Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Do you enjoy reading fairy tales?  I have enjoyed them since I was a child. I love reading different takes on fairy tale stories.  Cloaked in Beauty is a new take on Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty that weaves together the essence of both stories into a new unique story.

Scarlett woke up to her home being burned down.  Her mother has a plan for just such a case and sends Scarlett off with her Grandmother to remain hidden until her twenty-first birthday.  Her father has passed away, and her Uncle will inherit her fortune if she dies before the age of 21.  Now known as Lettie, she has grown up in the woods in Texas with her grandmother and pet wolf.  As she nears twenty-one, her mother has sent a Pinkerton agent, Philip, to escort her back to Houston.  Will Scarlett/Letty make it back alive and allude her Uncle’s nefarious schemes?  Will she find love?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the start of this novel.  It really pulled me into the story and made me excited to read it.  This novel had a very engaging plot that kept me reading until the last page as Philip and Letty try to make their way back to Houston.  The ending was perfect.

·       The novel is set in Texas in the late 1800s.

·       I always enjoy animals in a novel and loved Rusty the trusty wolf.

·       The characters were all interesting and well written.  I especially loved Letty and Philip.  Letty is a strong character.  Although she lived a sheltered life, she is self-assured and is always trying to do what is right.  Philip has a fun sense of humor and is a good-hearted person.

·       The romance was sweet.  This is a clean read.

·       Letty and Philip’s Christian faith was important to them both and it woven in throughout the novel.  I also liked that Letty wanted to use her fortune to do good in the world.

·       As a mother, I especially was touched by the reunion of Letty and her mother.

·       Karen Witemeyer has written other fairy tale inspired historical romance novels including Fairest of the Heart and If the Boot Fits.  I need to read these novels.

Favorite Quote: “Worrying about tomorrow only served to steal the joy from today.  And this day was far too fine to squander.”

Overall, Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer is a riveting fairy tale inspired historical romance novel with great action and characters.  I highly recommend it.

Book Source:  Review copy from Bethany House as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

 BOOK DESCRIPTION

Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .

Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.

Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty's resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm's way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.

AUTHOR BIO

Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Historical Author of 2023 by Family Fiction magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She and her husband make their home in Abilene, Texas. Learn more about Karen and her books at KarenWitemeyer.com.

The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson

 

Title: The Last Witch in Edinburgh

Author:  Marielle Thompson

Narrated by:  Siobhan Waring

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible. Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @kensingtonbooks for the review copy of the paperwork version of the book.

What are you currently reading?  Leave a hashtag of the book that you are currently reading so that I can check it out.

Nellie is a young beautiful woman that is trying to keep her motherless brother alive and happy in 1824 Edinburgh.  She encounters the Roe Women’s Apothecary and learns about the Cailleach and magic.  After a fire destroys the shop, Nellie is adrift in the world, mourning for her lost love.  After 200 years she finally returns to Edinburgh with her daughter and finds both friends and foes waiting.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The narrator of the audiobook had a nice Scottish accent. 

·       Fear lingers over all with women being seemingly selected by random to be hanged as witches.

·       This novel was historical fantasy, there were no witch hunts in the 1820s, but the author researched the witch hunts that did take place in Edinburgh and used the historical detail for this novel.

·       The focus of the story was of men trying to keep powerful women down and to keep them from expressing their ideas and helping each other. 

·       The novel switches to modern times as witches live very long lives. 

·       The novel got very preachy at the end about the patriarchy.  There were no good men in the story.  I got tired by the end of only women being good and all men being evil.

·       I didn’t like the turn in the story in the second half of the book.  The first half of the book, Nellie’s brother was so important to her and then she just abandons him.  It seemed out of character.  I also didn’t understand why it took her 200 years to check back on who had survived the fire.

·       The novel focused on social issues and feminism.

·       A same sex romance was featured in the story.

·       It was an engaging story, but the second half was not as good as the first half.

Overall, The Last Witch in Edinburgh was a good fall read and interesting historical fantasy.

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo

 

Title: The Witches of El Paso

Author:  Luis Jaramillo

Narrated by:  Raquel Beattie

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 50 minutes

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

Do you like to read books for the Halloween season?  If so, what are your favorites?

The Witches of El Paso is a brand-new book that was just published in October.  It features a family that can travel through time with their inherited magic.  Nena is a teenager in 1943 El Paso, Texas.  She takes care of her sisters’ children, but she longs for her own life and adventure.  She prays for help and the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives in response.  She then travels back in time to 1792 where her gift of “La Vista” is calling her.  There she lives in a convent until the day that a mysterious illness kills many and she is sent to care for a sick family member of one of the nuns and her life is changed forever.    

In the present day, Marta is a civil rights attorney living in El Paso with her husband and children.  She helps her old aunt Nena on her quest to find her missing child.  Marta also finds her own “La Vista” along the way.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a multigenerational family drama, and I greatly enjoyed it.

·       I loved the magical realism of the story.  There wasn’t too much magic, but I did enjoy how both Marta and Nena found themselves and their magic.

·       I enjoyed the glimpse into Hispanic culture and the history of El Paso.

·       I really enjoyed Nena’s time in the convent in the 1700’s.  The history and day to day life was fascinating to me. 

·       I also enjoyed Marta.  As a mother, wife, and attorney, she feels herself pulled in many directions. She also cares for Nena and through Nena, Marta is finally able to find her authentic self. 

·       It was also interesting comparing the life of a woman in the 1700s, 1940s, and current day.

·       Raquel Beattie was an excellent narrator and made the story very enjoyable.

Overall, The Witches of El Paso was an interesting magical realism, family drama, and time slip novel that was perfect fall reading.

 

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

 

Title: The Dark Days Club

Author:  Alison Goodman

Narrated by:  Fiona Hardingham

Publisher: Brillance Audio

Length: Approximately 14 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.

What’s the last series you started?  I just read The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman last month for the JASNA Northwoods Book Club.  I sadly missed the meeting due to being ill, but I enjoyed reading this first book in the Lady Helen Trilogy.  I am ready to read the next book in the series!

It’s 1812 and Lady Helen Wrexhall is preparing for her presentation to Queen Charlotte.  Her mother, Lady Catherine, mysteriously died when Helen was a child, and she has been labeled as a traitor to England.  Lady Helen’s uncle and aunt hope that all can be forgotten and that she will make an excellent match.  At her presentation, she meets the mysterious and scandalous Lord Carlston.  As she searches for her family’s missing housemaid, she must enlist his help.  Along the way she also finds out secrets within her family.  Will she be ale to embrace who she really is?  What does she want to do with her life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a historical fantasy novel with paranormal elements.  It’s a perfect book for fall reading.

·       This novel was a world building novel.  I look forward to the other books in this series that build on this novel.

·       There was a love triangle in the story, but it was obvious who would end together.  The focus of the story was on the world building and not on the romance.

·       The fantasy elements are that there are creators (Deceivers) living among the humans in Regency England that use energy tentacles to suck the life force out of unsuspecting humans.  Reclaimers use magical items and can see the Deceivers and use their powers to battle them.

·       I loved Lady Helen and her intelligence and independence.

·       This novel has great secondary characters and friends.  I especially liked her maid, Darby, and their relationship.

·       There was a great author’s note at the end of the novel.  Author Alison Goodman did a lot of research on the Regency period, and it shows in the historical detail in this novel.

·       I still want to know what exactly happened to Lady Helen’s parents and Lord Carlston’s wife.  Hopefully this will be explored in future novels.

·       I did feel that this novel could have been trimmed down to focus more on the action.

·       Fiona Hardingham was a great narrator on the audiobook.  She had unique voices for all the characters.

Overall, The Dark Days Club was an entertaining and interesting historical fiction novel and the great start to a new series.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Title:  A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure

Author:  Angela Bell

Narrated by:  Beverley A. Crick

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 28 minutes

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com.  Thank-you Bethany House and Austenprose for the Review copy of the physical book.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is a historical fantasy novel set in 1860s London.  Clara feels the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Her engagement is broken, and her fiancé has been spreading the rumor that madness runs in her family.  Her family is …eccentric.  When her Grandfather Drosselmeyer sets off on a European trip on his flying owl, he leaves her clues to find him.  She sets off on an adventure around Europe with her mother, and her Grandfather’s apprentice, Mr. Arthur.  Will they be able to find her grandfather before it is too late?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The adventure, clues, and travel made this a very fun read.

·       Clara’s eccentric mother was a hoot.  She was an animal activist before her time.  There was no creature too small for her care.

·       Mr. Arthur has a sad back story of his own and is really Mr. Theodore Kingsley.  He is a former soldier that struggles with a leg disability and with PTSD.  His family had shunned him because of this.   There was little support for veterans during the Victorian age.

·       Clara and Theodore had wonderful enemies to lovers’ romance.

·       I enjoyed the Christian message in the novel that Clara and Theodore needed to give their worries to the lord and move on with their lives.  The message was a part of the plot, and it was a larger focus in the second half of the novel.

·       This was a wonderful debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what author Angela Bell works on next. 

·       This novel is a clean romance.

·       I loved the steampunk vibe with the automatons that grandfather invented including the giant owl that he flies around Europe on.  He also invents an automaton that hatches from an egg and other neat items.  This leant a fantasy/sci fi element to an otherwise historical fiction novel.

·       The only weakness in the novel to me was the villain.  His back story and actions didn’t quite make sense to me. 

·       I read the first half of this book physically and finished it on audiobook as I had a lot of driving to do for work.  I enjoyed both formats!

Overall, A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventures is a fun, unique adventure and I highly recommend it.

Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon by Maria Grace

 

Title:  Pemberley:  Mr. Darcy’s Dragon

Author:  Maria Grace

Narrated by:  Benjamin Fife

Publisher: Maria Grace

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

Do you like to read stories with dragons in them?  If so, what is your favorite dragon related book?

Pemberley:  Mr. Darcy’s Dragon by Maria Grace was the October read for the JASNA Northwoods book club, but I did not get my review up in a timely manner.

Pemberley:  Mr. Darcy’s Dragon was a very imaginative and unique Pride and Prejudice variation.  England has dragons everywhere but most people are unaware of them.  The Pendragon Treaty keeps peace between humans and dragons.  Some people are born with the ability to hear dragons and become their care takers, including Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.  When the firedrake egg is stolen from Pemberley, Mr. Darcy scours England is search of it.  Will he find it? 

This was a fun adventure and I enjoyed reading it.  It seemed like it was a hit in our JASNA Northwoods Bookclub.  Others have read the series further and say that it is a good series.  I need to continue reading on!

Benjamin Fife is a great narrator.  I loved the voices of the different dragons as well as the sound effects for things such as dragon thunder.  It made it a fun listening experience.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Are you reading any books for the Halloween season?  I was happy to recently read The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub.  It combined two of my favorite things – Halloween and Pride and Prejudice.

Lydia Bennet is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter.  She has powers that are not shared by the rest of her family, except for her Aunt Phillips who is able to guide her as she grows into a young witch.  This novel tells Lydia’s background and then retells the story of Pride and Prejudice from her point of view. 

I thought this novel was very fun.  I loved that it was told from Lydia’s first-person narration through a manuscript she is writing to Lizzy to explain everything.  It is very funny and in character for Lydia. I was delighted to find out that Kitty Bennet is actually a cat and George Wickham, is literally a handsome devil or demon.  To me, it seemed like the entire novel was really about the love that Lydia had for her best friend and sister, Kitty, and the sacrifices that Lydia made to ensure her happiness.  Taub really captures Lydia’s voice.  A few of my favorite quotes:

“I suppose if this were a proper book, I’d begin it something like, ‘Miss Lydia Bennet, youngest of five daughters to a father hopefully entailed, had few advantages in life, but not too few to squander.’”

“La!  Imagine what Lizzy would do if she knew I made that spot on her chin pop back out whenever she vexed me.”

“This is the part, I suppose, where the novel would wrap up with a tidy boring moral, so I will say this: Love your best friends.  Forgive your worst friends.  Remember, always, not to judge people too hastily, for everyone is living out the story of their own, and you only get to read the pages you appear on.”

I was delighted to find out in the author’s note that she used real history, myths, and folklore for the novel.  I also loved that Miss Lamb from Sanditon is a character in this novel.  I always find her an interesting character and love her addition to the story. 

I laughed out loud when I read the first line of the acknowledgements, “Guys, I did so much damn research for this book.  I could write a 10-page bibliography.”

Overall, I thought this was an inventive, unique, and fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice perfect for reading during the Halloween season.

Book Source:  Review copy from Grand Central Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch

·       Author: Melinda Taub

·       Genre: Historical Fantasy, Austenesque Fiction

·       Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 3, 2023)

·       Length: (400) pages

·       Format: Hardcover, eBook, & Audiobook 

·       ISBN: ‎978-1538739204

·       Tour Dates: September 25 – October 9, 2023

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A "wildly inventive and utterly addictive" (Julia Quinn) witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and—according to her—much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that’s nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice—while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

 

PRAISE FOR THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH

• “Funny and fierce as Lydia Bennet herself, this book mixes witchcraft lore with Austen’s story to make its own unique magic. I’ll never look at Kitty the same way again…” ―Claudia Gray, author of The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery
• “Taub’s wit and creativity shines through. . . A delight for both Austen lovers and fans of magical adventure stories.” ―Kirkus Reviews

·       “Wildly inventive and utterly addictive. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm now 100% Team Lydia.” ―Julia Quinn

 

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP | BOOKBUB |    GOODREADS

 

AUTHOR BIO

Melinda Taub is an Emmy and Writers’ Guild Award-winning writer. The former head writer and executive producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, she is also the author of Still Star-Crossed, a young adult novel which was adapted for television by Shondaland. (She also wrote that thing about the Baroness in The Sound of Music that your aunt likes.) She lives in Brooklyn.

