All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby

September 1, 2026

All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby

After being thrown out of her sister's home, Minnie Price takes a job as a housemaid for a pair of wealthy eccentric twins. Edmund is fascinated by medicine, while his twin sister Edith is obsessed with photography. Over one hundred years later, in 21st century Australia, an artist comes into possession of an album of Victorian death photographs that the head of a charitable trusts wants to stop her from using. 

A gothic mystery with dual timelines - it was hard to decide who to trust in both storylines. The Victorians were fascinated by death and not only took death photos and made death masks, but also had jewelry made from the hair of a dead loved one. I was more interested in the 19th century story than the modern storyline. Interesting characters and a steady narrative kept me reading. Will appeal to readers of historical or gothic fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

An example of Victorian death photography - this is one of the less macabre photos that I found

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

August 16, 2026

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ulises Linares (possibly not his real name) is a handsome con man who preys on lonely older women, cheating them out of their life savings. As his next mark, he identifies a woman names Perla who lives in a small town near Veracruz and runs a boardinghouse. But when he arrives at her guesthouse, the woman's niece Inez immediately spots the con game. But rather than expose Ulises as a crook, she wants in on his plan.

Noir fiction set in mid-20th century Mexico. All three of the main characters are morally ambiguous and unlikeable (actually all of the characters are except for the dog) but still fascinating, and I kept reading because I wanted to know how they got that way and what happens to them, which is the mark of a good novel. The plot drags a bit in the middle and the romance isn't much of a romance. Also, no elements of horror that Moreno-Garcia is known for, but still a story that draws you in.

Mountains around Veracruz

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

July 13, 2026

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

After her parents are killed in a freak accident, 13 year old Aria is sent to California to live with her aunt, a former Golden Age actress who lives at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. Aria soon discovers the seedy side of the hotel and Hollywood, and is determined to help the young starlets being abused by producers and studio executives.

A retelling of the Jane Eyre story set in Hollywood. But the real story here is the Hollywood studio system, where powerful men expected aspiring actresses to trade sexual favors for movie roles. Although the story here is set in the 1950s and 1960s, unfortunately these abuses continue to the present day as demonstrated by the Me Too movement. The ending was a little too saccharine and unbelievable for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

Hotel Marmont, Los Angeles, CA

Butterfly Games by Kelly Scarborough

June 2, 2026

Butterfly Games by Kelly Scarborough

At the insistence of her mother, 14 year old Countess Jaquette Gyldenstolpe unwillingly becomes a courtier at the Swedish royal court. She soon meets Prince Oscar, the son of the crown prince, and they are immediately attracted to each other. But everyone at the court engages in love affairs known as butterfly games, and the court becomes a dangerous place for Jaquette.

Years ago, I read the book Desireee by Annemarie Selinko (which I highly recommend), about the daughter of a French silk merchant whose first romance was with Napoleon Bonaparte (yes, that Napoleon), and after she marries one of Bonaparte's generals, she unexpectedly becomes the Queen of Sweden. Sounds like a made-up story but it's all true - Desiree had a fascinating and well-documented life. Her sister Julie married one of Napoleon's brothers and became the Queen Consort of Italy and Spain. Not bad for the daughters of a silk merchant.

So I was very interested in reading this novel about Desiree's son, Prince Oscar. But other than having a historical setting, this is a lot more imagined romance than history. Facts about Jaquette are sketchy at best. While they were acquainted at court and were friends, the only evidence of an affair is hints in letters by other courtiers. Also, the writing is awkward at times and does not flow smoothly. This is a first novel that would have benefited from an editor. Disappointing. 

Countess Jaquette Gyldenstolpe Lowenhielm

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe

May 19, 2026

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe

English actress Rita Jolivet is starring in one of the new motion pictures, but after she appears at the movie's New York premiere, a family emergency calls her home to England. She hurries to book passage on the first ship leaving New York and considers herself extremely lucky to be able to book one of the last available cabins on the Lusitania, especially when she finds both her brother-in-law and her agent are also aboard.

