The Secrets of Thorndale Manor by Syrie James (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Which author you would recommend everyone?  I have read and continue to enjoy novels by author Syrie James and I would recommend her to anyone.

Athena Taylor and her sister Selena have realized their dream of opening a school for young ladies at Thorndale Manor.  The manor has a checkered past with a recent occupant having been put to death for murdering a neighbor.  When one of their maids is discovered dead, Athena discovers that she was also linked with the past murder.  She decides to investigate the maids murder as well as the past murder.  What will she discover?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel picked up right after the first novel in the series, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall.  I greatly enjoyed this novel.  You can read The Secrets of Thorndale Manor as a standalone novel, but it is even more fun to read the series in order.

·       I love historical mystery and I thought this was a really interesting mystery and suspense novel.  It had a gothic feel to the entire story as well, which I loved.  I don’t want to delve into the details and ruin it for others, but I enjoyed the twists and turns.

·       I also felt hints of Jane Eyre throughout the novel and there is a lovely author’s note in the end which discusses this as well.  I especially loved that Athena and Selena are working together to run a school for girls and are having a hard time getting students.  This seemed familiar as it was a dream of Charlotte Bronte as well to start a school and her and her sisters were also unable to get enough students to do so.

·       I loved the Victorian England setting.  I also liked getting to know the servants in the manor as well as the neighbors in the small village.

·       Ian Vernon is an architect. His family had previously owned Thorndale Manor, but he had to sell it due to the estate being so far in debt.  He is not happy about Athena investigating the old murder as his sister was convicted of it.   But as he gets to know Athena, sparks fly. I loved this romance.

·       The back of the book has a picture of the beautiful cover of the next book in the series, Danger at Darkmoor Park which will focus on Selena. I can’t wait to read it!

Overall, The Secrets of Thorndale Manor by Syrie James is an intriguing Victorian Gothic historical mystery and suspense novel.  It has great characters and a great story with many twists and turns.  I highly recommend it!

Book Source:  Thank-you to @syriejames @dragonbladepublishing @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

The Bootlegger’s Bride by Rick Skwiot (Get Red PR Book Tour)

 

Describe the last book you read in less than 3 words.  For this book I would chose love, death, legacy.

The Bootlegger’s Bride by Rick Skwiot starts with A.J. Nowak ice skating one winter and finding the body of his mother trapped beneath the ice.  Was it an accident or who killed his mother?  Hazel Robinson was a schoolteacher when she met the enigmatic Jan Nowak.  He had made his money as a bootlegger during prohibition but continued building his wealth afterwards through “banking.”  The two fall in love and get married.  Their life seems perfect until World War II interferes.  Will A.J. be able to find out the truth about his parents and move on with his own life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I would almost rather call this book The Bootlegger’s Son.  I feel like it was really A.J.’s story as he pieces together the truth about his parents.  They weren’t perfect people but were caught in tragedies of the times they lived through.

·       Jan Nowak was a fascinating character.  He was the son of Polish immigrants and made is own way in the mean streets of St. Louis as a youngster involved in bootlegging.  He must make hard choices in order to keep himself alive and wealthy.

·       Hazel was a woman who loved to read and loved Jan.  When tragedy strikes, she is unable to move on with her life.  It was really sad reading about her decline into alcoholism and despair.

·       The novel flashed through time and different character points of view.  It was mostly told through A.J.’s, Jans, and Hazel’s point of view, but there were some others in there as well that helped to advance the story.  The time period was roughly the 1920s through the 1970s.

·       I loved the family home on Long Lake.  It sounded so peaceful.  Hazel’s sister Helen and brother-in-law, Raymond were the rock stars of this novel and took care of A.J.

·       It took me a bit to get into the book, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down.  Love, revenge, depression, family, and more were themes that kept me riveted.  This book was a good mixture of family drama and historical mystery.

