A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

So I love this magic system and the different Londons. If I'm here for anything, it's for the world building and the sass. 

Kell is...amazing...just like..

THE MAGIC COAT Y'ALL.

I love Lila and her sass and her sense of adventure and the way that she holds herself in the world.
416 Pages

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

A mysterious inheritance, an old mansion, and the legacy of a cult's suicide pact. These are the things Libby recieves on her 25th birthday. But nothing seems completely clear in the story behind her birth parents and their home. An engaging thriller with enough twists and turns to give readers whiplash, this story is as fun as it is shocking.

A great read for fans of thrillers and family mysteries! 

340 pages

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon

A collection of seven novellas published in various anthologies over the years, Seven Stones to Stand or Fall deals with interesting side-stories within the Outlander universe. "The Custom of the Army" tells of Lord John Grey's time in Canada, where he and his comrades lay siege to the Citadel of Quebec. "The Space Between" encounters a grief-stricken Michael Murray, a nephew of Jamie Fraser, who has been charged with accompanying Joan MacKimmie, his kind-of cousin, to Paris so she can join a convent. Then there's the ever-troublesome Comte St. Germain .... In "A Plague of Zombies," we meet Lord John once again, this time in Jamaica, where he has been charged with putting down a slave rebellion. "A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows" details the tragic story of Roger MacKenzie's parents, Jerry and Dolly. In "Virgins," a young Jamie Fraser and his best friend, Ian Murray, become mercenaries in France, and both are rather worried they'll end up in hell for their actions. We learn the story behind how Lord John's older brother, Hal, meets and falls in love with his rather fierce wife, Minnie, in "A Fugitive Green." Lord John travels to Cuba in "Besieged," in order to save his mother, who is a guest of Governor Juan de Prado. But once he learns the British navy is preparing to wreak havoc on Havana, Lord John fears the Dowager Duchess of Pardloe could become a hostage. 

Part of the Outlander universe. 544 pages.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Books 1-4)

Summary: "Becky Bloomwood is bored to death writing for Successful Saving. So, with a handsome credit line from her bank, she liberates herself the best way she knows how -- by shopping! Think of it as an investment, she tells herself. But, soon she is buried in bank notices and cursed VISA bills."

I had previously seen the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie, and wasn't sure if I'd like the book series. Turns out, as usual, the book series is much better than the movie! :) I'm so glad I picked these up, as they put a big goofy smile on my face no matter what.


310 pages












Summary: "With her shopping excesses in check- for now at least-and her new career as a TV financial adviser. But now Becky's business minded boyfriend needs to move to New York and he wants her to move with him!"

Becky's spirit, creativity and imagination are often the best bits of this series. Becky's daydreams are vivid and wild and most importantly, something we can all relate to! 

However, Becky can be a very frustrating character as she often lies to her loved ones and continues to make repeated mistakes. But in these books, the good ultimately outweigh the bad!

323 pages







***SPOILERS***


Summary: "Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) returns from her honeymoon only to discover she has a half-sister-who hates to shop."

Surprisingly, this is my favorite of the series so far! It had more drama and heart in it than the previous two installments. Becky faced down some tough situations with grit and determination. I could hardly put it down!


352 pages










Summary: "Becky is pregnant! She couldn't be more overjoyed, especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby. But when her must-have celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke's glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky's perfect world starts to crumble."

I enjoyed this installment of the Shopaholic series, but it wasn't as good as Shopaholic & Sister. Becky's foray into the baby shopping world was funny, but alarming. I enjoyed certain parts very much, and found others to be frustrating and upsetting. I did not enjoy Luke's storyline at all because he is such a great character who deserves much better treatment!

358 pages

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Summary: "Trials and tribulations of a single girl living and working in London. During a turbulent flight Emma pours her heart and soul out to a complete stranger, only to live to regret it."

I found this book through reading rave reviews of it on Goodreads and thought that it surely couldn't live up to the hype. But no, I was wrong, it exceeded the hype!

Emma Corrigan is fun, charming, entertaining and relatable, which makes her my top choice for English heroines! Sophie Kinsella captures the charm of British humor to the fullest extent, and I wish that JoJo Moyes would inject more of that into her writing. I loved the witticisms and quips and inside look into Emma's world. She seemed more real and relatable than Bridget Jones, and I truly laughed out loud in multiple places. In a few plot points, I was afraid that Emma would fall into overdone and cliched responses, but she responded in a sincere and thoughtful way. 

On to the next Sophie Kinsella novel!

357 pages

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

Summary: "As an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and a father, Harry Potter struggles with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs while his youngest son, Albus, finds the weight of the family legacy difficult to bear." - The official script of the original West End production.

Oh.My.Word. I was blown away by this play and all the places that J.K. Rowling went with it. I cried, I laughed, and I yelled. It gave me all the feels. I wish I could see it in person - maybe one day! 

I was pleasantly surprised by the Malfoys in this play, and I truly loved Scorpius as a character. He is simply the best. 

327 pages

"Just Like Heaven" by Suki Fleet

This was a cute story of a busker and a college student falling in love in London.  They meet on the street when David prevents Jess' tips from being stolen.  When he realizes that Jess is down on his luck and needs a job, David offers him a temporary gig as a waiter for his uncle's catering company.  The attraction between the two young men is mutual but both are afraid to make the first move for different reasons.  Short and sweet, this was a very low-angst novella that takes place in London.   101 pages (Kindle edition).

The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester

London, 1912, the suffragette movement is reaching fever pitch, and the police are desperate to stop them from causing civil disruption.  Women are hauled off to prison and subjected to force feeding.  Ribchester has used the suffragette movement and its major figures as a basis for a rather flamboyant murder mystery.  Our detective is a wannabe female journalist (yes, there were a few in that period), eager to get a story, who gets involved in the murder investigation when a trapeze artist/suffragette she is sent to do a story about disappears.  Ebony Diamond turns out to actually have been the target in two murders, and our intrepid hero, "Frankie" George sets out through the London underworld to find her.  The story has the feel of an early silent movie, with cliffhangers, plot twists, and a variety of offbeat characters.  While a bit of a romp through London, Ribchester has thoroughly researched the period and manages to give us a good feel the climate of the city during those days.  502 pages

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Summary: "During an educational trip to London, away from her friends and the boy she thinks she is fated to love, Massachusetts high school junior Julia Lichtenstein is paired with her nemesis, Jason, and begins seeing many things differently."

I read this book after Becky's super-cute review, and it was adorable! Julia, aka Book Licker, is such a relatable character (to me anyway), and her adventures are fun and hilarious. The story is cute, short and sweet. 

292 pages

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is adorable. I mean, come on. It has all the perfect elements:

A class trip to London
+
the rule-bound, grade-obsessed girl gets paired up as a travel buddy with the popular class clown
+
a mysterious, British love interest
+
a whole lot of mistakes and mishaps
+
a story with so much voice that I didn't want to put it down

= Adorable.

Pages: 304

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Summary: "Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day."

Even though this is described as a love story between teenagers, in reality, it is a love between family, specifically a father and his estranged daughter. Hadley's father divorced her mother after moving to London to teach at Oxford. He has found a new love, and invited Hadley to his wedding. It is on her flight to London to attend the wedding that Hadley meets Oliver. But her constant flashbacks, fears and worries all center around her strained relationship with her father. As a daughter who can relate to a complicated father-daughter relationship, I was in awe of how raw and real Hadley's emotions were throughout the book. 

236 pages

"Darling Beast" by Elizabeth Hoyt

This is book seven in the Maiden Lane series and centers on Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne, who escaped a four year nightmare in Bedlam nine months ago and is now living as "Mr. Smith," a gardener at a burned out pleasure garden called Harte's Folly.  He is friends with Harte, who is actually Asa Makepeace, the brother of the main characters of previous entries in the series.  Unbeknownst to Apollo, Makepeace had hired a famous actress, Lily Stumpe, to perform plays at the garden before it burned downed.  Angry that she left his theatre, Lily's previous employer blacklisted her in the London theatre community.  So when Harte's Folly burned, she could find no work but talked Makepeace into letting her, her son, and her maid live in the two small rooms of the theatre that hadn't burned.  Apollo frightens Lily when they first meet due to his size and his inability to speak as his voice was damaged in a vicious beating in Bedlam.  But as Lily's son, Indio, becomes enamored with the silent gardener, Lily eventually realizes that he is not the hulking oaf he pretends to be.  Apollo is really searching for the killer of his friends, a crime for which he was framed and sentenced to Bedlam.  But how can he do that if he's lost his voice and must not divulge his real name and station in life?