Almost everyone knows about the Titanic, but most people would be hard pressed to tell you anything about the Lusitania, Cunard's flagship liner. While Titanic sank due to a series of poor decisions and an unstoppable force of nature, the sinking of the Lusitania was a war crime. The ship was torpedoed by a German u-boat about a mile off the coast of Ireland in the middle of the afternoon. They were supposed to receive an escort of British destroyers to see them safely into harbor, but for some reason, the escort never materialized. Some historians maintain that the British prime minister knew that the Germans had threatened to sink the Lusitania but did nothing about it because he felt that was the only way to draw the United States into the war, due to the high number of Americans traveling aboard the Lusitania. There were British war ships in the area after the ship was torpedoed, but they did not go to the assistance of the survivors in the water because they feared that there were still German submarines in the area trying to draw them out to be torpedoed. Instead, the Irish fishing fleet as well as other private citizens went to the aid of the survivors, pulling as many as they could from the icy Atlantic waters, offering them shelter and basic necessities, and later collecting as many bodies as they could find.

The main character Rita Jolivet was a real person, as were many of the characters in the book. She was a rising actress in the new moving picture industry, and she survived the ship's sinking. The descriptions of the aftermath are horrendous. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction.

The Lusitania

Rita Jolivet

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

May 11, 2026

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

Cleopatra never expected to be pharaoh but after the death of her older sister, she became her father's heir. After his early death, Cleopatra became pharaoh, ruling jointly with her half-brother. But she would face almost constant turmoil during her reign, as well as plots to overthrow her from those closest to her.

Most of what we "know" about Cleopatra comes from the writings of Josephus and Cicero, as well as writers who lived under Augustan rule, long after Cleopatra's death. From the start of her reign, Cleopatra was not popular with the Egyptian people, partly because she was a woman and partly because of the turmoil in Egypt at the time, which included famine, climate disasters, financial troubles, attempted coups by her siblings, and ongoing wars. Ruling jointly with first one of her half-brothers, and then her second half-brother, suspicion immediately fell on Cleopatra when both died under mysterious circumstances. Cleopatra was a patron of the arts and literature, tolerant of religious freedom, a capable administrator and commander of Egypt's military, but those contributions are largely ignored, and male historians focus on her love affairs (of which there were only two) and her physical appearance.

I didn't enjoy the writing style here as much as other books that I've read about women from ancient history (such as Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati or Pat Barker's Trojan women trilogy), I think because there was more telling than showing. There is a lot of description about what Cleopatra was wearing. But the eternal mystery surrounding Cleopatra's life will appeal to readers of historical fiction.

Note: there is an archaeologist who has been searching for Cleopatra's tomb for about 20 years. She thinks she has narrowed down the possibilities and is close to locating Cleopatra's resting place.

This is believed to be an actual depiction of Cleopatra from one of the temples. 

The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung

February 26, 2026

The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung

Korea 1950. Ellie Chang is an American reporter covering the recently begun Korean War, sent by her newspaper because she speaks both Japanese and Mandarin. As one of the few women journalists in Korea, she struggles to be included in press and military briefings. To get a story on the UN evacuation, she hitches a ride with an American pilot heading to the front lines in North Korea to pick up a load of wounded soldiers. On the way back to the American base, their plane is shot down by the Korean military. Mistaking Ellie for Chinese, they are about to shoot her when an unknown Korean woman intervenes and persuades them to let her take Ellie away, claiming that Ellie is her long-missing daughter.

I don't know about where you went to school, but the Korean War was largely skipped over in the U.S. history courses that I took. I think most of what Americans know about this war came from the TV series MASH. Like most wars, the people making the decisions didn't have to live with the consequences, like bombing North Korea for 90 days straight. Nothing is black and white in this story. Even among those that are supposed to be the enemy, Ellie finds kindness and help. If you enjoy historical fiction but are tired of reading about the world wars and the Holocaust, this is a different take on a different war. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, after UN forces fire bombed the city 

When We Were Brilliant by Eve Cullen

January 24, 2026

When We Were Brilliant by Eve Cullen

In 1952, photographer Eve Arnold is approached by Marilyn Monroe, a rising starlet, to do a photo shoot that will portray who Marilyn really is, not just a platinum blonde sex kitten as male photographers show her. Little did Eve know that the chance meeting would lead to a partnership and a friendship that would last until the end of Marilyn's life.

