The Cupid Dilemma

The Cupid Dilemma- April Asher

St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: May 12, 2026

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: A lover of love and a champion for happily ever after. Those were two of many things people expected from Aphrodite’s daughter. To Adalyn Whitlock, ‘love’ paid the bills, and currently, not well. Business was dropping at Happily Ever Forever, with her latest wedding planning catastrophe ending in a negative social media storm and her sister Maxi’s matchmaking ability on the fritz. To top it off, there’s an ex-boyfriend calling her ‘the Anti-Aphrodite’ and paparazzi pics linking Addie to her new client’s older brother.

Phoenix ‘Nix’ Cross—song writer and drummer of the hot new band, The Stone Talons—was no saint, but he was far from the womanizer the band’s image rep bestowed on him. If anything, he was a romantic, hopeful to find a love like the one in which his parents shared. With the band’s star quickly rising and the record label pressuring him to deliver the band’s next hit, Nix’s writer’s block couldn’t have come at a worse time. But when he opens his door to his irate new next-door neighbor, Nix feels the brief flash of inspiration for the first time in ages. And it just so happens that his new Muse is none other than his little sister’s new wedding planner.

With Addie needing an end to the public relations nightmare and the record label breathing down Nix’s neck, the pair agree to a fauxmance. But what happens when the emotions turned on for the cameras don't turn off?

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Certain things are expected of you when you're one of Aphrodite's daughters. Not believing in love, happily ever afters, and planning a streak of disasterous weddings (the fire department gets called out more than once) aren't anywhere on that list. But that's Adalyn "Addie" Whitlock's life at the moment. She runs a matchmaking and wedding planning agency with her sister and cousin and is watching it go down in flames (literally). They need a big success to pull things back- and a big name would be even better. When they agree to plan the wedding of a rock star in a month, things might get back on track. 

Except fellow band member and brother of the bride is Phoenix "Nix" Cross -aka Addie's new neighbor. He's suffering song writer's block and think's Addie's the Muse to get his songs flowing again. She could use some positive press to help her business. The answer? A fauxmance as they plan his little sister and best friend's wedding. What could go wrong?

I'm always up for a fauxmance (why have we not been using this term forever?). How long will it take them to work out that it's real? Who falls first? Why did they think the fake out was a good plan in the first place? It's always fun. While the why here was pretty typical, how they went about it wasn't: they got to just hang out and be themselves. It led to some very fun dates and watching the chemistry build between Nix and Addie was great.

While Nix was a well-developed character, I did sometimes want more from Addie. Why does she not believe in love? She hasn't had any traumatic relationships- though yes, plenty of decently bad dates. Her parents aren't together but don't fight and Addie seems to get along with them as well as most adult children with their parents might. It was kind of a big miss that it never got explained or developed. But otherwise I enjoyed the flirting, the heat, the getting-to-know-you dates, the quirky humor of the the characters and the book. 

The Cupid Dilemma's world-building and humor grabbed me from the first chapter. Mixing "normal" contemporary with Greek myth descendants and it not being something you hide (her dogs are from Cerebus' latest litter and play in the park with them like any other dogs would) was a great twist. I'm hoping for much more in this world to explore. Demigoddesses, shifters, gargoyles, humans all living together- more please!

Definitely recommend for romance lovers, even if you don't normally go for any kind of paranormal vibes. I'd call this "paranormal lite" but still enough to satifsy everyone. Fake dating trope lovers will enjoy!

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

You Make It Feel Like Christmas

 

You Make It Feel Like Christmas- Sophie Sullivan

St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: September 23, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis: Maisie Smart doesn’t look back. Not on the choice she made to be a photographer, and not on the one-night stand she had six months ago. But sleeping with a professional hockey player who bolted the morning after is a whole new level of embarrassing. Now she’s about to spend the week at Tickle Tree Farms with her family this Christmas—and then the universe throws a Grinch in her festive plans.

