Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 87

My Ever-Growing TBR 8/17/2013

What if King Arthur was a GIRL??? Seriously, the premise of this (spotted on the kindle freebie last week) put this book on my kindle and my To Read immediately.

Enthroned by K.M. Shea. After posing with a rusty sword for a photo in a British graveyard, Britt Arthurs is pulled through time all the way back to the age of King Arthur where the shockingly young and handsome Merlin is waiting for her. The wizard has some bad news: the real Arthur has run off with a shepherdess, and whoever pulls the sword from the stone is to become the King of England. Unfortunately for Britt, the sword slides out like butter when she pulls it after fighting with Merlin. Long Live King Arthurs!

This one was also free and the cover grabbed me at first, but after reading the blurb, I was curious enough to download it.



Forgetting Tabitha the Story of an Orphan Train Ride rby Julie Dewey. Raised on a farm outside of West Chester County, Tabitha Salt, the daughter of Irish immigrants, leads a sheltered existence. When tragedy strikes the family, the ten year old and her mother are forced to move to the notorious Five Points District in New York City. Known for its brothels, gangs, gambling halls, corrupt politicians, and thieves, the Five Points is a chaotic slum. The women find work as laundresses, struggling every day to survive in their squalid living conditions.

When tragedy strikes again, Tabitha finds herself on the streets of New York City, alone. Summoning her courage and willing her legs that are numb with fear and grief to move, she takes to a life on the streets. Stealing food and running from the law, Tabitha dreams of the future.

During this time the Sisters of Charity were plucking orphans off the streets with promises of a new life. Children were told to forget their pasts, including their religious beliefs, families, and names. They were to become Christian and were given new identities, only then could they board the orphan trains. The orphan trains carried the destitute children out west in search of new homes. Siblings were often ripped apart and many didn’t find homes but became indentured workers in exchange for room and board. 

The looming decision would alter her life course; boarding the train meant leaving everything and everyone she knew behind. Vulnerable and afraid she made her decision.
Spotted on Netgalley and intrigued me enough to request it: Baghdad Solitaire by Leslie Cockburn.
Baghdad Solitaire is a first novel about Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, where love and friendship are as uncertain as the shifting battle lines of the civil war. Lee McGuinness, a trauma surgeon on a humanitarian mission, is also on a personal quest: to find her companion-in-arms, Martin Carrigan, who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. In search of someone—and something— to believe in, Lee must navigate a wilderness of mirrors in which greed, lies, and brutality are found among allies and enemies alike. In the tradition of Graham Greene and Robert Stone, Leslie Cockburn has written a haunting novel of intrigue and romance set in a deadly world of deception.



The Melody of Secrets by Jeffrey Stepakoff  caught my interest on Netgalley because of the references to the space program and well, it sounds like a Humphrey Bogart movie I enjoyed called Chain Lightning. Jeffrey Stepakoff's The Melody of Secrets is an epic love story set against the 1960s U.S. space program, when deeply-buried secrets could threaten not just a marriage, but a country.

Maria was barely eighteen as WWII was coming to its explosive end. A brilliant violinist, she tried to comfort herself with the Sibelius Concerto as American bombs rained down. James Cooper wasn't much older. A roguish fighter pilot stationed in London, he was shot down during a daring night raid and sought shelter in Maria’s cottage. Fifteen years later, in Huntsville, Alabama, Maria is married to a German rocket scientist who works for the burgeoning U.S. space program. Her life in the South is at peace, purposefully distanced from her past. Everything is as it should be—until James Cooper walks back into it.

Pulled from the desert airfield where he was testing planes no sane Air Force pilot would touch, and drinking a bit too much, Cooper is offered the chance to work for the government, and move himself to the front of the line for the astronaut program. He soon realizes that his job is to report not only on the rocket engines but also on the scientists developing them. Then Cooper learns secrets that could shatter Maria’s world...

To Tame a Wild Heart by L.B. Shire

This is a terrific historical YA western for horse lovers. I found myself thinking of Man from Snowy River more than once as it involves romance, cowboys, wild mustangs, and the catching of them.