Overall, The Bootlegger’s Bride by Rick Skwiot was an engrossing historical fiction story with mystery, romance, and compelling characters.

Book Source:  Review copy from Blank Slate Press as part of the Get Red PR Book Tour.  Thank-you!

Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  Murder is Easy

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Gemma Whelan

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 57 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.

How often do you read classics?

Luke Fitzwilliam is on a train when he meets Miss Pinkerton.  She is from a small English village, and she has quite the tale to tell him.  She said that there is murderer loose in her small English village of Wychwood and that she knows who will be murdered next.  Luke is sure Miss Pinkerton may be a bit batty, but after he reads of her death in a hit-and-run accident and that the next person she had stated would die has died mysteriously, he realizes that Miss Pinkerton may have been up to something after all.  He travels to Wychwood to investigate.  Will he be able to solve the crime?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I am participating in the #ReadChristie2025 Challenge.  The challenge this year is exploring Agatha Christie’s works through her characters and their careers.  The theme for June was amateurs.  Main character Luke Fitzwilliam is newly retired from overseas police work and is not a seasoned detective. 

·       This mystery also had a love story in it with Luke and Bridget who helps him on his investigation.  Bridget is also engaged to the much older Lord Easterfield.

·       This is a standalone mystery that is not part of the Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot series.  Superintendent Battle shows up at the end of this novel, but I wouldn’t really call it a Superintendent Battle novel.

·       I did guess the ending of this one!  I just had a bad feeling about one of the characters and it proved to be correct.  There were a lot of red herrings as well.

·       I really liked the small English village setting.  Everyone was a suspect, and everyone had different aspects on the murder victims to share.  It was interesting just how easy murder turned out to be in this novel.

·       Gemma Whelan narrated this novel and did a great job.  It was a fun audiobook to listen to!

Overall, Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie is an enjoyable classic English mystery set in a small village.

A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Where would you like to vacation this summer?  We are touring my second child around to colleges this year so that is our vacation.  We recently camped in the Duluth, Minnesota area and visited a college.  A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder is set in Paris, which is a place I have always wanted to visit.

Frances and George are relaxing and spending time in Paris when Frances meets with an old frenemy, Alice.  Frances’s first husband died in bed with Alice, so Frances and Alice have a strained relationship.  Regardless, Alice seeks Frances out to ask for her help investigating her daughter’s love interest.  His first wife was murdered, and Alice wants to know if he had anything to do with it. An incriminating piece of evidence is found with Sarah Bernhardt.  Could America’s sweetheart be a murderer?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the eighth novel in the Countell of Harleigh Mystery series.  It can be read as a standalone novel.  I’ve only read the seventh novel in the series, and I enjoyed this addition.  I do need to go back and start this series from the beginning.

·       I love George and Frances.  They are both wonderful characters and such a great couple.  I love their relationship.  I also love that they are such great sleuths that the French police ask for their help in this book. Frances definitely took the lead on the investigation in this novel.

·       This was a delightful cozy mystery that kept me guessing.  I did not see the ending coming!

·       I loved the addition of actress Sarah Bernhardt as a suspect.

·       This novel had great female characters and empowerment in this novel. 

·       Frances’s sister Lily has just had a baby and I felt for her in this novel.  Her portrayal of a tired young mother really spoke to me.

·       I thought it was interesting that the plot included the second Olympics in Paris as well as the Paris theatre scene.  It was fun!

Overall, A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman is a delightful historical cozy mystery starring my favorite couple and crime solving duo, Frances and George.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @diannefreemanwrites @kensingtonbooks @austenprose for the review copy as a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch

 

Title:  A Family Matter

Author:  Claire Lynch

Narrated by:  Miranda Raison

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 4 hours and 41 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank-you

What do you prefer- hyped books or not so hyped books?  I have started to see good reviews for this book, A Family Matter by Claire Lynch, and they are much deserved.