Nick King is a mess. After a significant injury benches him, he has more time to dwell on his anxieties and the one-night stand he can’t get out of his head. With the holidays around the corner, he figures visiting his sister and nephew at their Christmas tree farm will be a good way to sort himself out. That’s impossible when he learns Maisie is there, still beautiful and justifiably angry about the way he left. But Christmas is the time for second chances, and the forced proximity may help Nick and Maisie unwrap feelings neither of them can walk away from twice.

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Six months after her only one-night stand, photographer Maisie has sworn off men and ready to get in the holiday spirit with her family at a tree-farm family get-away. So imagine her surprise when her one-night stand turns out to be the tree-farm owner's brother, in town for the holidays! Nick King is a NHL player dealing with issues, injuries, and hoping a week visiting his sister will make his future clearer. He regrets walking out on Maisie after their night together, so getting to see her again and maybe have another chance is just what he wants. It might not make the future clearer, but when feelings get involved, it gets important to make it right.

I wasn't sure I could handle a Christmas book so early in the year, but Sullivan got me in the mood right away with her delightful descriptions of Merry, Washington- a little town that takes Christmas very seriously. Seeing it through Maisie's photographer's view in particular drew me right in. There were fun sibling dynamics, both serious and flirty momens between Maisie and Nick, and a good core of friends having each other's backs. 

The last part of the book went back to Seattle and left the Christmassy vibe behind, changing things up until it almost read like a different book. I got it from the plot "how does this relationship work in real-life" idea, but it was dissapointing after the fast-paced, delightful first half. I also wish Nick and Maisie had talked more about what was going on between them towards the end instead of each feeling like they had to get themselves straight before coming together, when they've spent the book telling each other that they see (and care for) each other with what the other sees as "flaws".

I enjoyed how realistically complicated both Maisie and Nick, but particularly Nick, were. They both have things going on in their lives, neither is "perfect", but they love what they do and understand that prioritizing life around what makes them happy is the most important thing. Maisie comes from a family of overachieving academics, doctors, and lawyers but sher herself has struggled in school and probably has a learning disability. She developed coping mechanisms for what sounds like dyslexia and focused on what she found joy in: photography. Her parents treat it like a hobby, even though she has a thriving business, and some of the talks her mom dumps on her about "reaching her potential" (as her mom sees it) are deeply cringe-worthy. The rest of her family and friends support her, but that lack of parentla support is a big deal.

Nick has been sidelined with a knee injury and been convinced to see a therapist for anxiety. I thought the author did a really great job representing panic attacks/anxiety and talking about mental health issues in the book. As someone who deals with this myself I thought it was great seeing one of the side stories being mental health in professional sports, men's health, and general awareness.

A fun holiday, hockey rom-com that reminds us we're all special to someone, no matter how we see ourselves.

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

Whack Job

Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder- Rachel McCarthy James

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Rating: 📚

Synopsis: For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill.

Much like the wheel, the boat, and the telephone, the axe is a transformative piece of technology—one that has been with us since prehistory. And just as early humans used the axe to chop down trees, hunt for food, and whittle tools, they also used it to murder. Over time, this particular use has as the axe evolved over centuries to fit the needs of new agricultural, architectural, and social development, so have our lethal uses for it.

Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, to its use in King Henry VIII's favorite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Jobsheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.

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I'm not a massive reader of true crime books, but the description of Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder sounded unusual, and more my style. It sounded like I'd be reading a book exploring our relationship with the axe through time, maybe comparing it with our relationship to other potentially murderous tools (and really, aren't they all?) and why the axe won when a weapon was reached for. The book's description really sold me. 

The book itself didn't match the description and I ended up highly disappointed. Over 12 chapters author Rachel McCarthy James never really gives us her definition of an "axe murder" which meant that I disagreed with her on probably the first 8 or so chapters. People died, but often in war where axes were weapons, or state executions where axes were used (think Henry VIII). Are those murders? The axes are symbolic of power in several of these cases, which was interesting, but not related to murder in my opinion. 

