely.  Rebuffed by their NYPD colleagues, Manning and Dewey join forces with a renowned anthropologist/ecologist and his sister, a disgraced rabbinical scholar who just happens to have been present at each murder scene, to try and stop a serial killer who is determined to finish his mission and end the world.

Most everyone knows the basics of the Noah's Ark story: God decides humans are wicked and plans to wipe them all out and start over with those saved on Noah's ark.  Most everyone probably does not know the story of the 36 Righteous Men.  In Jewish legend, the 36 Righteous Men are God's promise to prevent another apocalypse.  As long as there are 36 righteous men alive, humanity is safe.  If those 36 should die, all bets are off.  Detectives Manning and Dewey are led to clues that suggest the serial murders they are investigating could be the work of someone killing the 36 in order to hurry along armageddon.  

Is 36 Righteous Men a moral story warning that humans have choices in life that lead to unseen, and perhaps catastrophic, consequences?  Is it a suspense/thriller of a police procedural and the hunt for a serial killer?  Is it a thinly veiled screenplay waiting to be turned into a movie with lots of special effects and no character development? The answer to me seems to be: yes to all of the above.  Pressfield makes it clear that humans are doing their best to bring in armageddon without any help and the further into the book you go the less delineation there is between natural disasters and possible divine intervention. Not only do you think by the end that it's probably the same thing, you also know that it doesn't matter.  The police procedural part was thin and mostly focused on Manning being the grizzled veteran following the facts while others run around chasing Russian mafia for no obvious reason.  Dewey, as the narrator, is the young green detective trying to learn from a legend.  Men is best when it focuses on the legend of the 36 and explaining it and surrounding Jewish beliefs to the two gentile detectives- something it manages to do in a natural, non-preachy way.   

Fans of Steven Pressfield's traditional historical fiction (Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons) will be surprised by Pressfield's latest work.  Instead of historical fiction, Pressfield enters a sci-fi futuristic version of the world as it could be in 2034.  Instead of a 'traditional' style of writing, Pressfield experiments with a first-person narrative told through memos and one of the characters points of view in an odd combination of prose and screenplay-style dialogue.  The writing style was distracting to me and greatly hampered any character development, though it did finally work for the ending.  Or maybe by then I was used to it?  The climactic scenes at the end managed to be fast-paced and clunky at the same time.  The very ending, without giving everything away, managed to be both shocking, stunning, and simultaneously probably exactly what I should have seen coming.  

36 Righteous Men gets a bonus star for Pressfield's unique world building of the almost-apocalyptic world of the near future, but loses a lot of points for me for the ending.  I hate books(or movies) where I get to the last page and am left wondering: then what was the point? 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Princess Plan

The Princess Plan- Julia London
HQN Books
Release Date: November 19, 2019

Rating:
📚📚

Synopsis: Nothing gets the tongues of London’s high society wagging like a good scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip about the crime, prompting Sebastian to take an interest in playing detective—and an even greater interest in Eliza.

With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more salacious than a prince dallying with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And when things heat up behind closed doors, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first—his country or his heart.

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A Pride and Prejudice/Cinderella-type story, The Princess Plan features as its' heroine Eliza: a spinster with a bit of a scandalous past who lives quietly at home, taking care of her blind father and living vicariously through her sister and best friend.  When her friend gets Eliza into a masquerade ball, all she wants is to see the crown prince of Alucia, and maybe say hello, so that she has one shining moment in her life to remember.  A few twists and turns later, she and Prince Sebastian are in love and trying to solve a murder.

Eliza is a refreshingly unconventional heroine. A spinster at 28, she has accepted her place in life and doesn't worry about her reputation, or what society thinks she should say, act, or do in any given situation,  She says what she thinks and acts according to her own beliefs instead of society's. Sebastian is at first appalled, then intrigued, then fascinated by this strange woman- she offers no deference to him merely because he's a prince and doesn't bow and scrape like everyone else.  When he acts like a jerk, she calls him on it- even throwing him out of her house because of his rudeness.  As might be expected, the very things about Eliza that drive him crazy are what appeal to Sebastian,  and they fall in love without intending to.

While you might expect the murder of Sebastian's friend and secretary to become the focus of the book, sadly the murder gets pushed to the side in order for our hero and heroine to spend the most time possible bemoaning their situation in life and their futile love.  Readers, as well as Sebastian, go for chapters barely remembering that they are trying to discover a murderer and possible plot against the crown, Sebastian, when he remembers, almost doesn't care because he is so miserable about being a prince who can't marry the woman he loves.  While readers might expect that from Eliza, who doesn't have the power to change anything, I was rather hoping Sebastian would grow a spine and figure out how to solve things long before he actually does.  If not in regards to Eliza, at least regarding his friend's murderer, who is rather obvious.

As much as I enjoyed Eliza- a quick witted and completely natural, delightful woman- I never warmed up to Sebastian.  I never felt any chemistry between them and had a hard time with how stilted and unnatural the relationship felt. We don't learn much about Sebastian's country, Alucia, the rebellions mentioned, or the trade agreements he is working so hard on with England- none of that seems to matter much and is merely background to let him be a prince, and thus, in a difficult marriage position. Julia London's writing style is light, charming, and witty, always a pleasure to read, but I had trouble staying interested in the characters and plot, and felt like it dragged a bit.  I found The Princess Plan a bit of a slog to read, but I'm hoping that was just me and others will enjoy it more.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Convenient Fiction

A Convenient Fiction (Parish Orphans of Devon 3)- Mimi Matthews
Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: October 22, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: It's been three years since Laura Hayes's father died, leaving her and her invalid brother to subsist on the income from the family's failing perfume business. But time is swiftly running out. What she needs is a husband, and fast. A noble gentleman who can rescue them all from penury. When a mysterious stranger arrives in the village, he seems a perfect candidate. But Alex Archer is no hero. In fact, he just might be the opposite.