In 1982, Dawn is a young wife and mother, trying to do what is expected of her in life, until she meets Hazel and falls in love.  Divorce and a custody battle ensue and the courts at that time will not allow a lesbian to have any contact with her own daughter.  In 2022, Heron has discovered he has terminal cancer.  He has a close relationship with his daughter Maggie, but he has always let her believe that her mother abandoned her for another man.  Will he finally tell her the truth before it is too late?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I can’t stop thinking about this story and the lost time that a mother and daughter did not get to spend together.

·       This story was told in flashbacks between 1982 and 2022 and is set in England.

·       I found the story very relatable with myself being around the age of Maggie (daughter) and my parents being around her parents’ age.  The worries, cares, and places are all so familiar.

·       It is hard to believe that tis is a debut novel.  It was a well written and compelling story that got the little things about life right.

·       This was a Read with Jenna book pick.

·       It was a short, but powerful read.

·       The audiobook narrator, Miranda Raison, was great.  She kept me riveted on a long drive for work last week while I listened to the audiobook.

·       It was a good family drama and is character driven.

·       This was an excellent read for #pridemonth.

·       There was a good author’s note at the end of the novel about the plight of lesbians in England in the 1980s with being able to keep custody of their children.  I was disturbed that the condescending verbiage the judge and lawyer used in court was really language from trials at the time.  It’s interesting how much has changed over a relatively short period of time.

Overall, A Family Matter by Claire Lynch was a powerful, well written, and compelling story that I will be thinking about for a long time.

The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Suntz (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What country would you set a new book?  I realized that while I love L.M. Montgomery, I don’t read many books set in Canada.  The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Sutz is set in Toronto Canada in 1837.  I read this while on a camping trip to Duluth, Minnesota.  I just returned this evening and I am a bit late with my post.

Sara O’Conner is a young widow trying to make ends meet as a laundress.  She befriends a motherless child, Evie, and through her, her father James.  After Evie falls ill with scarlatina, Sara nurses her back to health and stays on as her governess.  Sara’s new role in the home causes scandal across town.  Why is a laundress so educated?  What secret is she trying to hide?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the romance between Sara and James.  It was slow burn, and a marriage of convenience.

·       I loved Sara and Evie’s relationship.  It was made all the more special as Sara had lost her own mother as a child. She sympathized with Evie and did not want her to have the hard life that she herself endured.

·       I loved Henry, a poor young waif, who is sharp and knows all that is going on around town.  He helps Sara, Evie, and James through many pickles.  They help him too.

·       Ivanhoe is featured prominently throughout the novel and the characters enjoy reading and discussing it.  I still need to read Ivanhoe!

·       I had never heard of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837.  I enjoyed learning about it in the story and the author’s note at the end of the novel.

·       This is my first book by Christine Hill Suntz and it won’t be my last!  It is hard to believe this was her debut novel.  It was very beautifully written with great characters.

·       Sara has lost her faith through life’s trials, but James has kept his own faith.  Sara has a journey back to faith in this novel. 

·       This was a clean read.

·       There were great discussion questions at the end of the book.

Overall, The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Suntz was an engaging historical romance with wonderful characters set in Toronto in 1837.  I highly recommend this fabulous debut.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @christinehillsuntz @tyndalehouse @crazy4fiction @austenprose for the review copy as a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Which fictional character makes you feel safe and happy?

Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney would like to take their relationship to the next level, but their families would like them to forget about each other and find a more appropriate love. Unbeknownst to their families, they have both been sent to London to experience the season. After a murder occurs, they are once again on the case. Will they be able to find the killer and convince their families that they should be together?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I LOVE this series.

·       Jonathan and Juliet are great characters and I love their romance.  Jonathan is neurodivergent and Juliet understands him.

·       I loved that this was a continuation of the Mansfield Park story.  Maria reappears with a child and Mr. Rushworth is thinking about remarrying her, but Henry Crawford is still on the scene.

·       Fanny has the heartbreak of losing a child and being told she can never have a child.  She feels jealous over the fact that Maria has had a child.