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X (formerly known as Twitter) | GOODREADS

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

 What is the strangest book you’ve ever read?  Lincoln in the Bardo is definitely going on that list for me.  This was one of the most unique books I’ve ever read.  This was the January pick for the Rogue (FLICKS) Book and Movie Club, and it provides for some good discussion.

In February 1862,  Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s eleven-year-old son, Willie, died of typhoid.  The loss of their son affected both greatly.  It was said that Abraham Lincoln would visit Willie in his crypt and would hold his dead body.  From this historical snippet, Saunders have crafted a great tale that takes place over the first night that Willie is entombed, and Lincoln has come to visit. The graveyard is full of souls that are stuck between life and the afterlife.  The three main souls are Roger Bevins III, a man who committed suicide, Hans Vollman, a man who died when a beam hit him on the night he was going to consummate his marriage with his young wife, and the Reverend Everly Thomas, a pastor who was afraid of going to hell and is stuck in the in between. 

This book is hard to describe.  I read through it quickly.  It was brief snippets of stories told from the various ghosts.  There are over 100 different characters in the book.  You learn about their pasts as well as the current happenings in the cemetery.  There are also chapters that have the history of what was going on at that time.  Some of these snippets are real history from books, and some are made up.  What I found amusing about them is different people remembered different things – the color of someone’s eyes was different depending on the narrator or there was a moon in the sky or not also depending on the narrator.

I enjoyed the unique way this story was put together as it is always fun to read something completely different at times.  It also made me puzzle over life and death during the time that my own grandmother was dying.  The people in the in-between seemed to be caught there as there was something in the real world that they just couldn’t let go.  It could be their wife, or daughters, or something that had been undone.  The pastor was afraid that he would go to hell from what he saw at the end, although he couldn’t think of what he had done wrong.  After they were able to let go, they passed on to the afterlife.  It also made me think about the great love that Lincoln had for his son, and the great loss.  I also thought about the so many parents of that time who were losing their children during the civil war.  It was a thoughtful novel.

Favorite Quotes: 

“I have grown comfortable having these Dead for company, and find them agreeable companions, over there in their Soil & cold stones Houses.”

“Strange, isn’t it?  To have dedicated one’s life to a certain venture, neglecting other aspects of one’s life only to have that venture, in the end, amount to nothing at all, the products of one’s labors utterly forgotten?”

Book Source:  Birthday gift from my friend Jen.

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

 

Title:  The Witch Haven

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith

Narrated by:  Piper Goodeve

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 31 minutes

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

 Frances Hallowell is a seventeen-year-old seamstress in New York City in 1911.  After her boss tries to assault her, he is found dead with her scissors in his back.  How did they get there?  Did Frances murder him?  Before Frances can be arrested, two mysterious women arrive to state that she has tuberculous, and they need to take her to a sanitarium in the country.  Frances discovers that the sanitarium is actually a haven for witches called Haxahaven.  As Frances discovers truths about her mother, she still wonders at her brother’s death.  Who killed him and why?  What is the mysterious organization that seems to be after her for her power?  Will the mysterious Finn who can enter her dreams help her in her quest?  What about Oliver her childhood friend?

 I enjoyed this audiobook. Piper Goodeve is a good narrator that was the voice of Frances. T It’s a young adult novel and I liked the journey Frances went on.  The story started off with a bang and really pulled me into the narrative.  I liked that it was a historical fantasy novel with Frances living in New York City of 1911, but with another layer to that world of magical people.  I loved how Frances found her power and was intrigued by the mystery of who killed her brother.  I was annoyed at times though by teenage Frances as she made some rash decision and seemed to believe different people at different times instead of just stepping back and thinking through things herself.  I guess that is being a teenager, but when it involves the taking of lives, it annoyed me. 

 Overall, The Witch Haven is an intriguing young adult historical fantasy that was a perfect audiobook to listen to for Halloween.