#AnUnquietPeace #NetGalley

About the book:

Thanks to the publisher for this:

Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Code Name Verity in this propulsive, quick-witted mystery set in late-1940s Los Angeles, as former WWII spy Evelyn Bishop and LA noir detective Nick Gallagher team up as an unconventional duo…

From the screenwriter of Bride Hard starring Rebel Wilson!

As an undercover operative for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, Evelyn Bishop routinely embarked on deadly missions. By contrast, civilian life should be simple. Yet Evelyn, now back in Los Angeles, struggles with the responsibility of being the new president of Bishop Aeronautics, when people see her as nothing more than a beautiful socialite.

With Nick Gallagher, at least, Evelyn can be entirely herself. Once a fellow spy, now her fiancé, Nick works as a private investigator. But the mission that first brought them together is not entirely over. Evelyn receives a call from her former commanding officer, who is overseeing the Berlin Airlift. He is concerned that the Soviets are trying to recruit Kurt Vogel, a scientist Evelyn and Nick smuggled out of Nazi Germany. After six long years, there’s word his wife and daughter may have survived the war. Is this a chance for a long-promised reunion, or a Russian ploy to lure Vogel to their side?

Past and present collide again when a routine case offers Nick a reunion with a childhood friend who runs a high-class “gentleman’s club.” The clientele includes everyone from Hollywood royalty to mobsters—to a hidden enemy who will draw both Evelyn and Nick into a web as twisted and treacherous as any they have ever faced . . .

About the author:

Courtesy of the publisher:

Shaina Steinberg is the author of the Bishop & Gallagher Mysteries, as well as a film and television writer who’s worked on Malcolm in the Middle, Everwood, Cold Case, Bionic Woman and Spartacus. Named to the Young and Hungry List in 2013 and the WriteHer List in 2017, she has developed pitches, pilots and features with companies such as Temple Hill, Endgame Entertainment, Fremantle, eOne, Blondie Girl, Josephson Entertainment and Alcon. Most recently, she optioned a feature film to Balcony 9 with shooting scheduled to begin in 2023. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, CA and can be found online at ShainaSteinberg.com

My thoughts:

This post WWII, Los Angeles set story is filled with espionage, an intriguing plot and characters who are interesting. I especially liked Evelyn and Nick. They share a history of war work and more. Evelyn likes that she doesn’t need to hide truths from him.

In these pages there is the tension between adjustments to a peacetime life and the work that these two did during the war.

This book is the second in a series. For maximum enjoyment, read both.

Based on this novel, I would certainly look for other titles by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 April 2025

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsJuly 22, 2019

This is a wonderful historical novel based upon the Book Women who delivered library materials to those in the out of the way sections of Kentucky.  The book women were part of a program started by President Roosevelt under the WPA.

There are many book women in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky but the protagonist of the novel is the unforgettable Cussy.  Cussy speaks in dialect which helps the reader to fully enter into her world.  Cussy faces special challenges because she is the last of the ‘blues.’  There really were blue-skinned people in America as a supplement at the back of the novel attests.  They were objects of curiosity and also of prejudice, just as was the case for the African American population.

Cussy wants to be independent both before and after her disastrous short term marriage.  And yet, what will happen with patron Jackson who is one of the few to call Cussy by name, rather than the derogatory Bluet?

Cussy’s love of books flows through the novel.  There are references to books that were popular at the time, including those by Steinbeck and Rex Stout.  Cussy’s inventiveness in making books and delivering what her patrons need is impressive.

The landscape of rural Kentucky, the small towns, the mines, the mountains are all well described.  Each patron that Cussy visits has a back story and readers will even come to learn more about the mule who transports her.

If you are a reader who enjoys historical fiction set in the U.S., consider this one.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks, for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I subscribe to this author’s newsletter so had been hearing about The Lost and Found Bookshop for months before it was published.  I entered a number of giveaways in my enthusiasm, did not win the book and eventually got it from the library.

The story is about Natalie who suffers some losses from which she must recover.  The reader encounters those with whom Natalie is involved as she moves from a high powered, but unsatisfying career, to become the proprietor of her family’s bookshop.  There is Peach, clearly to be a romantic interest; a popular author who wines and dines Natalie; Dorothy, the precocious daughter of Peach; Grandy, who is slowly sinking into dementia and others.

Ms. Wiggs love of bookstores and what they offer to people and communities come across clearly.  The city of San Francisco is also painted by someone who is fond of both its history and what it offers now to those who live there.

The resolution of the story is satisfying but…somehow I had hoped for a little more from this novel.  Its insights were not unique although they were true.

If you enjoy women’s fiction, I recommend this title.  However, there are books by this author that I have enjoyed more including the Lakeshore Chronicles series, Map of the Heart and Just Breathe, to name a few.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?

 

#TheOtherMarchSisters #NetGalley

This book has been in my TBR pile for a little while. When I recently began reading Little Women to the woman with whom I volunteer (due to her sight issues), I started thinking more about the March sisters. So, I knew that it was time to pick this one up.

Everyone seems to have their favorite among the Little Women-who do you think that the OTHER March sisters are? If you guessed, Meg, Beth and Amy, you would be right. Jo seems to have been both Alcott’s and many readers favorite.

Here three authors work together to more deeply imagine the stories of those other young sisters. I was most drawn to the sections of Meg as I remembered thinking about her quite a bit as she married and struggled with her role as a wife (remember when she cooks a disastrous dinner in the original?) when I reread the novel.

Note that there are some elements of LGBQT in the story as the authors imagine their characters.

Could this book replace Little Women? Certainly not. It was not written as well in my opinion. I think that it might appeal more to the “new adult” readers.

Still, anyone who wants to think more about the March sisters and their worlds, may want to give this one a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 25 February 2025

Women’s fiction

302 pages

Note: Today the e book version is just $3.99

From the Publisher

A Novel

by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

#ChristmaswiththeQueen #NetGalley

Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb have mastered the art of writing together. This book reads seamlessly and I have no absolute idea of where one author’s voice ends and the other begins. This was also true in their earlier collaboration, Meet Me in Monaco, a book that I very much enjoyed. I loved this one too.

Christmas with the Queen was exactly the kind of read that I was looking for, one that would transport me to another time and place. The story opens in 1952 when London was enveloped in a murky fog. Elizabeth was new to the throne. The novel goes on to cover a five year period (with some back history).

The story principally follows two characters, each of whom has an interesting profession and story. Jack is working in the Sandringham kitchens during the festive period. Olive is a trainee reporter with the BBC. When her boss became ill, she travels to Sandringham to write a seasonal story. These two (re) meet and readers follow them over the years.

There is enough detail to bring Sandringham, the Queen, her corgis and the royal experience to life. It is delightful to observe Elizabeth in the novel. There is a charming scene fairly early in the book when Elizabeth strolls into the room where a star struck Olive is sitting. She will reappear.

This is a charming and lovely book. Readers will want the best for these characters.

If a reader wants to get into the Christmas spirit without the frenetic quality of holiday life, come to this book with a cup of tea and relax. I am very glad that I did just that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 November 2024

From the Publisher

So many historical fiction titles on WWII have been published.  I think that this has to do with many important anniversaries and commemorations and perhaps also because it was a war in which the right thing seemed clear.  As a result, it seems that some look back on the war almost nostalgically even while noting and recalling its enormous tragedies.

So, I wondered if I wanted/needed to read another title set in this time period.  I will emphatically say yes (!) as I very much enjoyed Dragonfly.  In my opinion, this is by far the author’s bests book.

Dragonfly tells the story of five people who are recruited as spies in occupied France.  The backstory of each character is fully explored and I cared about each of them.  These characters are an athlete from Texas with German roots, a young man whose biological father turns out to be an important fighter in the French resistance, a fly fisherman, a fashion designer and a fencer.  Three are men and two are women.

Each is embedded in Paris and interacts with the main German characters in the story, some of whom are described sympathetically.  Code named Dragonfly, the team gets to work.  There is much suspense as they do so and this aspect of the story is handled beautifully by the author as the plots and characters intersect.  At times, I truly worried for these characters especially as the beginning of the book states that one of them may well have died while on their mission.  The suspense is indeed suspenseful.

I highly recommend this title for those who would like to sink into a long (577 pages) and absorbing story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

#Dragonfly #NetGalley

Editorial Reviews:

A Forbes “Best Historical Novels for Summer 2019”

“Gripping…In this fast-paced and enjoyable WWII espionage tale, Meacham takes readers to 1942 Nazi-occupied Paris to follow five American spies as they attempt to gather information to assist Allied and French Resistance forces…. Meacham’s nail-biting tale will please fans looking for an intricate story of spycraft and deception.”― Publishers Weekly

“Complex, epic, and rich in historical detail-an uplifting story of finding friendship behind enemy lines.”― Kirkus

“Meacham ratchets the suspense ever tighter, while providing fascinating backstory on the intrepid five [American spies] as well as delivering a detail-rich portrait of Paris during the Occupation.”― Booklist

Recently I blogged about a book called Everything Love Is.  If that book seemed like your kind of book, I am pretty certain that you would like to read Nina George’s novels.  I adored The Little Paris Bookshop with its story of how one can become isolated and yet have a richer and more meaningful life when moving beyond that unsatisfying safety.  From Amazon:  “Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. (INTERJECTION BY ME…WHAT COULD BE BETTER?)  From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can’t seem to heal through literature is himself; he’s still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.”  Will Perdu open the letter?  If he does, what will this mean to him?  Find out in this lovely book.

Confession…I have Little French Bistro but have not as yet read it.  I have been holding on to it because once I read it, I will not be able to read it for this first time ever again.  Does that make sense?  I surely do look forward to it though.

#HasAnyoneSeenCharlotteSalter #NetGalley

French, actually a husband and wife team who write together, has penned a long (544 pages), suspenseful and immersive read in this latest novel. It definitely kept me coming back on a regular basis to find out what happened.

Here is a domestic drama that is filled with suspense in its portrait of two families and the impact that Charlotte’s disappearance had in the past and also in the present day. What happened to Charlotte? Each of her four children has a take on her. Husband Alec, whose decade birthday she missed, initially seemed dismissive of her absence while Elizabeth/Etty (a daughter) was very worried.

Around the same time that Charlotte is missing in the past storyline, a body is found in a river. Is this death related to the disappearance of Charlotte? Readers will want to know.

The story moves forward thirty years when A LOT happens. There are secrets, murder, podcasts and a case that will challenge Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor. She is a terrific character and readers will hope that she gets a sequel.

Recommended for fans of domestic drama and crime stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 March 2024

A Novel

by Allison Pataki

An e book bargain

Readers of historical fiction, mark your calendars for this books release da te. It is fabulous.

Allison Pataki tells the story of Marjorie Merriweather Post from her childhood right on through her “many lives.” She was a daughter, wife (multiple times), mother, key part of Post (later known as General) Foods, society woman, charitable worker and donor, ambassador’s wife, builder of multiple estates and more. The pages just flew as I followed Marjorie through her life.

Readers will travel with Marjorie to many locations. Among these are Battle Creek, Washington DC, Manhattan, the Adirondacks, Palm Beach (Mar-a-Lago) and Moscow. Readers experience Marjorie’s own experiences in each of these places.

Relationships were a big part of Marjorie’s life. No spoiler so I won’t write about how many times she married or who her husbands or children were.

I so highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction. It is one of the best that I have read in this genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

I have just begun reading this book which is gently provocative and inspiring.  The author, ordained within the Episcopal Church, has left the ministry to begin teaching World Religion in a small, largely Christian college.

Written in a highly accessible, almost novelistic tone, Ms. Taylor introduces the reader to her students and their studies.  She encourages the reader to think about the role of religion in our lives.  Although I have not yet finished the book, I have the feeling that I will be savoring it right up to the end.  This is a thoughtful and highly recommended read.

From Goodreads:

The renowned and beloved New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world’s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations.

Barbara Brown Taylor continues her spiritual journey begun in Leaving Church of finding out what the world looks like after taking off her clergy collar. In Holy Envy, she contemplates the myriad ways other people and traditions encounter the Transcendent, both by digging deeper into those traditions herself and by seeing them through her students’ eyes as she sets off with them on field trips to monasteries, temples, and mosques.

Troubled and inspired by what she learns, Taylor returns to her own tradition for guidance, finding new meaning in old teachings that have too often been used to exclude religious strangers instead of embracing the divine challenges they present. Re-imagining some central stories from the religion she knows best, she takes heart in how often God chooses outsiders to teach insiders how out-of-bounds God really is.

Throughout Holy Envy, Taylor weaves together stories from the classroom with reflections on how her own spiritual journey has been complicated and renewed by connecting with people of other traditions—even those whose truths are quite different from hers.  The one constant in her odyssey is the sense that God is the one calling her to disown her version of God—a change that ultimately enriches her faith in other human beings and in God.