It's a clean, sweet romance. You got a strong heroine in Chancy. She wants to be a ranch hand and carry on her father's legacy, but she has these gawd-awful parents who keep trying to force her to be a lady and threatening to send her away to Omaha...(Yea..Omaha is cultured society...LOL. Sorry, Nebraskans, but that made me chuckle.)

I liked the heroine, though I thought she was dumb sometimes, namely when she goes out in the storm, but what sixteen-year-old doesn't occasionally do something stupid and reckless?

There's a couple of conflicts here:
-She likes the new ranch hand--more than she wants to--but he's usurping her position in the barn and because of this, she's regulated to housework.
-Her best friend wants him too.
-She wants a mustang colt, but her parents won't give her the freedom and what they do give her, they take away often at the slightest misdemeanor.
-The hero left behind some family problems and they're weighing on him. He also doesn't feel he should be involved with his boss's daughter.

There's also some incredible horse-catching and breaking and riding scenes. Oh, and a dog. I loved the dog.

There's a lot to like about this story. It's got adventure, trauma, sweetness, strife with parents...it has everything a YA novel should have and it's clean--something I feel YA should be.

My quibbles: The entire trip to Omaha...in the end it felt unnecessary. It didn't tie in to the rest of the story in any way...BUT there is a book two, and I suspect maybe that story line will be continued..I'm not sure. Also, there are enough typos and missing commas and hyphens that I noticed.

Favorite bits:

"Why should I yearn for someone to lord over me? Or who wants me to be a brood hen then raise his offspring?"

The dresses were too tight and confining, the airs one put on around folks was offensive and overall being inside all day just about killed her.

Tasty Review & Giveaway: Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir By: Eliza Watson

Event planner Samantha Hunter is prepared for a few challenges when escorting a group of good ole boy beer distributors to Paris, the city of haute cuisine and fine wines. However, she doesn’t foresee being passed up for a promotion because she is too professional and doesn’t knock back beers with her clients. Her focus soon switches from landing the well-deserved promotion to finding her free-spirited sister, who lives in Paris and has disappeared, leaving behind family secrets to be uncovered. A sexy puppeteer helps Samantha search for clues to her sister’s whereabouts and teaches her to embrace her inner child. And a funeral-crashing psychic demonstrates the importance of living life to the fullest. It takes Samantha’s life spiraling out of control for her to finally get a life.

****My Review****
Loved this book!!!!!!!!!! I cannot say enough wonderful things about it. 

First of all, love the heroine. She's strong, courageous, doesn't let people walk all over her (except her sister, kinda), and stands up for her rights in a male-dominated profession. She's been passed over for a much-deserved promotion. 


"If you at least partied, then being a woman in a good ole boy company wouldn't be such a major strike against you."

She lost the job for being "too professional".

She doesn't cry. She doesn't bow her head and just complete her assignment in Paris. She fights back. She quits, makes demands, and leaves the company to realize how badly they need her. She becomes a silent advocate for women fighting for equality in the workplace everywhere. She has a FB page. This is just so much fun and incredible! I love that this story addressed such a major issue. This isn't one of those stories in which a woman just sits around waiting for a man to rescue her and make her life worth living. Pfffht.

When her longtime boyfriend proposes, she says, "I've wasted three years on you. Sure as hell not wasting a great bottle of wine."

While all that's going on, secrets are being revealed in Paris. Her sister's lifestyle--there's more going on than meets the eye. Her long lost father...is...I'm not saying anything. A mystery develops and Samantha ends up running all over Paris looking for her sister and trying to find out who fathered her niece. There's a passionate affair with a sexy puppeteer, former chef...that may come to a screeching halt when yet another secret is revealed.

This book has it ALL: mystery, mayhem, drama, secrets, sex, love, passion, finding oneself, travel, and a strong woman at the helm.

I cannot wait for the author's next one. I'm frothing here.



