This is all about The Darkling and his backstory...need I say more?

This book is exactly why I love historical fiction.

To say that I have been waiting impatiently for this book to get into my grubby little hands would probably be an understatement. I have always loved historical fiction and when I stumbled upon Katherine Longshore’s Gilt I was instantly a fan of hers. She mixes in a great deal of history but as a reader, I am never overwhelmed and of course, there is the swoony stuff which I love.

Brazen is about Mary Howard’s life beginning on the day of her marriage and I have to admit, I loved this book from the very first page. Mary is thrown into a marriage at the age of fourteen to Henry Fitzroy, the bastard son of Henry VIII. Once the marriage takes place, they are not allowed to be together though and in all honesty, that is the only thing either of them want once they get to know each other.

I loved Mary. She was an interesting mix of personalities and I have to believe that is because of who she is and how she grew up. I loved when she would dare to challenge the norms of society and do what she wanted. This was usually when it was something related to Fitz. Obviously, as a woman in the sixteenth century, she didn’t really have many choices but as a member of the Tudor court, she was able to bend some of the rules, with the help of her brother and her friend.

Fitz was an interesting character. He was a good friend of Mary’s brother and he knew Mary distantly when they were married. As they get to know each other better, it is clear that Fitz walks a fine line. Yes, he is the son of the King but he is also illegitimate so while Henry keeps him close, he also doesn’t see him as a “true” son. Fitz fights constantly for Henry’s respect and ultimately doesn’t really get it….which made me so sad for him. On the other hand, Fitz is swoony…no question. All he wants is to be with his wife and love her but because of decisions that Henry has made, he can’t even do that.

I loved Fitz and Mary together. Both of these characters are being used by their families but despite that, they end up loving each other and even though they can’t technically be together, they find ways to get to know each other and ultimately fall in love. I’m not going to lie here…things don’t necessarily go as they would hope but I was glad to see that these characters had a bit of happiness together. I honestly wish they had had more time together but I suppose that wouldn’t be accurate.

One of the other things I enjoyed about this story was the way Longshore tied the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII back into this book. It was done well and I was able to see how their relationship deteriorated while still focusing on the story of Mary and Fitz. It was definitely frustrating to see Henry blame everyone else for his issues in having an heir. The things he got away with just make me cringe.

I am in no way doing this story any justice – I know this and it is mostly because there was so much to this book that I don’t even know where to start. Unfortunately this happens to me with books I love. All you really need to know about this book is that I loved it and couldn’t put it down…literally. I think the only reason I did put it down was because I had to get off the plane. Regardless, this book was exactly what I wanted to read. It has love, betrayal, friendships, and some fantastic characters. If you love historical fiction, definitely check this one out when you can.

Thank you to Viking/Penguin Group for the review copy.

I really, really enjoyed this one.

This book is officially on my favorites list. You may have seen an update somewhere stating I had to force myself to put this book down and I wasn’t exaggerating. This was a story that continually had me saying to myself, “Just one more chapter” and when I finally realized how late it was and that I actually had to function the next day I did it. Nevermind that the second I got home from work I immediately opened it back up until I finished. So…if that isn’t justification enough for you to want to read this, please continue reading my review.

Amanda is a junior at The Peel Academy and to say that this school is pretty selective in their student population might be an understatement. See, this is where the CIA, FBI, and other government agencies go to find the talent for their organizations. Not only are the students smart, they can fight, shoot, and protect themselves.

With all of that said, the book opens on Testing Day. This is a random day each year where all juniors and seniors are forced to prove their abilities within the testing environments created by the academy. As a junior, Amanda knows that she doesn’t really have a chance of graduating (it hasn’t happened in a really long time) and she is ok with that. She has Abe (her boyfriend) and a plan for when they do graduate. However, as Amanda is testing, she notices one of the observers continues to watch her closely and even though she blew the first test, he continues to stay and observe. This in itself is odd but the way he watches her makes her begin to think something could be different this year.

As you can imagine, Amanda was right to think something was up. Post testing, her name is announced as a graduate and she is immediately taken out of the room. From here on out, the book is non-stop action and mystery. I admit there were absolutely some things that I didn’t see coming and I love it when that happens. Add to this the idea of time travel, historical events, and being able to successfully tie everything together and I have to applaud McCardle. She created a story that was exciting, mysterious, and that I didn’t want to put down until I found out everything that was going on.



Now, I can’t say much about what really is going on outside of the fact that Amanda finds out she was chosen to join a super secret organization called the Annum Guard and is questioning whether this is really the right place for her. She is also introduced to the other guards who all go by a code name…in their cases a color (Yellow, Violet, Indigo, Green, Blue, Orange, and Red). What I can tell you is that I loved the characters in this story. Amanda (Iris) is sarcastic and tough and it is clear that she is loyal to the people she loves. She also hasn’t had an easy life and there were times where I just wanted to climb into the pages and give her a hug. Because of the things that have happened in her life, she wants to hang onto the good things and that includes Abe.