Hoyt writes another winner that brings back other characters from the series, including Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, and her husband, the Duke of Wakefield, the two people responsible for his escape from Bedlam in book six.  Lily and Apollo make a classically great historical romance couple; both are strong, likeable, and moral.  I'm leaving out a lot because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but fans of the genre will love this entertaining addition to the series.  Oh, and there's a cute, red, Italian greyhound who steals a few scenes!  328 pages.

"Rules for a Proper Governess" by Jennifer Ashley

Book seven in the Mackenzies & McBrides series centers on Sinclair McBride, a tough, Scottish barrister working and living in London with his two motherless children.  Sinclair's wife, Daisy, died seven years ago, and his daughter and son have run off every governess he has ever hired.  But when East Ender Bertie Frasier picks his pocket of the watch his late wife had given him, Sinclair meets the woman who will change his life forever.  Bertie becomes the children's governess even though she hasn't had much formal education; the kids like and mind her, which is what Sinclair needs immediately.  There is also the mystery of the sinister letters that he continues to receive from an unknown enemy threatening to expose Daisy's past and put his kids' futures in jeopardy.  Is the author someone he has successfully prosecuted or Daisy's own brother, who hates Sinclair and wants to take away the children?  Or could Bertie's abusive father be behind the threats?

This was another winner from Ashley, whose descriptions of London, Scotland, and the book's many characters were vivid and realistic.  Sinclair is a broken, depressed man who continues to mourn his late wife at the expense of everyone and everything else in his life except his work.  Bertie is a strong, forthright, and honest heroine even though she has been forced into crime by her awful father and his cronies.  The mystery added a nice touch, and it was great to see the many Mackenzies and McBrides from the previous books.  306 pages.

"Duke of Midnight" by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book six in the Maiden Lane series features Maximus Batten, Duke of Wakefield, and Artemis Greaves, lady's companion to her rich and vapid cousin.  Maximus' parents were killed in front of him when he was 14 in the dangerous London neighborhood of St. Giles, and he's been searching for their killer for the past 19 years.  Artemis knows the duke from the many social events to which she must accompany her cousin, and when they go to his house party she tries to stay in the background as lady's companions must do.  However, when Artemis discovers a huge secret kept by Maximus, she attempts to blackmail him into rescuing her twin brother, Apollo, from the infamous Bedlam hospital for the insane.  Will the duke risk his life and reputation to rescue a crazed murderer or will he let Artemis expose his secret to everyone?  Of course, the Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles is also in the mix.

This was another great entry in the series with a strong and confident heroine turning the tables on a powerful and influential aristocrat.  Maximus was difficult to like; he's cold and severe to most of the people in his life, just the opposite of Artemis.  She risks everything to save her brother, whom she believes is innocent of the charges against him.  The descriptions of Apollo in Bedlam were disturbing, especially since they are based on the real Bedlam (Bethlem Royal Hospital) in London.  Hoyt is again at the top of her game with her characters, dialog, and action.  Now I have to wait another month for the next book in the series.  381 pages.

Here are the links to my reviews of the other books in the Maiden Lane series:
Book 5:  "Lord of Darkness"
Book 4:  "Thief of Shadows"
Book 3:  "Scandalous Desires"
Book 2:  "Notorious Pleasures"
Book 1:  "Wicked Intentions"

"Lord of Darkness" by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book five in the Maiden Lane series focuses on Godric St. John, a brokenhearted widower who was blackmailed by Griffin Reading (book two in the series) into marrying Lady Margaret Reading, Griffin's pregnant sister, two years ago.  The father of her baby was murdered, supposedly by the Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles, before they could wed.   Unfortunately, Margaret, known as Megs, miscarries immediately after the ceremony and goes to live at Godric's rural estate.  But after two years of being separated, Megs decides to return to London to kill the Ghost herself . . . and to talk Godric into impregnating her.  He is still devastated by the death of his first wife and refuses to let anyone back into his heart, but Megs is determined to have a baby and makes a deal with Godric that may come back to hurt them both.

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the others in the series.  Although he is brooding and sad, Godric is not a cruel man, as I had expected, and Megs turns out to be strong and fearless yet tenderhearted.  The Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles plays another big role, as he did in the last book.  He is still trying to find the aristocrat behind the "lassie snatchers" in St. Giles, and that aristocrat may be linked to whoever killed Megs' first love.  This was another well-crafted story with wonderful characters, a pregnant pug, and realistic action.  I've already got the next book in the series!  368 pages.

"Thief of Shadows" by Elizabeth Hoyt

The fourth book in the Maiden Lane series focuses on Winter Makepeace, the manager and headmaster of the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children in the rough London neighborhood of St. Giles, and Lady Isabel Beckinhall, a young widow who wants to help with the home.  Winter has no interest or ability in schmoozing with aristocrats, but Isabel convinces him that he must if he is to find wealthy patrons to help pay for the orphanage.  She gives him dancing and etiquette lessons and takes him to the opera and balls in order to introduce him to London's high society.  Meanwhile, the Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles, a vigilante who roams the streets at night to protect the innocent, is rescued by Isabel when he is injured, and everyone is desperate to know his identity.  Will she be the first to find out, and, if so, will she tell?

Hoyt continues the series in grand fashion, pairing the dour and serious Winter with the vivacious and rich Isabel.  She could easily have made both cartoon characters, but the author gives them depth through loss and disappointment.  I especially liked Winter with his high ideals and willingness to sacrifice himself for the citizens of St. Giles, and he helps Isabel see what is truly important in life.  I'll definitely be reading the next in the series.  367 pages.

"Scandalous Desires" by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book three in the Maiden Lane series focuses on a widow and a river pirate.  Silence Hollingbrook lives and works at the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children, an orphanage run by her brother in the rough London neighborhood of St. Giles.  Her sailor husband was recently lost at sea and she finds comfort in a special bond with an infant named Mary Darling.  However, London's most notorious river pirate, Charming Mickey O'Connor, takes Mary claiming that she is his child.  He tells Silence that she is welcome to stay with him and Mary at his home, but this will ruin her reputation and may affect the donations to the orphanage.  Mickey has ulterior motives - to protect Silence and Mary from his worst enemy, the Vicar of Whitechapel, and to make Silence his.

This was another winner from Hoyt.  Her descriptions of the characters, the settings, and the evolution of the hero and heroine were great.  She also writes action very well, and there was plenty in this absorbing story of two very different people finally finding the best of themselves with each other.  I can't wait to read the next in the series.  383 pages.

"Notorious Pleasures" by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book two in the Maiden Lane series finds Lady Hero Batten engaged to the staid, reliable, and dull Marquis of Mandeville.  They appear perfect for each other until she becomes friends with his younger brother, Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading.  Griffin escorts her to a house for orphans that she is sponsoring in the dangerous St. Giles neighborhood, the same part of town where he is running an illegal gin still.  Hero can't believe that she's starting to fall for such a cad, but she soon discovers that Griffin and his brother both have secrets.  This was another lovely, well-written book by Hoyt, one of the best authors in the historical romance genre, in my opinion.  Both lead and secondary characters were unique and easy to imagine, and the action scenes were well done.  I'll be reading the next in the series.  382 pages.

"A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life" by James Bowen

James is a recovering drug addict living in London and working as a street musician.  Living in "sheltered accommodation" and just barely getting by, he is surprised to find a ginger tom on the doormat near his apartment.  After inquiring about his ownership and finding no one to claim him, James takes in the scruffy and injured cat and names him Bob.  James barely has any money to feed himself but he manages to make due and soon the two are constant companions.  Bob goes busking with him, sitting on his rucksack watching the busy world go by.  The attention Bob soon starts to bring in from tourists and locals helps James make more money, and even lands them in videos on YouTube.  Told in a conversational style, this book covers James' youth in Australia and England, the development of his drug habit and eventual recovery, and his difficulty supporting himself and Bob.  However, the real story is their unbreakable bond, how two lost and lonely souls found and saved each other.  This was an inspiring tale of one down on his luck bloke and the unusually docile and dedicated cat who helped him find his way again.  Two things struck me as I was reading; James was able to have Bob treated and neutered for very little money thanks to either charities or subsidized vet care that seemed to be plentiful, and Bob was allowed into stores and even the library with James.  You don't see either of those things much in the U.S.  Highly recommended to cat lovers!  279 pages.

Dark Fire by C.J.Sansom

A historical mystery novel featuring lawyer Matthew Shardlake as a reluctant investigator for Thomas Cromwell into two murders that involve secret military weaponry, the 'dark fire' or 'Greek fire' that can burn even on water. London in 1540 is well drawn, although the various characters involved in a plot against Cromwell are at times hard to sort out.  Very enjoyable on both the history and mystery levels, and Shardlake is a strong character.  498 pg.