Favorite part:
"When will I be ready? When I have a sex change? I'm not the right man for the job, Roger I'm the right woman for the job. Women make up twenty-five percent of the beer market. You're missing out on one of the biggest demographics. Stop turning them off from Brecker with sexist marketing campaigns. You work hard not to offend ethnic groups, so why do you want to offend women?"



About the Author: Eliza’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie's Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn't an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When she’s not traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Wisconsin working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley and Frankie.
Author Linkswww.elizawatson.comhttp://www.goodreads.com/ElizaWatsonhttps://www.facebook.com/ElizaWatsonAuthor

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Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Roseatre

Book: Taking the Stage (Soulgirls #2)
Author: Heather LongHeroine: Roseatre
Roseatre is the stage name of the Amazon Princess Royal, Ruth Ann, daughter of Queen Alexiares. She serves as a dancer at the Arcana Royale, not as penance for a crime, but to protect her shield-sister Jaimela.

“Cerveau’s real name is Jaimela.” The answer easier to speak than she imagined. “We were raised together, trained together and in every way, she is my shield-sister. Her shield. My sword. We were inseparable. But at our majority, it was knowledge she longed to conquer, not the battlefield. I didn’t mind the change of direction. In fact, I admired it. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met. Her mind deciphers puzzles the way Castilian steel severs flesh.”

Her devotion to her best friend is both an oath of honor and the heart. She refuses to abandon her and takes whatever the casino masters throw at her. A warrior to the bone, she performs nightly, she smiles, she flirts, and she thrives--as long as she can protect her shield-sister, she'll do whatever she has to do.

“Her quest took us around the world. We visited temples throughout Asia Minor, the Pacific and deep into South America. We watched the sun climb the sides of Machu Pichu and the moon achieve her zenith over the lost jaguar temples of the Maya. But we pushed on, forever roaming, as Athena’s messages arrived in the form of owls.”

“Until you arrived here.”

“Yes.” Roseâtre dropped her head to lie against his chest, the thump of his heart beating in her ear a sweet reminder of shared passion. Her heart echoed the cadence of his. He was everywhere inside of her, she could almost feel the sprout of his fur, caressing her, comforting her.

“What happened when you arrived at the Arcana Royale?”

“I don’t know.” 

A leader at heart, Roseatre is not blind to the challenges of change and she faces them head on, whether it's danger or passion, with the fierceness in her warrior blood. Her strength is unmatched, as is her determination. She will not abandon her oath for man or beast.
Blurb: When the tiger meets his tamer, “hot” doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Roseâtre takes one look at the white tigers that the stage manager has brought in to shake things up at the Midnight Mystery Lounge, and nearly has a heart attack. It doesn’t matter that the beautiful creatures’ handler raises her pulse and makes her want to purr. The tigers are sure to recognize her—and arouse her need for the hunt.

Pride outcast Anthony diNapoli wasn’t expecting to encounter an Amazon princess when he brought his white tigers to the lounge. The lucrative show will go a long way toward securing his future, but not if he gives in to the urge to make her submit to his dominance, and claim her as his mate.

No matter how desperately her body aches for the sun-kissed stranger and his completely lickable abs, Roseâtre is no man’s prize. Yet she finds herself hungering for Anthony to defeat her and take her for his own.

It’s show time in the Arcana Royale’s Midnight Mystery Lounge and all bets are off.

Warning: Contains sword fights, shackles, sexy showgirls, and a game of dominance between a determined weretiger and an Amazon who refuses to submit. Blades, bliss and battles, oh my!
Buy Links:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-the-stage-heather-long/1115084901?ean=9781619215801

http://www.dieselbookstore.com/ebook/9781619215801

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Taking-the-Stage/book-W76OtxCsnEGORufBZpOSFw/page1.html?s=zYWKanNYR0ito3UGWaonkQ&r=5




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Morgan Summerfield Talks about the Oppression Among Us