Alex has no tolerance for sentiment. He's returned to England for one reason only: to find a wealthy wife. A country-bred heiress in Surrey seems the perfect target. But somewhere between the village railway station and the manor house his mercenary plan begins to unravel. And it's all the fault of Laura Hayes--a lady as unsuitable as she is enchanting.

From the beaches of Margate to the lavender fields of Provence, a grudging friendship slowly blossoms into something more. But when scandal threatens, can a man who has spent his entire life playing the villain, finally become a hero? Or will the lure of easy riches once again outweigh the demands of his heart?

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Mimi Matthews continues her Parish Orphans of Devon series with Alex Archer- the orphan who disappeared as a child and no one knew if he was alive or dead, or why he left.  Now Alex is all grown up, has a well-earned reputation as a gambler, and a plan to marry an heiress and settle down somewhere in England so that he can finally feel like he belongs.  His plans fall apart when he meets Laura Hayes, an impoverished perfumer's daughter trying desperately to hold onto what her family has left.  Two people used to being in control of themselves begin to lose control with their first meeting- and it may be the best thing that ever happened to them.

Laura is a strongly-written heroine: she's strong, independent, and controls the failing resources left to her family.  She's learned not to rely on anyone but herself to get things done.  Of course, this means she doesn't give her younger brother a chance to learn how to help- or even how serious the situation is- and she's at the mercy of a lawyer who doesn't have her family's best interests at heart even as he controls the finances.  Until Alex appears on the scene Laura would never think of sharing her burdens, even as she drowns under them.   Alex is more of an enigma, being all things to all people, and creating convenient fictions about his past to cover up what he sees as his past villainy.  He believes he can't be trusted when push comes to shove.  When the going gets tough he'll start going.  A large part of him seems to still be the boy who ran away from Devon: hurting, lonely, and believing there are things that can't be shared, even with those you consider family.  He plans to marry an heiress with a good estate and instantly become part of a community but Laura sees what it is he is really looking for: a family. 

Matthews does a lovely job describing the Surrey country-side, and later the French countryside, and her research into bathing resorts in Victorian times comes through perfectly.  Her main characters are well-rounded, flawed and fully human, full of complex emotions, hopes, and dreams.  Her secondary characters are a bit more uneven and under-developed and a few strings are left hanging, but overall, the story and the characters work.  While readers may enjoy reading the first two books of the series (The Matrimonial Advertisement, A Modest Independence) before this one, Fiction can also stand on its own and you won't be lost starting here.  Although you will probably finish this and feel the need to read the rest of the series just to stay in Matthews' world a bit longer. 

A Convenient Fiction is a lovely book that will whisk readers away to 1860s England and make them glad they visited.  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Sexy Dare

Sexy Dare (Sexy Series Book 1)- Carly Phillips
Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: October 15, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Billionaire nightclub owner Jason Dare doesn’t stand a chance. From the moment he lays eyes on the luscious blonde stuck on the side of the road and realizes she’s in danger, he goes from playboy to bodyguard. 

Faith Lancaster’s sweet body won’t come to any harm on his watch. And watch Faith he does. He can’t take his eyes off her. Jason will stop at nothing to keep Faith safe. Even if it means moving her into his apartment and letting her into his once private life.

Hiding from her past, Faith has spent the last year building her candy business into a profitable company while keeping to herself and staying under the radar … until she meets the delicious Mr. Dare. Alpha and irresistible, he awakens desires she has long denied. It doesn’t take her long to succumb to his charms and fall hard for the man.

They both have their reasons for keeping things casual but when Faith’s past catches up with her, can Jason finally claim the woman meant to be his?

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Jason Dare might try to hold himself apart from people and keep his emotions walled up, but he doesn't stand a chance when he meets Faith Lancaster.  A woman trying to start a candy business and avoid a drug-addicted, stalking, violent brother, Faith keeps herself apart to protect others from the mess that is her life.  But the chemistry between Jason and Faith- even standing on the side of the road changing a flat tire- is instant and not something that should be ignored.  Jason may tell himself he wants to be alone, but right from the beginning he does everything he can to keep Faith safe- and a part of his life.

Jason's response to the emotional travails of his life is to keep himself to himself.  Better to not let anyone in and risk losing them.  It doesn't occur to him that this is a losing goal as his extended family marries and has kids, thus adding to the people he loves.  He makes the traditional alpha male mistake of thinking he can control his emotions and therefore his life.  Until Faith comes into his life, he doesn't even seem to realize what he's missing.  Faith is a delightful girl-next-store type.  Not super-model sexy, not exotic, but real and relatable.  She's starting a new life in a new city, building a new business, and trying to stay under her drug-adict brother's radar.  She's faced emotional and physical challenges, but she never cuts herself off from the world.  She looks towards the future and hopes for the day when she'll be safe to have friendships, romance, even family of her own.  I loved Faith from the beginning- her independence and strength mixed with her common sense and humor.  The instant attraction between Faith and Jason felt real, it never felt like there was anything overly contrived about their relationship or even how Jason pretty much swoops in and takes over security for Faith.  He's a whirlwind who doesn't look too closely at the reasons why he's running to Faith's rescue.  

Sexy Dare can be read as a standalone book, the start of a new series, and a part of Carly Phillips' Dare Series. You don't need to have read any of the Dare books to follow and enjoy Sexy Dare, although as a series regular I thought it was fun to see a few Dare siblings have cameo appearances- along with another great moment when a Dare sibling faces off with their serial-cheating father. This was a fun, light book with tons of chemistry and will leave you happily looking for some candy to go with it.

I received an ARC of this book from BookSprout in exchange for an honest review