The tone and focus of Whack Job was also all over the place. Sometimes dry and scholarly, sometimes humorous or flippant. The early chapters in particular were more a general history where if you didn't pay attention you could miss the death-by-maybe-axe completely. I'm particularly thinking of Ch 1 here. I've worked in a museum with an amazing collection of hand axes and they deserve to be talked about and clearly James wanted to talk about the early weapons/tools hand axes were. But since the "murder" is pretty vague in Ch 1, perhaps talking about the development of axes from stone tools on might have found a more impactful place in an introduction? Or call the book something like "The History of the World in 12 Axes", which would warn the reader that they are going to get a lot of general history of ancient Egypt, China, Greece, etc. and at some point axes will wander in. The book takes a turn around Ch 9 and focuses on specific killings done with an axe in the 20th century, although you still get more set-up than I at least felt was needed. 

Overall, not a book I'd recommend. Maybe if you're a serious fan of axes you'll get something out of this book, but generally I found the book not well written, prone to wandering, and seriously lacking in focus. Don't be fooled by the interesting book description- the pages don't remember that's what they were supposed to be focusing on.

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

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Bonded in Death

 

Bonded in Death (in Death #60)- J.D. Robb

St. Martin's Press 

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear―because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must―not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain―and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…

                                    _________________________________________

The newest In Death book is a fast paced thriller that takes readers where they've probably always hoped to get more info on: the Urban Wars of the 2020s. Eve Dallas' latest victim is an elderly man who, at first glance, has no reason to be dead at all, let alone in the brutal way he was murdered. But when Summerset identifies Eve's victim as an old friend of his- and a former operative during the Wars- everything changes. Because Rossi wasn't the only man identified as having a target on him- just the first on a kill list.

We get all of the good stuff in Bonded. Flashbacks of the Urban Wars, more background than we've ever seen before on Summerset, and an entire network of his comrades coming together to help Eve and the NYPSD to help stop a killer. The pacing stays fast, the dialogue is Robb's go-to blend of sharp wit and suave charm (depending on the character!) that makes for a delightful blend of personalities. The intensity of the story made me not want to put this one down!

A really enjoyable and intense read, this is J. D. Robb at some of her finest.

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

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Power and Glory

 Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty- Alexander Larman

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: April 30, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: When the Royal Family took to the balcony of Buckingham Palace on VE Day in 1945, they knew that the happiness and excitement of the day was illusory. Britain may have been victorious in a painful war, but the peace would be no easier. Between the abdication crisis, the death of King George VI, and the ascension of young Elizabeth II to the throne, the continued existence of the monarchy seemed uncertain. And the presence of the former Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, conniving and sniping from the sidelines in an attempt to regain relevance, even down to writing a controversial and revelatory memoir, could only make matters worse. Still, the question of whether or not Elizabeth could succeed and make the monarchy something that once again inspired international pride and even love remained.

In Power and Glory, Alexander Larman completes his acclaimed Windsor family trilogy, using rare and previously unseen documents to illuminate their unique family dynamic. Through his chronicling of events like the Royal Wedding, George VI’s death and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor’s treacherous activities in WWII, Larman paints a vivid portrait of the end of one sovereign’s reign and the beginning of another’s that heralded a new Elizabethan Age which would bring power and glory back to a monarchy desperately in need of it.

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Book 3 in his carefully researched trilogy, "Power and Glory" is Alexander Larman's conclusion to the saga of King Edward VIII and King George VI of England. The first two books followed the death of their father, King George V and the abdication crisis as Edward (David to the family) abdicated his responsibilities to the throne, meaning his younger brother (Bertie in the family) had to become king. It ended up being the best thing that could happen for England, even if the stress and strain of the job probably helped kill him. Book two follows World War 2 and Bertie leading England while David flits around being thoughtless at best, a Nazi sympathizer and possibly quite a bit more. 