Women have endured centuries of oppression and vilification. Some religions place blame on us as the original sinners who made the world a harsh and cruel place. Some cultures argue that women are inferior. Other cultures impose a strict code of purity for women, which when broken—often by those setting the rules—result in the woman’s abuse or death. Still others mutilate young women in an effort to ensure they have no desire. And, worldwide the criminal element relegates women to nothing more than chattel.
I believe in equality—not that women and men are the same because they are not, but because we are all beings filled with potential. I believe we all, regardless of gender, have the right to be whole and experience life to its fullest. One of the biggest issues that women must deal with is the inherent prejudices that come from everything in the first paragraph and all the limitations outright and hidden that evolve out of them.Are we still paying for some affront a woman caused a man thousands of years ago? Was his ego so bruised that he sought an eternity of revenge? If so, he must have been a human for no omnipotent being could be so shallow.
So why am I standing on my soap box? I want to believe that there could be a world where everyone is equal in their right to pursue life while still being different from each other. I want a world where a woman can be accepted as a formidable warrior and leader for good without giving up her core self. My desire for this different world evolved into the Colony Series, which begins with the book Among Us . The series is identified as Female Epic Fantasy. Fantasy as in imagination, epic as in a long story filled with exciting adventures, and female as in there is a heroine rather than a hero—and it was written by a woman.
Among Us Overview: Elaine’s past is filled with unspeakable events that have twisted and skewed her perspectives. Addictive tendencies, a quick temper, an overachiever’s intensity, and a fragile core despite her outward tenacity have placed her in a precarious position in life and love. Her spouse has turned abusive, and this is dredging up emotions from her childhood—which was far more than unpleasant.
A strange new relationship that appears all business on the surface is fraught with deception and risk, but she cannot see it. Her unusual behavior is setting off alarms in those who know her and care for her, and there is worry over the possibility she is falling into an old destructive pattern. The reader will be constantly questioning where reality crosses into imagination and just who is shifting that boundary.
This is not ‘swords and sorcerers’ or backward in time. It is right now, a world within our world, unseen, vibrant, and growing. Among Us is available now. This first offering is a stage setter for everything that comes later. It is dark and twisted, and at the end you will be eager to pursue answers to your questions that can only be found within the pages of the remaining books. We have set an aggressive time table to ensure all four books in the series are released within a year.
Who is Morgan Summerfield? I am a woman who has discovered her calling and her personal power, though it took years to achieve. My first novel, Blood and Magnolias , was an exploration of pushing limits, and it has paid off with a five star rating. My beginnings were dark as are those of my characters, but I, just as they, have overcome. I accept myself and others for exactly who we are—flawed humans struggling to find our way through life. We all have a path; we just need to open our eyes, and our minds to find it. One of my personal goals for whatever time I have left on this planet is to set other women free to be by whatever means I can, including my writing.
One reviewer of Blood and Magnolias said, “…I felt like I lived the adventure…” I could receive no greater compliment. Please join me inside Colony and open to a world of incredible possibilities. If fantasy isn’t your cup of read, maybe you will find satisfaction with Blood and Magnolias .
Last words: Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to introduce myself and my work. As a reader, as well as a writer, I understand how difficult it can be to find something worth reading with over 500 books coming onto the market every day and all the slick promotions that bombard the media. That is why I do my best to ensure my readers have an experience to remember. I want my readers to see my name on the cover and know it is something worth their investment of time and money. As an author, I am here to stay. The Colony Series already has ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ waiting to join it on the bookshelf. I would leave you with these words of encouragement, “Every day you have the choice to change yourself and your world. When you wake up tomorrow do something you’ve never done before, even if it is something small. Life is short. Embrace it with passion.”
Learn more about me: www.morgansummerfield.comLearn more about The Colony Series: www.aretheyamongus.com

Misadventures of Victoria Davenport: Operation Matchmaker by Erik Schubach

Sometimes we just need a short story. I'm not always in the mood for a full length novel that takes forever to get to the point. Sometimes I just want that quick smile or chuckle, and this book gave me just what I needed.