The other guards were great too. We do get more exposure to some more than others but I think that was good because otherwise it might have gotten too overwhelming. Yellow is definitely more than I expected and I really did like her. She made Amanda see things that she normally wouldn’t have and I think she was a clear factor in her growth through the story. I would love to learn more about her background as well as Indigo’s. Both made an impact on Amanda and I will be interested to see what happens next for all of these characters.

Ok – so I hope I didn’t ramble on too much but if you take one thing away from this review, hopefully it is the fact that I really, really loved it and hope that you do too. If you are looking for a story filled with action and mystery definitely check this book out when you can. I will just be sitting here impatiently patiently waiting for the next book.

Love, love, love this book.

So I kept hearing all about this book called Open Road Summer and then my sister read it and was almost ready to push Jase (from My Life Next Door) off her list for this Matt Finch guy and based on that alone, I knew I had to read it. I am officially on the Matt Finch bandwagon and he is sitting on my Swoony Book Boyfriends bookshelf.

This was such a wonderful book. It has lovely (and flawed) characters, a fantastic story, and Emery Lord weaves all of this together with music...one of my favorite things.

Reagan has had a rough time lately and decides that it might be a great idea to get away from things by going on tour with her best friend Dee who happens to be a super popular country music star. It is clear that there are some things going on with Reagan but Lord does a good job of slowly sharing them with the reader. Almost immediately, a story gets to the entertainment “news” world that could hurt Dee’s clean cut image and the solution her record label comes up with is to have another artist on the label open Dee’s shows and hopefully alleviate some of the potential bad press.

You guessed it – Matt Finch is that other artist and immediately Reagan is a bit suspicious – mostly because she is super protective of Dee. He has been out of the limelight for a number of years and she thinks he is only doing this to further his music career. As she starts to learn more about Matt Finch (yeah…I have a hard time just calling him Matt), she comes to realize there is more to him than his career.

Matt Finch has also had a tough time lately. His mother recently passed away and when the call came in asking him to open for Dee’s shows, he leapt at the opportunity to get away and think about something else. As he gets to know more and more about Reagan, he is drawn to her and all I can say is that when he writes music for her….I may have sighed out loud for how perfect it was. He’s not afraid to challenge her and make her open her eyes and I love that about him.



I loved seeing the change in Reagan’s character from the beginning of the novel to the end. She has to grow up and figure out what is really important to her along with what she is willing to walk away from or fight for. I loved the ending and that is all I will say about that.

If you are looking for a wonderful story that ties together friendship, romance, music, and family, definitely check this one out. I’m not usually a big pusher of Contemporary Romance so you HAVE to know it is good if I am pushing this book at anyone who asks me for recommendations…..just saying.

Review to come.

Review to come.

Gah!!!! I loved this one and with that ending I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!!

Review to come.

Her Dark Curiosity is book 2 of The Madman’s Daughter series. Because it is a while yet until the book releases, I won’t give anything away. I enjoyed this book and thought it was a solid second book to the series. If you liked The Madman’s Daughter, definitely check this one out when you can.

This book picks up with Juliet back in London after Montgomery sent her away from the island and Shepherd did a great job of sharing the things Juliet went through on her journey without making us start the book there. She definitely didn't have an easy trip and even when she did get back, some old problems found their way back to her.

With the support and help from Professor von Stein, a former colleague of Juliet’s father’s, Juliet is slowly making her way back into the upper crust of society. He decided to step in and help her since he failed to help her father when he could have and it has become Juliet’s safety net. Because of him, she has a nice house to live in, warm clothes, and her reputation back (mostly). At the same time, Juliet has not given up her quest for a cure. She continues to suffer from the pain and side effects of what her father did to her. She keeps a hidden apartment in a less safe area of London and goes there to create the serums.

As if all of that isn't enough to deal with, another problem has hit the area. People are being killed and the police think it may be a mass murderer. Juliet ends up linked to the case due to the fact that all of the victims happen to be people Juliet knows/knew. The killer leaves the victims torn apart like an animal and this is the thing that forces Juliet to try to find out just who the killer is before Scotland Yard and Detective John Newcastle does.

A lot happens in this book and we get to see some great new characters as well as some of my favorite old characters. If you follow me on Twitter or saw my Goodreads updates you may have noticed I had some comments….only a few. There were things that occurred in this book that made me a bit ragey. I actually like Juliet’s character – she is strong and smart but she does something that actually made me stop and think:



Ok – don’t hate me for that teaser…trust me when I say that once you read the book, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

I loved how Shepherd used Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as inspiration for the book – it fit well and gave the story some great layers. The way Shepherd intertwines the characters and brings all their stories together was great and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment. If it isn’t there already, add this one to your “to read” pile and grab it as soon as you can.