·       I still love that Catherine Tilney is an authoress and that she feels comfortable traveling to London to do her own business.

·       This was a clean read and a cozy mystery.

·       The Rushworth Family Plot is the fourth book in the series.  It is best to read the entire series in order.

·       Jonathan and Juliet have both a slow burn and a friends to lovers’ romance.  They had a few romantic moments in this novel. The former Caroline Bingley is back on the scene to try to split them apart.  I admit, at this point, it is feeling contrived to keep them apart.  I think they should just be together engaged or married and solving mysteries.

·       Austen’s characters feel like Austen’s characters in this book.  Author Claudia Gray writes them perfectly.

·       I did not guess the murderer in this book, and I thought the mystery had a satisfying ending.

Overall, The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray is a terrific addition to the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery Series with an intriguing mystery and great characters. I cannot wait for the next book!

Book Source:  Thank-you to @claudia_gray @ireadvintage @austenprose for the review copy as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

 

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

 

Title:  Jane of Lantern Hill

Author:  L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by:  Lauren Saunders

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 1 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

Have you reread any childhood favorite books lately?  I haven’t read Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery since my teen years, and it was a job to read it again this month as part of the What the Dickens Book Club.

Jane Stuart lives with her grandmother, aunt, and mother in a sad and cold mansion in Toronto.  She discovers that her father is alive, and he wants her to visit him for the summer in Prince Edward Island.  Her world opens and is alive in PEI.  Why did her parents separate?  Will Jane find a way to live a happy life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved how Jane figured out how to cook, clean, and garden on her own and enjoyed doing it.  She enjoyed the small things of life and was a sensible girl.

·       This was a hopeful story that is written for younger audiences (tween and teen).

·       I loved the mystery of the parents’ (Andrew and Robin) relationship both as a kid and reading it again now as an adult.

·       Jane ages from eleven to thirteen in this book.

·       Grandma is a true villain in this book.  How lonely and sad Jane was growing up in her cold home.  I wonder if this character was based on anyone that L.M. Montgomery knew?

·       As I’ve come to expect from L.M. Montgonery the novel had beautiful descriptions of nature, the ocean, Prince Edward Island, the house.  I loved that the lantern hill house was “alive” and had “magic.”

·       It was also interesting reading the difference between Toronto (cold, dreary, etc.) and Prince Edward Island where everyone is loving.

·       This was a coming-of-age novel as Jane really grows up on the island.

·       The cats and dogs in the novel were delightful.

·       This novel was published in 1937 and was set in the 1930s, later than the Anne books.  It was interesting that cars and airplanes are mentioned.  Jane’s dad is a WWI veteran.

·       This story seems scandalous for the times that it was written with the parents being separated and talk of divorce.  Grandma and her aunt made me angry with their meddling in Jane’s parents’ marriage.  The ending is the dream of every divorced child in the vein of The Parent Trap.

·       The ending was good, but abrupt.

·       This is a stand-alone novel and was one of the first L.M. Montgomery books I read because of the movie.  I just recently rewatched the movie after I finished the book.  It strays a lot from the book but was still enjoyable.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook and the narrator had a pleasant voice.

Overall, Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery is an inspiring and charming comfort read.

Go Tell it On the Mountain by James Baldwin

 

Title:  Go Tell it On the Mountain

Author:  James Baldwin

Narrated by:  Adam Lazarre-White

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Libby

What is the worst birthday you’ve had?  I had a couple in a row where I had the stomach flu and then hypomesis gravidum when pregnant with my daughter. This pales in comparison to John Grimes birthday in Go Tell it On the Mountain.

John Grimes is celebrating his14th birthday and struggles with his faith over the course of a day.  The book explores the complexity of his family.  Set during the depression in New York City, will John find his morality and purpose in life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this book as part of the Classics Buddy Read for June with @Dees.reads.

·       Go Tell it On the Mountain was James Baldwins first published novel in 1953.  He was thirty years old when it was published.  He did well as this novel has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 100 English language novels.

·       This seems to be a semi-autobiographical novel as much of it is based on Baldwin’s own life.  He was born out of wedlock to an unwed mother.  His mother never told him who his biological father was.  She married a Baptist preacher.  He and his father had a difficult relationship.  He didn’t like that James like to read and had white friends.

·       This is complex story of an unhappy family.

·       This was a very well written novel, but also a very bleak story.

·       This was a coming-of-age story for 14-year old John Grimes, but it also delves into the past of his father, Aunt Florence, mother, and grandmother.

·       It was interesting look at the struggle between faith and living the life you want to live and faith versus sexuality.  As part of their faith there was no cards, music, dancing, etc. and it a struggle for the young people.

·       John’s mother Elizabeth had a tragic love story with Richard, John’s biological father.  He was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.  It broke him and caused his suicide.

·       John’s father, Gabriel, is a pastor, but greatly struggles with following his faith and avoiding sin.  He drove me insane.  He judges Elizabeth for having a child out of wedlock, something he himself also did, but never acknowledged.  The hypocrisy and double standard for sexual morality of women versus men was astounding.

·       The audiobook had a great narrator with a deep voice who was perfect for the preaching sections.

Overall, Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin was a bleak, but well written coming of age novel about the struggles between faith, racism, and sexism.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

 

Title:  The Wind in the Willows

Author:  Kenneth Grahame

Narrated by:  Callum Hale with music by Dylan Allcock

Publisher: Findaway Voices

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 8 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Hoopla

If you were represented by an animal in fiction, what would you be?  I would like to be represented by a cat.

The Wind in the Willows is the story and adventures of Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad.  Toad is incorrigible and gets into lots of scraps.  Luckily, he has friends to help him out in times of trouble.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the audiobook version.  It had a great narrator, sound effects, and music.

·       This book had a lot of songs in it, and I liked how they were sung in the audiobook.

·       This was the May selection for the Back to the Classics Book Club, although we did meet the first week of June this time.  I finished just in time!

·       We all agreed that this was a nice, mellow, and happy book.

·       Kenneth Grahame told these stories to his son while he grew up.  He didn’t write any other books after this.  I was hoping for a The Wind in the Willows book two.

·       It was strange when the animals eat a stew and list all the various creatures in it.  Aren’t you eating your friends?

·       I read that either you are a toad fan or a everything else fan.  I like the book, but I really felt the story lighted up whenever Toad entered the room with his escapades.

·       The hard cover copy illustrated by Michael Hague had beautiful pictures.

·       This book had great friendships between the animals.

·       This novel was first published in 1908.

Overall, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a perfect book to read to unwind, relax, and escape to another world.

 

Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane

 

Do you like books that feature animals?  If so, what type of animals do you like to read about?

Dr. Charlotte Rodriguez has just ended her latest relationship.  She blames Jane Austen for writing heroes that do not exist in reality but raise her expectations in real life.  Charlotte decides to not date and remain single for a while.  She instead adopts a new puppy.  George Leneghan is Charlotte’s neighbor and co-worker.  He has a crush on her, but as soon as he finds out she’s single, he learns that she has sworn off dating.  They do things together as friends, but when George starts talking about moving away, will Charlotte be ready to move their relationship to be more than a friend?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was a JASNA Northwoods Book Club selection for our June meeting.  Everyone at book club seemed to enjoy this novel.

·       This book was good escapism reading and would make good Hallmark movie.

·       There were Jane Austen quotes at the start of each chapter, although at least one is a movie quote.

·       This is the fourth book in the Pine Hollow series, but it can be read as a standalone.

·       This was a clean read.

·       This was a very slow-moving contemporary romance novel and romance.

Overall, Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane is a light contemporary romance and clean read.

Book Source:  Review copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!