According to the Foreword, Victoria was introduced in Mr. Schubach's A Deafening Whisper, a book I haven't read yet. However, this stands alone. I can vouch for that. I wasn't lost or confused. I felt like I just slipped into the tale. Just enough was revealed about ADW that I knew what was going on, but when I finally sit down to read ADW, it won't be ruined for me.

The most endearing thing about this tale is the heroine's narrative. She's cute, funny, and just...well, real.

In a nutshell: she's at Oxford for school. The school officials think she's weird--truth is, she's a bit hyper and has, like, a photographic memory. Moral here: don't just assume by someone's appearance or attitude that they're dumb.

Anyway, they don't want her mingling with the rest of the school, so she's placed off campus and gets herself a roommate--a lonely roommate. So Victoria is going to hook her up with her heart's desire!

It's just plain cute. I liked it. It's what a short should be.

My favorite part:

(The Dean) "So, Miss...ummm...I mean Vicky. I see you were triple majoring in the States. Business, Arts and Humanities, and Computer Science?"

(Victoria) I nodded. "Yup."

He stared at me like he wanted me to say more. Umm. What more can I say? Those were my majors. I didn't have any lieutenants and I'm wearing my privates.

Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry

This is a pretty good book aimed at teenagers, but will be enjoyed by adults as well. It's a unique story line involving a camp that supports forest fire fighters and two girls in the middle of 300 men.


It's an eye-opening look at what goes on behind the scenes in the forest. The girl are supposed to be digging holes to check for possible septic tanks, but being federal employees, they can be reassigned at anytime--and they are--to cook for the fire fighters in the base camp.
There's a horrible boss who makes derogatory comments, tension as the girls try to live without doors that lock and windows in showers, fledgling romances, problems with bears, and meanwhile, someone keeps setting fires...and the lighter left behind at the scene points to Kerry's friend and partner, Yvette.
I learned a lot about the Canadian wilderness and how things are done. There was also some tension over the fact Kerry's love interest is a Canadian Indian. It was a very suspenseful read and I read it a day. It's hard to put down. It's engrossing.
My quibbles are with development. I think some things could have been hashed out a bit more. Kerry's romance with Aubrey...when exactly did that happen? They meet, she thinks about him, and suddenly, he's her boyfriend. Yvette's character was also a bit bi-polar. She goes from the girl taking meticulous records and demanding overtime pay to the girl who doesn't care if a cat is kicked across the room. When did she change and why? She went from kick-a** to "Let's hush up about it."
It was pretty exciting though. While the romance was weak, the action was nonstop, the drama kept building, and there's a dash of education in it too. It did sorta just tie up too nicely and too fast though. Also, the mother/daughter/dance issue...I don't see why it was brought into the story. It wasn't really resolved. I liked the heroine's decision in the end, but how will her evil mother react?

I got this via netgalley.

A Dream Defiant by Susanna Fraser

I appreciate this story. I love reading about couples jumping over that silly color barrier, especially in historical times when it was so not accepted. Courage and love can overcome.

You have a former slave, now British army man trying to get his troops together after a harsh battle. When one of his men dies obtaining a necklace for his wife, Elijah not only delivers the bad new to the new widow, but also the necklace. This puts a price on a the lady's head and she marries Elijah to protect herself. It's just a wonderful coincidence that she happens to desire him anyway.

Together, they stand against those who dare to frown on their union. The sex is very tame and sweet--well done. I don't need all the nitty, gritty details. I like this author's style.

I liked the heroine: practical, smart, nice, nonjudgmental, and pursuing her dreams. The hero is understanding and likable, not the overdone alpha male.

The story is well-written, what I imagine an army camp to be in those days. I was transported to another time and place.

Matter of fact, my only quibble is that after the huge deal made of the necklace, I was expecting more drama about it, at least one more person to go after it at some point. I was left feeling like a scene was missing.

