Posted on by Maureen

The Adventures of King Rollo by David McKee

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I remember watching King Rollo on Nickelodeon back in the 1980s. We also had a couple of the books. It seems like a lot of people don’t remember it, so I was very excited when I saw a set of King Rollo books on Amazon.

The Adventures of King Rollo is a set of four little hardcover books written and illustrated by David McKee. They come packaged nicely in a sturdy cardboard slipcase.

King Rollo and the Bread shows King Rollo trying to improve upon a farmer’s simple meal of bread by having his Magician change the bread into many different foods. The moral of this story is that simple is sometimes best. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

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The Duchess Deal is the first book in Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series. I’ve been looking forward to this book for several months, and I was so excited that it was finally here that I read the whole thing in a day.

Emma was a vicar’s daughter, but circumstances have forced her to seek work as a seamstress. And when the Duke of Ashbury’s wedding is canceled, this leaves Emma is a precarious position- she has designed the dress, and now she will not be receiving payment for her effort. So she does what any rational person would do- she shows up at Ashbury’s London home wearing the wedding dress.

Ash, as he was called by the friends he once had, was severely injured in the Napoleonic Wars. He is scarred and bitter, but he also needs an heir. So he does what any rational aristocrat would do in his position- he proposes marriage to the angry young woman wearing a wedding dress. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

The One That Got Away by Melissa Pimentel

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The One That Got Away was written by Melissa Pimentel. This is a cute story that bills itself as a modern version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I don’t usually read a great deal of contemporary adult fiction, and I must admit that the Austen connection is what drew me to this book.

Ruby lives and works in NYC, and has dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her career in advertising. As the story begins, she is preparing to travel to England for her little sister’s dream wedding. There’s just one problem- Ruby’s ex-boyfriend is going to be there as well because he’s best friends with the groom. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

You May Kiss The Bride by Lisa Berne

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I picked up You May Kiss the Bride when the Kindle edition was on sale., and I added the audio as well. This is the first book in Lisa Berne’s Penhallow Dynasty series of Regency-set romance novels.

Gabriel Penhallow is supposed to marry the perfect girl from the right family, a young woman well-versed in the nuances of Proper Society. And he has every intention of proposing to Cecily; he doesn’t know her at all, but his grandmother says that she is the perfect Penhallow bride. But Gabriel finds himself kissing Livia Stuart in the garden, and when they are discovered, he insists that he will marry Livia. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood

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I preordered this book back in March, so it was very exciting when the Amazon delivery van pulled up in front of my house. My three girls wanted to read this book immediately, and I was happy to oblige.

Here Comes Teacher Cat is the fifth picture book in the Cat series. These delightful books were written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Claudia Rueda. If you aren’t familiar with Cat, you should know that the books follow a similar format. The narrator addresses Cat directly, and Cat responds by holding up signs that express his feelings. Cat is a bit of a curmudgeon and he can be selfish at times, but he has a good heart.

As the title suggests, Cat spends this book working as a substitute teacher for a class of little kittens. At first, he seems intimidated by the job, but he quickly realizes how much fun he can have and the students seem to appreciate his “improvements” to music, building blocks, and art. But can they clean up their mess before Ms. Melba returns? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

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I first heard about The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie in one of my message boards. The plot intrigued me, and so I sought out a copy via my library network. There was a wait list, but within days, I arrived at the top of the list and downloaded the book onto my Kindle.

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is the first book in Jennifer Ashley’s Mackenzies series. This Victorian romance features the titular Lord Ian, the younger brother of a duke. Lord Ian has quite a reputation- he spent much of his youth in a private asylum, and now as an adult, he enjoys collecting Chinese pottery. He proves to be a valuable asset to his oldest brother’s trade deals because he can recall entire conversations verbatim, even if the negotiations took place in another language.

As soon as Ian meets Beth, he is absolutely smitten. Beth also arrived at her present situation in a rather unconventional manner: after her pastor husband passed away, she served as the companion for a wealthy lady who left Beth a large inheritance. Beth has never met anyone like Ian, nor has she ever been pursued with the intensity in which Ian pursues her. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Force Oversleeps (Star Wars: Jedi Academy) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

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I purchased The Force Oversleeps for the girls because they have enjoyed the previous books in this series. This is the fifth book in Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Jedi Academy series.

This book is about a boy named Victor who is starting his second year at Jedi Academy. He’s hoping to get the lead role in the school play, but it doesn’t work out. That’s not even the worst thing though- everyone thinks that Victor’s big sister is going to the dark side! Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series of mystery novels. I actually listened to this book awhile ago, but I fell behind with my reviews and did not have the opportunity to write a review until now.

Flavia de Luce is a precocious young girl who lives in a crumbling mansion with her father and sisters. Her two passions are chemistry and tormenting her sisters. One day, Flavia finds a dead bird with a rare stamp pinned on its beak. Not too long after that, she finds a dying man in the garden. Flavia knows that she can solve the case faster than the police, and she sets off on her trusty bike to delve into long-buried schoolboy secrets and the intense world of stamp collecting. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen

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I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service in the 11th book in Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness mystery series. These books, set in the 1930s, feature Georgie Rannoch, a young aristocratic who is a cousin to the Royal Family. Georgie is clever and rather innocuous, and she has been called upon to assist the Queen with sensitive matters.

In this book, Georgie is tasked with dropping in on a house party in an Italian villa. She is supposed to be keeping an eye on her cousin David, who is still keeping company with that highly unsuitable American woman (Wallis Simpson). Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer

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I initially read/listened to audiobook version of the Enola Holmes mysteries when my girls were very small. Now they are much older and enjoy listening to audiobooks, I thought it would be fun if we listened to the Enola Holmes stories this summer when we drive around on errands.

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets is the third book in the Enola Holmes series. Even if you are unfamiliar with this series, you might be able to deduce that Miss Enola is the younger sister of the famous detective. After her mother’s disappearance, Enola runs away from home and has been living in London. She has her own detective business, and solves mysteries in between evading her brothers and trying to figure out what happened to her mother.

After the events in the second book, Enola is afraid her cover has been blown, so to speak, and that her brothers will be able to track her down. So when she sees a newspaper article about the disappearance of Dr. Watson, she initially suspects that it might be a trick to lure her out of hiding. Read more