Book 3, "Power and Glory" is the immediate aftermath of the war. England is dealing with economic crisis and a shrinking empire, George VI is trying to deal with local crisis as well as the rise of Communist Russia and his own failing health. Elizabeth is growing up, falling in love with Phillip, and marrying him despite some push back. I was saddened by reading exactly how ill George VI was and how much he suffered, but the rest of that part of the story didn't hold my attention too much. What I very much enjoyed was when the story would switch to David and Wallis.

Trying desperately to hold on to some level of power or relevance in the world, David and Wallis try to get the crown to have the former king made a kind of ambassador so he can have social parties and get the government to pay for them (and not pay taxes). Surprisingly, the government declines this offer. So they start trying to see what kind of trouble they can cause.

Probably a tragic-comedy if they weren't so thoroughly dislikable, the detailed research into David and Wallis' actions and how the British government and the Royal family had to deal with them were by far my favorite parts of this book, and I'd recommend it for that alone. If you're interested in Britain post WW2, this is a good place to start. 

As always, thoroughly researched and generally well written, if occasionally given to more "if they only knew then"type of chapter endings than I prefer, Larman's "Power and Glory" is a solid conclusion to his trilogy on the Windsor family and Great Britain and their combined experiences in World War II. 

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

After the Romanovs

 

After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Epoque Through Revolution and War- Helen Rappaport

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: March 8, 2022

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Paris has always been a city of cultural excellence, fine wine and food, and the latest fashions. But it has also been a place of refuge for those fleeing persecution, never more so than before and after the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty. For years, Russian aristocrats had enjoyed all that Belle Époque Paris had to offer, spending lavishly when they visited. It was a place of artistic experimentation, such as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. But the brutality of the Bolshevik takeover forced Russians of all types to flee their homeland, sometimes leaving with only the clothes on their backs.

Arriving in Paris, former princes could be seen driving taxicabs, while their wives who could sew worked for the fashion houses, their unique Russian style serving as inspiration for designers like Coco Chanel. Talented intellectuals, artists, poets, philosophers, and writers struggled in exile, eking out a living at menial jobs. Some, like Bunin, Chagall and Stravinsky, encountered great success in the same Paris that welcomed Americans like Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Political activists sought to overthrow the Bolshevik regime from afar, while double agents from both sides plotted espionage and assassination. Others became trapped in a cycle of poverty and their all-consuming homesickness for Russia, the homeland they had been forced to abandon. 

This is their story.

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Helen Rappaport's latest book takes us to Paris. But not a Paris that most of us are familiar with. Starting in the early 1900s, the Paris of the Belle Époque was the Paris we may see in movies or books but can barely imagine- a Paris of limitless wealth, royalty, and endless parties. Russian Princes and Grand Dukes threw money around like it was water, bought homes and jewels for their mistresses, and catered to their highest tastes with no thought that the end could be in sight. When World War I arrived and they retreated to Russia, they had no idea of the changes that were to come. The Bolshevik Revolution that killed the tzar and his family, along with countless other hundreds of people, ended their Grand Russia. Hundreds of thousands of people fled for Europe, and tens of thousands ended up in Paris.

Rappaport does an excellent job of not getting sidetracked by all of the stories she could tell us. Instead, she stays focused on the few people or families she chose to follow to give the reader an overarching understanding of the conditions the Russian emigres faced.  She doesn't fall into the possible trap of describing in detail the Revolution or the fighting- that isn't the point of this book and you can look to her bibliography for suggestions if you want to read more (or read one of her other books on the time period). She wants to follow the emigration, and does a brilliant job of immersing the reader in the hellish conditions suffered by everyone escaping Russia, be they peasant or prince. Once back in Paris it is a different world from the first few chapters and the reader can only marvel at the strength of the people who survived such incredible changes. From riches to rags, generals and princes to dishwashers and taxi drivers.

The focus isn't only on the (formerly) ultra rich. There are the writers, the artists, the brilliant circles that Paris was known for, only when they escaped the Bolsheviks so many writers and painters were faced with the shock of never seeing Russia again that they were disconnected from their true muse. Bunin, Chagall, and Stravinsky managed to succeed where so many failed and Rappaport tells the failures as well as the successes with compassion and courage. 