The story was surprisingly short, but it didn't feel rushed and I have no issue with the length. I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to read it nearly in one sitting. It's nice, however, to pick a book up and just get lost for a few hours and finish it. Some books nowadays don't seem to know when to end. LOL

My Ever-Growing TBR Pile 8/10/2013

Halide's Gift by Frances Kazan. Spotted this author guesting on a blog I follow. She was talking about Halide (an early feminist and warrior) and her new novel--not this one--but this is the one that caught my attention. I've nabbed myself a copy on Paperback Swap. Meanwhile, check it out for yourself:


Set in Constantinople in the dying days of the Ottoman empire, Halide’s Gift is the story of a family with a secret, and a society in turbulent transition. At the heart of Frances Kazan’s beguiling novel are two sisters—one flamboyant and mischievous, the other shy and full of dreams—bound by an extraordinary friendship and torn apart by their love of radically different men. In the tradition of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Halide’s Gift is an intimate portrait of a young woman of restrained passions and fiercely independent mind. A vibrant fusion of history and fiction, it tells the story of the legendary Halide Edib, the daughter of Sultan Abdulhamid’s first secretary, whose allegiance to the spiritual and traditional world of her mother and grandmother was destined to collide with the tantalizing promise of freedom.
The Commodore's Daughter by Jaimie Brazil. The cover alone screams STRONG CHICK. Acquired via Netgalley, I plan to read this one soon.
Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Perry dreams of traveling the world, a dream that will never happen now that she's promised to a man twice her age. But what can she do? Run away. To Japan, where her survival is uncertain. Learning the ways of her new world, and the code of the Samurai, she uncovers a plot to ambush the American sailors. Now she must risk her own life in order to save her Commodore father.
The Golden Dice by Elisabeth Storrs. Spotted on a historical blog I follow. Actually, I found the blog via historical fiction author Lisa J. Yarde's FB feed! After following her link and reading the blurb, I marked this one as well.
During a ten year siege between two age-old enemies, three women follow very different paths to survive:

Caecilia, a young Roman woman, forsakes her city by marrying the Etruscan Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people and the hatred of the Romans who consider her a traitoress…

Semni, a reckless Etruscan girl, becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna, embroiling herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's children and her own chance for romance…

Pinna, a tomb whore, uses blackmail to escape her grim life and gain the attention of Rome's greatest general, choosing between her love for him and her loyalty to another…

Historical Fiction at its best, this second volume in the Tales of Rome series explores the lives of women in war while giving a glimpse into the sexuality, religion, and politics of Roman and Etruscan cultures, two great civilizations of ancient history.

Marilyn's Red Diary by E.Z. Friedel. This was a freebie and though I'm not a huge fan of Marilyn, I'm intrigued enough to read this. Perhaps he portrays her in a more flattering light than many others have.
Marilyn's Red Diary is shocking, funny, scandalous and sad but always brutally honest. Marilyn Monroe is caught between intellectual giants - her award-winning playwright husband Arthur Miller and her dashing politician boyfriend Jack. Then along comes Jack's fiery brother Bobby. The world's dream girl relates her intimate adventures with many of the era's who's who. Marilyn's Red Diary is a touching portrait of a hard-working, extremely bright woman, trapped in her own sensuality and, tragically, born far ahead of her time.

Joan of Arc by Carl James. Another freebie. Do you for one second think I could not give this a go? It's about one of the most fascinating women in history.
As 15th century France is torn apart under the chaotic rule of mad king Charles VI, the kingdom’s last hope comes in the unexpected form of a young girl from the little village of Domrémy. Guided by the word of God, Joan d’Arc is destined to pull the armies of France out of despair and forge them into an unstoppable force. Inspired by the Maid of Orleans’ iron will and unwavering belief, the French army turns the tide of the war and routes the overwhelming English legions. Ultimately, captured and betrayed by her own country, Joan must face the ultimate test of her faith!

The Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland. Girl. Pirate. 'Nuff said. Coming in 2014, I spotted this on Edelweiss. It's on my wishlist.
1775, Boston Harbor. James Sparhawk, Master and Commander in the British Navy, knows trouble when he sees it. The ship he’s boarded is carrying ammunition and gold…into a country on the knife’s edge of war. Sparhawk’s duty is clear: confiscate the cargo, impound the vessel and seize the crew. But when one of the ship’s boys turns out to be a lovely girl, with a loaded pistol and dead-shot aim, Sparhawk finds himself held hostage aboard a Rebel privateer.

Sarah Ward never set out to break the law. Before Boston became a powder keg, she was poised to escape the stigma of being a notorious pirate’s daughter by wedding Micah Wild, one of Salem’s most successful merchants. Then a Patriot mob destroyed her fortune and Wild played her false by marrying her best friend and smuggling a chest of Rebel gold aboard her family’s ship.

Now branded a pirate herself, Sarah will do what she must to secure her family’s safety and her own future. Even if that means taking part in the cat and mouse game unfolding in Boston Harbor, the desperate naval fight between British and Rebel forces for the materiel of war—and pitting herself against James Sparhawk, the one man she cannot resist.

Having read and enjoyed book one of this series, I've now added book two to my wishlist. You can't go wrong with suffragettes, murder, and a woman doctor. Antidote to Murder by Felicity Young.

In the scorching summer of 1911, London is a hotbed of political activity as women fight for their equality and Germany starts to pose a dangerous threat. But Dody McCleland, England’s first female autopsy surgeon, has more immediate concerns—such as finding out who’s trying to frame her for murder…

A distraught scullery maid appears at Dody’s Women’s Clinic begging for an abortion. It turns out she has a case of lead poisoning, which Dody believes she took to induce a miscarriage. Instead of reporting the girl to the authorities, Dody decides to council her and prescribes an antidote. But days later, the maid is found dead from a bungled criminal abortion—and the coroner receives a series of anonymous letters accusing Dody of the crime.

Now, Dody has to find out who has framed her for the maid’s murder—or else she’ll be embroiled in a criminal trial. Chief Inspector Pike is working undercover on another case, playing the piano for an exotic dancer who may be spying for the Germans, but when he hears Dody’s in trouble, he insists on lending a hand. But as Pike and Dody are about to discover, she’s not only fighting for her career, but for her life, too…

This one I spotted whilst browsing Amazon for upcoming historicals. It's on my wishlist now. The WWII storyline has nabbed my attention. The All-Girl Filling Station by Fannie Flag.
Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her three daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with now is her mother, the formidable and imposing Lenore Simmons Krackenberry—never an easy task. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a shocking secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Feeling like a stranger in her own life, and fearful of confronting her mother with questions, Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. With so many men off to war, it’s up to Fritzi and her enterprising younger sisters to keep it going. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. But before long, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure when she receives a life-changing invitation from the U.S. military to assist in the war effort. As Sookie learns more and more about Fritzi’s story, she finds herself with new answers to the questions she’s been asking her whole life.

Also spotted on Amazon and on my wishlist: No Place for a Dame by Connie Brockway. May be too romancey (I don't mind romance books, just don't like the romance and sex to be 3/4 of the tale) for me, but I'm going to try it. I like the title and the premise:
Beautiful, bold and brilliant, Avery dreams of becoming a member of the Royal Astronomical Society—and the only way she can join the all-male society is to disguise herself as a boy. After helping Giles, Lord Strand, escape a disastrous engagement, she is certain he will assist in her daring masquerade. No lady would ever come up with such a preposterous scheme, and no gentleman would accept…but fortunately for Avery, Giles is no gentleman.

A bargain is struck between the stargazing adventuress and society's most sophisticated lord. He will sponsor her as his prodigy, and she will cover for him as he hunts London's darkest warrens for a missing colleague from his shadowy past. But time and again Giles finds his quest compromised by his fierce and unwise attraction to the lovely girl who, though no lady, may well be the one dame to finally unlock the secrets of his heart.

Kindle freebie: Japanese Roses by Theresa Lorella. I confess I've read my fill of Japanese Internment stories, but this has another twist to it: a Japanese-American trapped in Japan during this time. 