Eve Arnold was a celebrated photojournalist who did photo stories mainly of women and children, but some of her best-known work were her photos of Marilyn Monroe, depicting Marilyn behind the scenes in non-studio settings. Eve's book about Marilyn, Marilyn Monroe: an Appreciation, was recently reprinted in a new edition. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy this fascinating portrait of a woman intimately connected to one of the most famous women of the 20th century.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of Eve Arnold's first photos of Marilyn Monroe

It Girl by Allison Pataki

January 5, 2026

It Girl by Allison Pataki

Evelyn Talbot is a poor girl working for pennies at a Pittsburgh department store when an artist asks her to model for her. This leads to more modeling jobs, until Evelyn and her mother move to New York where Evelyn secures bigger modeling jobs and a chance for parts on Broadway. But Evelyn soon finds herself pursued by wealthy and powerful men who think it is their right to take advantage of women seeking to advance their careers or support their families.

Loosely based on the life of Evelyn Nesbit, the original Gibson Girl, whose jealous husband shot her former lover, New York architect Stanford White. But this version gives Evelyn the triumphant ending that she didn't get in real life. It pissed me off the way the men in Evelyn's life treated her, just like the sexual predators today treat vulnerable young women, men like Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby, and others like them. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction about the Gilded Age.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Evelyn Nesbit

The Memory Dress by Jade Beer

August 23, 2025

The Memory Dress by Jade Beer

Jayne is a dog walker in London, and one day, one of her dogs gets away from her and runs into a neighbor's flat. She meets Meredith, an older woman who is suffering from dementia, living in a cluttered apartment and insists that her husband is missing. Even more mysterious, Meredith is in possession of a famous dress once worn by Princess Diana.

This was just okay. I usually love stories about fashion and dressmaking (like The Gown by Jennifer Robson) but the story here was slow moving and I never really got into the characters. I kept reading/skimming because I wanted to know what happened to William, although I was pretty sure right from the start and also where the story was going (I was right on both counts). It was obvious from the first chapter that Meredith was suffering from dementia, although it took most of the book for anyone to acknowledge it. If the topic of dementia, especially untreated dementia, is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of Princess Diana's beaded gowns

One of Us by Dan Chaon

August 15, 2025

One of Us by Dan Chaon

After the death of their mother, twins Eleanor and Bolt flee to an orphanage to escape from the clutches of their murderous fake uncle Charlie. They find themselves on an orphan train headed west, and somewhere in Iowa, they are "adopted" by a carnival owner who specializes in circus sideshow acts. They find a new family among the carnival folk, even though they feel they are not special like the others. But Charlie isn't letting go that easily.

Dan Chaon takes us on a creepy journey through a carnival sideshow and the performers who work there. Like carnivals and circuses aren't creepy enough, he had to toss in a serial killer. Will appeal to readers who enjoyed Geek Love or Nightmare Alley, but with a horror slant.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A carnival sideshow

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

August 9, 2025

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

Emmy Lake and the other staff at Woman's Friend are still hard at work. But in the summer of 1944, Britain has been at war for five long years. While victory is coming, especially since the Americans joined the fight, between the nightly bombings raids and the ever tightening rationing, everyone on the home front is exhausted from the war. It's a challenge for the magazine staff to remain upbeat and positive while faced with constant worry about their own loved ones.

Fourth and final book in the Emmy Lake series. Pleasant historical fiction that covers life in Britain during the last year of World War II. I would recommend reading the previous books in the series as there are frequent references to events and characters from earlier books. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

A POW camp in Stuttgart, Germany

Weyward by Emilia Hart

August 4, 2025

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Kate flees from her abusive partner to a cottage she inherited from her great aunt Violet, who lived there from the 1940s until her death. While living there, Kate finds writings from a woman named Altha, an earlier ancestor who was tried as a witch in the 17th century.

This book should come with a warning, several actually. Plenty of sensitive subjects and triggers including domestic abuse, animal abuse, violence against women, rape and sexual assault, obsession, humiliation, pregnancy termination, and violence in general, so reader, be warned. Three interconnected stories set in different times. I was much more interested in Altha and Violet's stories that in Kate. I've read enough variations of Kate's story to be over it. Yeah, men suck and they've been treating women like shit since time began. It was hard to read a whole book where there is one good male characters (Graham, Violet's brother) and only two women characters who haven't been abused by men (Kate's mother and her friend Emily). Also, magical realism is just not my thing. It does have a beautiful cover.