After the Romanovs is in many ways a timely book, asking us to consider questions about success and failure, as well as having compassion for those displaced by political violence they had nothing to do with. It asks if it is possible to be a people, like Russians, if you are not living in Russia but exiled elsewhere- and if the Russia you and your generation remember disappears can you still be inspired by it? The generations of Russia's migration to Paris remained loyal to Russia to the end, a dream they held onto that kept them going, inspired their art and writing, their daily work, and their daily suffering. 

Helen Rappaport's well researched After the Romanovs brings early 20th century Paris and the men and women living there to life in each page. Beautifully written, this is a book that is both inspiring and heart breaking. A must read for history lovers.

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

The Churchill Sisters

 The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters- Rachel Trethewey 

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: December  7, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis:  Bright, attractive and well-connected, in any other family the Churchill girls – Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary – would have shone. But they were not in another family, they were Churchills, and neither they nor anyone else could ever forget it. From their father – ‘the greatest Englishman’ – to their brother, golden boy Randolph, to their eccentric and exciting cousins, the Mitford Girls, they were surrounded by a clan of larger-than-life characters which often saw them overlooked. While Marigold died too young to achieve her potential, the other daughters lived lives full of passion, drama and tragedy.

Diana, intense and diffident; Sarah, glamorous and stubborn; Mary, dependable yet determined – each so different but each imbued with a sense of responsibility toward each other and their country. Far from being cosseted debutantes, these women were eyewitnesses at some of the most important events in world history, at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. Yet this is not a story set on the battlefields or in Parliament; it is an intimate saga that sheds light on the complex dynamics of family set against the backdrop of a tumultuous century.

Drawing on previously unpublished family letters from the Churchill archives, The Churchill Sisters brings Winston’s daughters out of the shadows and tells their remarkable stories for the first time

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The Churchill Sisters is the first book I've read devoted solely to the daughters of Winston Churchill, where they are the focus instead of mentioned on the sides, as in Lynne Olson's fabulous books Citizens of London and Erik Larson's The Splendid and the Vile. Diana, Sarah, and Mary Churchill each lived in a world where women were, at least initially, considered second to men- and as a man of his era Winston thought this way too.  It was exposure to strong women like his wife Clementine and his daughters that made Winston change his mind. But also in the Churchill house, Winston came first always. Everyone believed his career and his work came first. This, combined with being the children of a great man and being children in a time when their class rarely were raised by their parents, and the childhood the younger generation of Churchills had was quite different from one we would recognize today. Their mother, Clementine, was like many others of her generation and class and was distant from her children, especially when they were young, which all of them came to regret later in life.  

I was a little disappointed with the first half of the book, as it didn't tell me anything particularly new. Anyone who has read The Splendid and the Vile or Citizens of London will know most of the early stories of the girls, particularly the war years as they came into their own helping in the war effort. Author Tretheway lingers a bit on each daughter's psychological need to live up to their parent's expectations but beyond that I didn't learn anything new. The second half, post World War II, however, I found more interesting because that was uncharted territory for me. The tragic stories of Diana and Sarah- each trying to find fulfillment in their own ways and never quite reaching their goals or happiness- were heartbreaking. Sarah and Mary taking turns being the one the others leaned on as the others fell apart, the mental illnesses and emotional collapses each sister experienced but tried to keep from their parents . . . the Churchills seems to be a family ahead of their time in accepting the idea of mental illness and treating it as an illness, one to be handled by doctors and not ignored with a 'stiff upper lip', which I was impressed by. 

Each daughter tried to live up to the father their worshipped as a hero and wanted to have look proudly on them, each wanted to make their mother's life a bit easier in caring for that father. Yet they also wanted to be their own person, and went in separate ways to discover who they were and what they might do with their lives. Although constrained at times by the society they grew up in and by the shadow of their father, they each faced life's challenges head on- whether that became constructive or destructive. 