Japanese Roses tells the story of one Japanese-American family's incredible struggle to survive, caught in the tides of World War II and conflicted by national loyalty, forced to endure unspeakable betrayal and injustice. Spanning the years of the war for the Pacific, Japanese Roses tells the story not only of one family, but of the struggles of all Japanese Americans during a time when they were labeled the enemy both in their own country and the country of their parents. Alternating between the eyes of Maggie, Rose Marie, and Kimiko, the story moves from the streets of Seattle as the bombs are dropped in Pearl Harbor, to the prison camps that lined America's West Coast, to the devastation of Hiroshima as the war drew to a close.
And this is funny...I came across this book while searching for usuable cover art to post on Goodreads for the above book. But this is a MUST GET MY HANDS ON title: Japanese Rose by Rei Kimura. It's about a girl who becomes a kamikaze pilot. Yea, she's on the wrong side, but it sounds like an incredible story.
The kamikaze pilots or “Winds of God” were created in 1945, during Japan’s twilight year of the Second World War. The world looked upon this monstrous creation of “human bombs” with disbelief but the young patriotic men of Japan who signed up for the terrifying attack missions of the kamikaze program were unstoppable.

Women looked on with envy and frustration at their own inadequacies which allowed only men into the program, but did anyone of them really take the daring step of breaking this rule?

"Japanese Rose" is a haunting story of the secret life and love of Sayuri Miyamoto, the woman who DID dare to take on the whole Japanese military to follow her dream of becoming a kamikaze pilot and paid dearly for that dream.

“No one must ever know there was a female kamikaze pilot to dishonor and disgrace the discipline of the Japanese military so from today, you Sayuri Miyamoto are officially dead!”

This book also takes readers on a sad journey through the ravages of war torn Japan seen from the eyes of a young woman who cherished the impossible and forbidden dream of becoming a female kamikaze pilot.

“Who is this? And why do you call me by this name? It hasn’t been used for 60 years!” the crisp irritable voice had changed to a soft, quivering whisper like the moaning of an injured animal and it made Mayumi uncomfortable at her intrusion into someone’s obviously painful past.

With these words, Sayuri Miyamoto finally broke the silence that had been imposed on her for decades. But History will never admit or accept her existence so was she real or a myth born of the feverish imagination of one woman with an unfulfilled dream?

I Remember When...

I remember when people picked up a book and read it...without the drama.

I must be old, because I remember a time when books head hopped and nobody noticed. Anybody notice the Big 6 still does? I know Random House does. I had trouble with one of their titles because of it--but I've been trained to watch it for as an editor, so it would bother me. But I remember when ALL books did that. There were no rules against it and not every single reader was a self-declared editor. Now, we can't head hop. At all. Ever. Unless we're with Random House.

I remember when if you bought a book and didn't like, you could NOT go back to the store and demand a refund. "Don't like it? Sorry. Take it to the used bookstore."

I remember when books were 6.99 for a paperback, for a full story, none of this 99-cents for 80k or FREE door stop stuff. You got what you paid for back then.

And if you ever pick up a fiction book from those days, there is no Table of Contents. Why would there be? But a friend on FB was saying she had to add a TOC to all her fiction books now. It is Amazon-recommended and reader-demanded. Apparently readers wish to skip chapters. How the hell do you know what's going on then???

And let's be realistic here for a second, just what are half of these TOCs going to look like?

Copyright......1
Story.............2
Hot Sex Scene....3
A Little More Story....10
Really Hot Anal Sex Scene....11
Some More Story....30
Really Hot Menage Scene....31
Cheesy Happy Ending....49
The End....50

Regardless, what's with all the demands? It's an ever-growing list. It started as "no head hopping,  no tragic endings...no closed-door sex..." and became "We want a book a month and all of them FREE! We want full-length novels for next to nothing. No short stories!" And now it's "We want TOCs so we can just skip what few pages of story there is!"

I must be old, 'cause I remember when people just bought a book, sat down, and read the damned thing...without all the drama.