Weyward was the original form of weird, as in the Weird Sisters or witches in Macbeth. The first editions of Macbeth used weyward instead of weird.

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

July 19, 2025

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

Mary Pat Fennessy spent all her life living in a housing project in South Boston. She raised her children there the same way that she was raised, with the belief that the Irish of her South Boston neighborhood were better than other people. The residents of South Boston have always lived a certain way and they want things to stay that way, and they want those they consider to be outsiders to stay out. But it's 1974 and change is coming whether they want it or not, and they can't stop it, beginning with the integration of the local high school that they all attended and that their children now attend. Mary Pat's daughter Jules is one of the students affected by the plan to bus white students to a Black neighborhood, but when Jules disappears just days before busing is supposed to begin, Mary Pat's focus switches to finding her daughter, whatever it takes. 

Gritty, violent, compelling. Dennis Lehane a great writer, no question. Mary Pat is not always a likeable character - she has a lot of hateful beliefs. But she is a bad ass who will fight for her child, even though you know she is on a collision course with disaster. Filled with morally ambiguous characters, class struggle, hypocrisy and broken dreams, it's a story of bigoted violent adults raising bigoted violent children. Sensitive readers should take note that there are scenes of violence, and brutality, child abuse, racism, drugs, crimes against women. Will appeal to fans to Don Winslow and Jeffery Deaver.

Busing protest in South Boston in the 1970s

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

July 16, 2025

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

A young lawyer, Paul Cravath, is drawn into the hundreds of lawsuits that Thomas Edison brought against George Westinghouse, claiming patent infringement. Westinghouse didn't claim to invent the light bulb or electricity, but to have improved on Edison's design to the point that it was a different invention. Westinghouse claimed his alternating current was safer and more reliable, while Edison continued to champion direct current.

Let me lead off with this: there is a scene of animal cruelty at about the midpoint of the book that I found extremely upsetting. It is historically accurate: Edison's spin doctor actually performed these demonstrations publicly, so animal lovers and dog lovers in particular may want to skip these pages. The opening scene in the book is also disturbing, as is the description of the first execution by electric chair at about the 2/3 mark which is extremely brutal.

With that said, this is historical fiction based on the Edison vs. Westinghouse lawsuits, which was the war between direct current and alternating electrical current (alternating current prevailed as safer and more reliable and is used for power grids today, while direct current is used for batteries and electronic devices - this isn't a spoiler, go look it up in Google or Wikipedia).

There are quotes at the beginning of each chapter, many of them from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, which makes it almost impossible for the reader not to draw comparisons between the Edison/Westinghouse electric war, and the Microsoft/Apple technology battle a century later. Nikola Tesla gets in on the action too. Around page 105, there is a good explanation about how alternating current works and why it is less likely to kill you than direct current. Overall the characters are interesting and well-developed. Chapters are short, which makes the narrative a little choppy. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a scientific slant.

Examples of two of the first light bulbs

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

July 10, 2025

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

Lila Pereira is an unconventional mother, focusing on her career as the executive editor of a major newspaper and leaving the raising of their daughters to her husband Joe and household help. But her youngest daughter Grace yearns for a regular mother who goes to PTA meetings, bakes cupcakes and takes her to soccer practice. After Lila's death, Grace receives a letter that Lila left her, telling her to go find out what really happened to Lila's mother, who disappeared when Lila was a toddler. Grace realizes how little she actually knows about her mother's family and wonders if you can ever know yourself if you don't know your past.