While the writing wasn't always top level and was occasionally repetitive, I would certainly recommend The Churchill Sisters to anyone interested in women's lives over the course of the twentieth century, history buffs, and, of course, Churchill fans. A good new addition to the library, using archives newly opened to researchers.

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

The Real Valkyrie

 The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women- Nancy Marie Brown

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: August 31, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: In 2017, DNA tests revealed to the collective shock of many scholars that a Viking warrior in a high-status grave in Birka, Sweden was actually a woman. The Real Valkyrie weaves together archaeology, history, and literature to imagine her life and times, showing that Viking women had more power and agency than historians have imagined.

Nancy Marie Brown uses science to link the Birka warrior, whom she names Hervor, to Viking trading towns and to their great trade route east to Byzantium and beyond. She imagines her life intersecting with larger-than-life but real women, including Queen Gunnhild Mother-of-Kings, the Viking leader known as The Red Girl, and Queen Olga of Kyiv. Hervor’s short, dramatic life shows that much of what we have taken as truth about women in the Viking Age is based not on data, but on nineteenth-century Victorian biases. Rather than holding the household keys, Viking women in history, law, saga, poetry, and myth carry weapons. These women brag, “As heroes we were widely known—with keen spears we cut blood from bone.” In this compelling narrative Brown brings the world of those valkyries and shield-maids to vivid life.

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"The Real Valkyrie" studies the history of the Vikings as we know it through a new lens: modern archaeology, free of the Victorian limitations we have allowed to color our thoughts of their world for so long. Others will call it feminist. How about both- as well as extremely interesting and well-written. 

Modern technology has been used to go over bones buried in Birka Bj581, a warrior's grave in Birka, Sweden.  Because of the weapons and others items traditional archaeology has associated with men, this grave was identified as a war leader, a brilliant warrior, and a man.  Today we know the bones are of a woman. Does that make the rest of the story the burial told, that of a well respected warrior, less true? Brown uses modern archaeology to analyze myths, legends, and history to search for the "real valkyrie"- who she argues was not a mythical being but in fact a warrior woman. Brown argues that women in the Viking age had a much larger role than has previously been assigned to them- that they were capable leaders, rulers, merchants, and warriors just like men. I found her arguments very interesting and certainly found myself agreeing that we cannot look at history through the filter of those who wrote about other people. In the case of the Vikings, this would mean men, Christian men, telling about a world that was already hundreds of years in the past when they were writing, and whose world view they could no longer understand. 

The multiethnic society of the Viking world, Brown argues, was a world where power did not come from one person (the pope) and filter down, it was not a world organized by kings as we would come to understand it later. It was a world where talent, need, and opportunity should focus your path and your gender did not limit you.  The idea of the Viking woman as the key-holder and mistress of the house is, according to Brown, the Victorian interpretation of the Vikings because that was how the Victorians viewed the world. And we haven't updated them since.  Here, Brown argues successfully that we should look at what archaeological sites tell us without preconceived notions, and we should not ignore the evidence that goes against what we think we already know.  Because Birka Bj581 is not the only grave of a warrior who has been reexamined and found to be a woman.  

Brown's The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women turns traditional images of the Viking world on its head and presents a vivid, well-researched, and fascinating exploration of life in the Viking Age through  a new lens. From the everyday to the afterlife, this is the world as archaeological finds show it might have been.

I received an ARC of this book 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

Woman Who Couldn't Scream

The Woman Who Couldn't Scream (Virtue Falls #4)- Christina Dodd
St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 5, 2017

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Taking (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Merida Falcon is a world-class beauty, a trophy wife who seems to have it all...except she has no voice. For nine bitter years, she lived to serve her wealthy elderly husband. On his death, Merida vanishes...and reappears in Virtue Falls with a new name, a new look, and a plot to take revenge on the man who loved her, betrayed her and walked away, leaving her silent, abused and bound to an old man's obsession.

But Merida faces challenges. Her school friend Kateri Kwinault is the newly elected sheriff of Virtue Falls. A chance meeting with her former lover intrigues him and brings him on the hunt for her, and meeting him face to face shakes her convictions. Will she have time to discover the truth about the events that occurred nine years ago? For someone in Virtue Falls is stalking women and slashing them...to death.

Danger closes in. Merida's fears build. There's no one to turn to...no one she dares to trust. And she has to wonder--who is the killer stalking? Is he trying to silence forever THE WOMAN WHO COULDN'T SCREAM?

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Christina Dodd ends her Virtue Falls series with a bang in The Woman Who Couldn't Scream.  It's the story Kateri Kwinault fans have been waiting for since Virtue Falls first came out, combined with the suspenseful story of Merida Falcon.  Merida and Kateri were friends years ago, before life pulled them in separate ways.  Kateri shunned her rich father's family for Virtue Falls, her drunken mother, and life on the rez. She's just been elected the first woman (and first Native American) sheriff in Virtue Falls and its an uphill battle all the way.  Fortunately she's got a loyal cocker spaniel named Lacey and a love interest/complication named Stag to keep her grounded.   Merida fell in love, nearly died, lost her voice, married an abusive older man, and then disappeared after his death.  She's in Virtue Falls with a new name and a plan for revenge.  Meeting Kateri after so many years, she begins to wonder if revenge will make her feel better after all.  Reconnecting with an old lover (and a man who may have tried to kill her) means her emotions start getting tangled in her plans.  Now there are at least two killers running around Virtue Falls.  It's Kateri's job to figure out who they are and stop them, it's Merida's job to stay alive long enough to separate the murderers from the friends!

Like the last Virtue Falls book (one of my all time personal favorites) Because I'm Watching, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is a high-octane, fast-paced psychological thriller.  We meet Merida in small pieces, through the eyes of others, before she moves to Virtue Falls. Once there we see things through her eyes, but even Merida doesn't know all the pieces of her past- which means we get to discover along with her the twists and turns of the tragic 'accident' that took her voice and changed the course of her life forever.  Dodd does a masterful job giving us hints to the truth while keeping the big surprises for the very end.  It was also great to have so much of the story focus on Kateri.  If you'e read the rest of the series it's guaranteed you've been waiting to see how she does as sheriff, how she's going to deal with the tragedy that changed her own life, and what the deal is with Stag.  Good guy, bad guy? Bit of both?  Both women struggle with internal conflicts as well as external preconceptions and prejudices to make (and keep) a life they are happy with and entitled to- you're cheering them on from page one. 

For being a small town Virtue Falls has more than its fair share of killers.  Kateri is trying to catch a father/son set of killers who shot up a cafe (injuring her and putting her good friend and fan favorite Rainbow into a coma) and now seem to be determined to pay back anyone who ever annoyed them.  Then more bodies start turning up, badly mutilated.  Serial killer or local crazy?  One or multiple killers?  You'd think the solution to this wouldn't work or be convincing, but Dodd pulls off another brilliant blending of characters and motives, ending in a chilling battle for survival.  There's so much to say about how great Merida and Kateri are portrayed, that there's no doing them justice except to say: these are two strong women who, in the end, aren't afraid to save themselves.

While you don't have to have read any of the other books in this series to thoroughly enjoy The Woman Who Couldn't Scream, many of the characters have appeared in the other books and you'll enjoy following their lives (plus the other books are also awesome) so I recommend if you don't read them first, you'll enjoy going back and reading them after finishing Woman.  

A great, fast-paced book that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way.  Warning- this may be a book you can't put down once you've started it!

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

Last Night with the Duke

Last Night with the Duke (Rakes of St. James #1)- Amelia Grey
St. Martin's Press
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Rating (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Possible Spoilers

Synopsis: The Duke of Griffin has never lived down his reputation as one of the Rakes of St. James. Now rumors are swirling around London that his twin sisters may bear the brunt of his past follies. Hiring a competent chaperone is the only thing Griffin has on his mind--until he meets the lovely and intriguing Miss Esmeralda Swift. In ways he could never have expected, she arouses more than just his curiosity. 

Esmeralda Swift considered herself too sensible to ever fall for a scoundrel, but that was before she met the irresistibly seductive Duke of Griffin. His employment offer proves too tempting for her to resist. She can’t afford to be distracted by his devilish charms because the stakes are so high for his sisters’ debut Season. . .unless one of London’s most notorious rakes has had a change of heart and is ready to make Esmeralda his bride in Last Night with the Duke, the first novel in the brand-new Regency Rakes of St. James series by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.

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The Duke of Griffin and his friends, the notorious Rakes of St. James, enjoyed their youthful antics as much as any young blade of the Ton.  But now, years later, past scandal may be coming home to roost.  Griffin's twin sisters are making their Society debuts and rumors are swirling that someone (or someones) may pay Griffin back by ruining his sisters.  Griffin decides the best way to help his sisters is to hire a chaperone to keep an eye on them when he can't be there.  Almost by accident, he finds himself at Miss Mamie Fortescue's Employment Agency.  He's just in time to hear a young governess getting dressed down politely but firmly by the agency's head, Miss Esmeralda Swift.  As soon as he hears her, he knows she's the only one who has a chance of dealing with his sisters.  As soon as he sees her, Griffin knows he wants Esmeralda as more than just an employee.  She matches wits with him, keeps him guessing, and isn't (too) afraid to say "no"- not what he's used to from a woman!  Griffin knows he needs to focus on tracking down the rumors and can't seduce a woman who's technically staff, but isn't sure he can be the honorable gentleman that Society thinks he isn't!

Esmeralda is the niece of a viscount, but her mother was disowned after remarrying a poor Irish poet.  She has no fondness for the gentry after how her mother was treated.  Hired as a governess by Miss Fortescue, she now runs the agency and takes care of her half-sister Josephine.  The last thing she wants is to work for a duke who is so used to getting his way.  But Esmeralda is also a realist and the amount of money he's offering for the job can help her out of debt.  What could possibly go wrong?

Esmeralda is undoubtedly the star of Last Night with the Duke. She is a wonderfully written character who could be any woman, but happens to be the lucky one to catch a duke's eye.  All the choices she makes are with her younger sister's best interests in the front of her mind, but she isn't too proud to admit to herself that she's attracted to Griffin.  She's never had a Season of her own and you can often hear whispers of the young, romantic girl she used to be in her reactions to Griffin.  She is infatuated enough to cling to things he says that, taken in a different context, would be highly romantic instead of practical.  But at the same time, she's old enough and wise enough to keep her fantasies to herself and act professional around him.  That might work, except that Griffin isn't interested in keeping things purely professional.  Griffin isn't the rake he once was, or that Society sees him as, but he's still alluring, and possibly dangerous.  As we learn about the past scandal that's come back to haunt him it's much easier to see him as a slightly wild youth than a villain out to harm innocents.  Now that's he's grown he still may bend the rules when it suits him, but it always suits him to protect those under his care.  He follows his instincts and, while he has his moments of male stupidity, is still a great leading character.

A few of the possible side stories of Last Night didn't get as much play as I would have liked.  We keep hearing about the conflict between Esmeralda's mother and brother, and how Esmeralda won't go to the family for help because she expects to be treated the way they treated her mother.  But nothing ever follows through on that and it becomes just a bit of gossip instead of a resolved issue.  Whether the family chose to accept Esmeralda and Josephine or cut them the way Esmeralda imagines would have been interesting to resolve and added an additional layer of drama and conflict.  The rumors of ruining Griffin's sisters started out as the impetus for Griffin to hire Esmeralda, but then became more of an afterthought thrown in occasionally than a major problem.  By the end it's more of an anticlimactic issue than the relationship between Griffin and Esmeralda.  Which both worked (there's only so much that can fit well into one book) and didn't quite work (you keep waiting for something serious to come up with the sisters).  But there's enough chemistry and drama between Griffin and Esmeralda to keep everyone happy.  

A good start to a new series from the author of Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis. Can't wait to delve deeper into the other Rakes of St. James! 

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