Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly

 

Are you in a May flower season where you live?  Flowers are blooming in Northeast Wisconsin, but it is still very chilly.

Three extraordinary women formed a friendship in the late 18^th century:  Abigail Adams of the United States, Queen Charlotte of England, and Marie Antoinette of France.  With limited power and many problems both personnel and on the world stage, how will these ladies navigate life and support one another?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is a book that is meant to be read slowly and savored.

·       Each chapter starts with quotes from fiction letters to each other. The POV of each chapter alternatives between the three ladies.

·       Abigail Adam was the wife of future president John Adams who before he was president served as the ambassador to France and England.  She misses home and feels like a fish out of water at times.

·       Marie Antoinette is a scapegoat in France as the country descends into revolution.

·       Queen Charlotte deals with a problematic oldest son, her husband’s descent into madness, and the loss of her children.

·       These three women were in high positions but didn’t have much power to change their own fates.  They were able to find the strength to make what changes they would with what they had.

·       Great research with a bibliography at the end.

·       There are good discussion questions for book clubs at the end of the book.

·       The afterword explains what happened to Abigail and Charlotte after Marie Antoinette’s death.

Favorite Quotes:

“What was left for her after accomplishing those things?  She had influence but no power.  She had position but no authority.  She had plenty of finery but no lasting significance.”

“Their friendship lived and breathed in a way that human life did not.  It surpassed mortal bonds and physical distance.  It remained unharmed by wars, but loss, but fear, or by hate.”

Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly is a beautifully written historical fiction novel about three extraordinary women in history.

Book Source:  Thank-you @author.rebecca.connolly @shadowmountainpub @greatreadsbookpromo for the review copy as part of the Great Reads Book Promotion Tour.  Thank-you!

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda

 

Title:  One Leg on Earth

Author:  'Pemi Aguda

Narrated by:  Délé Ogundiran

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 39 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @w.w.norton for the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

What country is your current book set in?

Yosoye is a lonely women, excited to be in Lagos for an architectural internship.  After a one-night stand, she finds herself pregnant.  As other pregnant women start being found drowned in the sea, Yosoye feel herself pressed by a fear that she will be next.  Does it have anything to do with the new development she is working on that is located on reclaimed land that is meant for the rich?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       The title comes from a saying, one leg on earth and one leg in heaven.

·       This is a literary novel that is also a women’s contemporary fiction novel.

·       It was a slow paced, but short novel.

·       It was interesting on audiobook.

·       The story explores the loneliness of motherhood.

·       I thought it was an interesting look at the parallels of growing a city as a designer and growing a new life within you as a mother.

·       I really enjoyed the setting in Legos.

·       The story never does resolve why the women were drowning.

Overall, One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda was an interesting literary fiction novel with a riveting setting in Lagos.

Fast and Fastidious by R.M. Caldwell

 

Title:  Fast and Fastidious

Author:  R.M. Caldwell

Narrated by:  Fiona Hardingham

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 22 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

Do you like to watch any type of racing?  My daughter is in track so I’m often at track meets these days.

Lucy Elliot strives to be a proper lady, but she secretly attends the Night Races.  The Night Races are carriage races on country lanes where unchaperoned men and women gather from all social classes.  When her new neighbor, Captain Dashwood starts racing, Lucy is afraid her secret will come out.  As carriage robberies start to take place in the neighborhood, will Lucy and Captain Dashwood be able to find the culprit?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       This a fun adventure story which was what I needed during a stressful week.

·       This novel is set during the Regency time period.

·       I loved how Lucy is a mechanical engineer at heart with her “fastidious” mind and she works on several item to make racing carriages go faster.  I love engineers in novels – especially lady engineers as I am an engineer myself.

·       Lucy seems like she is on the spectrum and it was interesting having her as a neurodivergent character.

·       The audiobook was entertaining.

·       I liked the unique concept of having racing in this novel.

·       The description on this book cover was Pride and Prejudice meets Fast and Furious which is accurate.

·       This is not really a romance even though it is labeled as one, it is more a mystery with espionage.

·       The loved the relationship between Lucy and her very different sister, Margaret.

·       This is a debut novel.

Overall, Fast and Fastidious by R.M. Caldwell was a light and fun regency historical mystery.

Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries

 

Title:  Nearly a Bride

Author:  Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by:  Beverley A. Crick

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 40 minutes

Source: Audiobook copy from NetGalley and physical book copy from Kensington Books as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!

What type of books do you need when you need a lighthearted read?  I like to read romance when I need a good lighthearted book.

The Earl of Hearthbrook, Heath, was trapped in France for ten years.  His first goal upon returning home is to claim guardianship of his brothers.  In order to look respectable, he enters into a faux engagement with Giselle Bernard.  A stranger is threatening Giselle and her mother by saying her immigration papers have been forged. Heath agrees to help her out with this problem, if she helps him with a fake engagement.  Will these two find that their feelings are more than fake?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       There was an intriguing note at the beginning of the novel of how in 1802, the Treaty of Amiens was signed which seemed to be the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  Many British citizens flocked to France to see Paris for the first time since 1792.  The peace did not last, and hostilities started again on May 18, 1803.  Napoleon captured all British male citizen will in France (and their families) and they were held prisoner until 1814. These prisoners were called detenus and the story focuses on them.

·       I loved the great banter between the two leads.

·       This novel is a historical regency romance with a fake engagement and opposites attract tropes.

·       This novel was the second in the Lords of Hazards series.  I read it as a standalone and it worked.  I did feel like there was background that would have enhanced the story that was set up in the first book.  I need to go back and read Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart.

·       I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator, Beverley A. Crick was fantastic.  I enjoyed the distinct voices she gave all the characters and the French accents.  It was a light entertaining book that was perfect for a stressful time of year.

·       I liked the heroine, Giselle, a lot.  She was a caring person who helped those around her including her mother and Heath’s brothers.

·       This was a steamy romance with great chemistry between the leads.

Overall, Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries is an entertaining historical regency romance that is a perfect way to escape from the stressors of the day.