Part 1 is Lila and Joe's story, and I loved it. But the last 2/3 of the book is mostly about Grace, the youngest daughter, a real whiner and completely unlikeable, probably the least interesting character in the book. When I first started reading it, I thought it would appeal to readers who enjoyed Ann Patchett or Ann Napolitano, but the last two thirds morphed into something more like Sally Rooney, with a bunch of characters under 30 who are completely self-centered and unaware (putting your life on hold for five years to start a podcast???? Or "I can't ask her to marry me until she gives me the signal"???? What does that even mean????). It takes until around the 85% mark for the search for Lila's mother to begin, and then it is anti-climatic. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

North Woods by Daniel Mason

June 25, 2025

North Woods by Daniel Mason

In the 18th century, a young couple flee from a Puritan village, and build a small cabin in the woods. Over the next few centuries, a variety of people call it home across the cycles of time, history, and nature.

Humans come and go, nature is forever. Lovely book, the story of a house and the surrounding land and the people who called it home. If someone asked me what the book is about, I would have a hard time explaining it. The narrative is a blend of stories, poems and songs, letters, news stories - some sections are more compelling than others. I loved the author’s two previous books so I wasn’t surprised to be sucked in immediately by this one. I recommend the audiobook, which has a full cast reading the various sections. Recommended for its beautiful writing to readers of literary fiction, although readers who prefer a more straightforward plot will probably not enjoy it.

An 18th century Massachusetts farmhouse

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson

June 20, 2025

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson

At the edge of Chicago, there is a Station with a lighthouse that guides the dead to the afterlife. Nera is the daughter and apprentice of Harosen, the ferryman who takes souls across Lake Michigan to the Veil, the entrance to the afterlife. Their dogs guide the souls to the Station and stay with them as they cross over, but some souls don’t want to leave the station, choosing to wait for a loved one. Others fear even beginning the journey, becoming wandering Haunts. When a living woman named Charlie is somehow able to cross the portal to the Station looking for her dead sister, Nera is forced to confront how little she knows about the Station, the city, and her own life.

Let me start by saying, the dogs are the best part! I really wanted to like this more than I did. The first half went quickly, but the second part dragged. Charlie is looking for her dead sister but it takes forever for her to actually get started, and then she gets her answer in one sentence. The waystation is wonderfully creative, as are the dogs and the souls waiting for loved ones. Marketed as a queer fantasy about love and grief, which I think is a fair description. Fans of TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door may enjoy it, but I found this to be far darker. Klune’s novel is much sweeter and warmer. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The pumping station out in Lake Michigan - I wonder if this gave the author for the idea of a gateway to the afterlife out in the middle of the lake

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

May 20, 2025

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

Leslie Hamlyn and her husband Robert have lived in Penang in Malaya (now Malaysia) for 15 years, the entire time they have been married. But now Robert is ill and wants to move to South Africa for the drier climate. Before they leave Malaya, their old friend Somerset Maugham (Willie, to his friends) and his secretary Gerald came to stay with them for a few weeks. Willie is hiding the fact that he has made poor investments and is in desperate financial straits and needs to publish a new book as soon as possible, while Leslie and Gerald are hiding their own secrets.

I read the author's previous book, The Garden of Evening Mists, and loved it. To my surprise, I loved this one just as much. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. Set between the two world wars, he story was inspired by Maugham's short story The Letter, which he later turned into a successful play that was adapted for film. Themes include race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, love, betrayal, and redemption. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

W. Somerset Maugham

The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir

May 20, 2025

The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir

A novel based on the life of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor, cardinal of York, and chaplain to Henry VIII. Wolsey was easily the most powerful man in England, also one of the richest. Henry was poorly prepared to become king, kept almost in seclusion by his father Henry VII who worried over losing his only remaining son and heir, and deliberately prevented him from learning about the duties of statecraft (I think his father feared he would blab to his hinky friends about state secrets). Consequently, when Henry became king at 18, he was far more interested in cutting loose and having fun, and naturally his closest friends wielded the worst possible influence over him. Wolsey grabbed the reigns of state with both hands, attending council meetings in Henry's place and then giving him the Cliff's Notes version of the proceedings, making sure to sugarcoat the more unpalatable parts, even giving up the love of his life to keep his position at Henry's chief councillor.

Things were great for Wolsey, until they weren't. Unable to bring about a divorce for Henry so he could marry Anne Boleyn, Wolsey's star rapidly descended until it crashed. I love Alison Weir's books, her historical fiction as well as her nonfiction. They are always well-researched and based on historical fact, yet highly readable. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy well-written historical fiction about the Tudor era.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey