Posted on by Maureen

Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

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Speaking from Among the Bones is the fifth book in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce mystery series. These books feature a precocious child sleuth who solves mysteries in her sleepy English village in the 1950s. I’m slightly behind with this series, but I’ve been savoring them slowly so that I don’t run out of books.

Bishop’s Lacey is preparing to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of St. Tancred, whose tomb is located in their village church. Naturally, Flavia wants to be there for the big event, and when the tomb is opened, they find a body. However, it’s not St. Tancred in the tomb- it’s the body of Mr. Collicut, who played the organ at church. There is no way that he could have wandered into the tomb on his own, so it’s clear that he met with a gruesome end. Who could have killed Mr. Collicut? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Guts & Glory: The American Revolution by Ben Thompson

 

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Guts & Glory: The American Revolution was written by Ben Thompson. I picked up the Audible edition of this book (as well as the others in the series) during a sale, and my girls and I listened to it while we were driving around during all of our after-school activities.

This book is a wonderful introduction to the foundations of American history. Thompson uses a jocular storytelling format to convey information, and I found myself enjoying listening to this book as much as the kids. Much of the story is slightly irreverent, which naturally appeals to children. He uses modern pop culture examples to draw comparisons with events from the Revolution, like comparing Bunker Hill to an epic battle from Lord of the Rings or saying that he has to pay tax “every time he buy[s] a new Xbox game or a Big Mac”. Understanding history is so important, and I have a great deal of appreciation for Thompson’s ability to make learning about history appealing. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton

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Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride is a historical m/m romance novel written by Eli Easton. This book was mentioned in one of my FB groups, and when I saw that it was available for Kindle Unlimited, I borrowed it.

Robby Riverton is an actor living in New York City when he witnesses a crime. He knows that the gangsters will be after him, so he leaves the big city and heads west. When Robby realizes that he’s being followed, he pulls a switcharoo and uses his theatrical training to go to the Wild West disguised as a mail order bride. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

His Cocky Valet by Cole McCade

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His Cocky Valet is the first book in Cole McCade’s Undue Arrogance series of contemporary m/m romance novels. I heard about this book in one of my Facebook groups, and I knew I had to read it. This book was written in response to a legal battle involving trademarking individual words, and I’m always going to show up when pettiness is involved.

Ash Harrington has always been a hot mess, and he spends his days meandering around from one party to the next. The story begins with Ash needing to step up and take control of his billionaire father’s company, but Ash doesn’t know the first thing about taking care of himself, let alone running a business.

Enter Brand Forsythe, professional valet, who is definitely not here for Ash’s nonsense. Ash is unsure of himself and his abilities, but Brand helps him realize his potential. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian

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A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is the second book in Cat Sebastian’s Seducing the Sedgwicks series of Regency-era m/m historical romance novels. Sebastian is one of my favorite authors, so I preordered this book as soon as it appeared on Amazon.

Readers were introduced to Hartley Sedgwick in the first book in this series, It Takes Two to Tumble. Allusions were made to his situation, and now we get a clearer picture. Hartley inherited a house and funds from his godfather. This is hardly unique, except his benefactor favored Hartley over a biological son. This prompts the son to share with all of proper Society exactly what Hartley did to earn such a bountiful inheritance. Hartley has been shunned from the very people who once delighted in his company. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell (editor)

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All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages is an anthology of short stories written by young adult authors geared toward a YA audience. This book was not on my radar, but as soon as I saw it on the new release shelf at my town library, I knew that I had to borrow it.

The stories in this anthology feature historical fiction from all different eras from culturally diverse LGBTQ teens. There are 17 stories, and I enjoyed reading all of them and experiencing the perspective of a new narrative. It’s hard to choose favorites, but if I had to, here are some of my favorites. This is entirely subjective, and I’m sure that a dozen other readers would likely have completely different lists if asked about their favorites. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

People Like Us by Dana Mele

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People Like Us is a young adult novel written by Dana Mele. I read this book a while ago, but I am woefully behind with my review writing. I had heard about this book, and so I requested it via my library network.

It is an absolute nightmare when the body of a student turns up in the lake on the campus of the exclusive Bates Academy, but for Kay Donovan, it’s just the beginning. She receives a message from the dead girl, instructing her to confront her friends, and if Kay fails to comply, there will be consequences. It seems as though everyone is keeping secrets, but the biggest secret of all is how the girl ended up in the lake in the first place. Could Kay be implicated for the crime? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Threshold (Whyborne & Griffin) by Jordan L. Hawk

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Threshold is the second book in Jordan L. Hawk’s Whyborne & Griffin series. I read this book almost as soon as I finished reading Widdershins, the first book in the series. If I could condense this series into a brief description, I would call it an action adventure supernatural mystery with m/m romance and elements of magic, all set in Victorian-era America.

Whyborne and Griffin have survived the events at the end of Widdershins, and just when they think that their lives are returning to normal, Whyborne’s father summons them to the family manse. There’s something odd happening at one of the family mines, and Mr. Whyborne wants Griffin to investigate. So, along with their friend Dr. Christine Putnam, out delightful duo hop on a train and head south to the town of Threshold. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

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A Girl Like That was written by Tanaz Bhathena. I read this book a while ago, but I have fallen behind with my review writing. I found this book on the new release shelf of the young adult section of my library. The premise interested me, so I added it to my pile.

The book opens with the deaths of the protagonist Zarin and her boyfriend Porus. Armed with this knowledge, the reader must delve into the backstory, which details the events that led up to this untimely demise.

Zarin is a teenage girl living in Saudi Arabia. She’s Indian, and she lives in an expatriate community with her aunt and uncle. She has already acquired a reputation by the time she meets Porus, but she is so much more than “the girl like that”. Her life is heartbreakingly complicated, and her story deserves to be told. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

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Little & Lion was written by Brandy Colbert. I read this book a while ago, but I’m woefully behind with my book reviewing. I found this book on the new release shelf of the young adult section of my town library. I’d seen this book on a few lists of Hot YA books, so I happily added it to my pile.

Suzette returns home to Los Angeles from boarding school, and tries to settle into life with her blended family. Her stepbrother Lionel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she wants to be there for him. Rejoining her family serves as a pleasant distraction from having to think about what happened at school. Read more