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller is about more than just a girl who comes from a wealthy family and wants to be an artist. Waller integrates so much history and societal nuances that it not only shows how things were for girls in the 1900’s but also how tough it was to go against the expectations of society. Waller does a wonderful job of weaving in the historical facts alongside a story about a girl who wants more out of life than balls and teas.

The story opens up with Vicky explaining how things took a turn for the worse for her. While in finishing school in France, Vicky ends up joining an artist atelier (fancy word for workshop) and this is where she not only realizes just how much she loves art and what she still needs to learn, but also where she gets into trouble. Due to a model missing a session, Vicky offers to be the nude model for the group. Although they are all professional and approach it with an artist’s mind, unfortunately that isn't how everyone else sees it and when word gets out that Vicky did this, she is kicked out of school and sent back home to her parents.

Back home, Vicky is given two options to repair her reputation. She can agree to be married to Edmund Carrick-Humphrey or she can go live with her aunt as a companion. With no other choice, she agrees to the engagement but she has ulterior motives. Vicky believes that if she can get away from her father and his beliefs around what she should do with her life, she can go to the Royal College of Art. The rest of this storyline is Vicky doing whatever she can to complete her submission to the college for admittance and also trying to figure out how she will make it all work.

I liked Vicky. She didn't agree with the way women were subject to the decisions of the men in their lives and she tried to stand up for herself. The fact that she was able to get away with the things that she did was somewhat amazing considering the time and place. When she meets the women who were involved in the suffrage movement I think they only opened her eyes up even more and I was glad to see her take a stand at the end and become more than just a wealthy, society wife. Not only was her art important to her but she absolutely wanted to be a better person. Obviously class was a factor during this time and she grew up with things that not everyone had. Because of that she is typically not aware of some things. Like when she just assumes she and Will be traveling first class to his family’s place or when she gives all the gifts she brought to his family. She recognizes just how different they are and kind of holds it against herself that some of the everyday things she takes for granted are considered special items for Will and his family.

Let’s talk about Will for a moment because I thought he was great. He is the one that made Vicky start to wonder if she could really live with her decision to be Edmund’s wife. He was caring and wanted something he knew deep down he probably couldn't have considering the class level he grew up in.

Of course, while meeting for their art sessions, they are coming to realize they have feelings for each other but when faced with a decision of either Will or Edmund, Vicky definitely had a lot to lose…not just status but her opportunity to go to college. When the decision of art college is essentially taken from her, Vicky takes a stand and although it was a tough spot for her, I thought it really gave her the opportunity to think about what was truly important to her and figure out what she was willing to give up in order to get it…and be happy.

The end of this book was great. Not everyone comes around and gets on board with the changes and I don’t want to give anything away but in my opinion, this story ended perfectly. I will mention that I really liked Vicky’s brother Freddy. While he still struggled with the idea that his little sister was going against the norm, I think he really did want what was best for her. Of course, he had a family he had to consider and couldn't jeopardize them in his support of her but I do think that when he had to support a decision that went against what Vicky wanted, he was upset about it.

If you enjoy history mixed in with a great story I think you will like this book. It is obvious the author did quite a bit of research with this book and she does a wonderful job of weaving in the history with Vicky’s story. The fact that she included a bit of romance was not wasted on me as a little bit of a love story is always a plus in my opinion. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes any and all of those things and I also look forward to what this author gives us next.

Every once in a while I find myself in the mood to read a romance novel and when I saw a post from my lovely friend Jessica about a book called Bitter Spirits I was intrigued. It is part of a series called Roaring Twenties by Jenn Bennett and I loved it. It has a great story that revolves around two great main characters, the paranormal, and an interesting time period.

Aida Palmer is a spirit medium and works at a Gris-Gris in Chinatown. She finds herself pulled into a situation by her boss, Velma when a notorious bootlegger by the name of Winter Magnusson comes knocking on her door to help him get rid of the ghosts that are following him around. As Aida helps Winter not only with the immediate problem but also with the rest of the paranormal issues he is having, she finds herself drawn to Winter and he is also drawn to her.

I really did like both of these characters. Aida has been on her own for a long time and never expects things to be handed to her. She has lived a very different life than Winter and is fairly nomadic. Winter’s family has always been in bootlegging, lived in San Francisco, and had money. He works hard and lives well but tragedy has touched both of their lives. Aida lost her parents early on and then eventually her brother. Winter lost his parents and his wife in a car accident. Neither of them expect to find love or happiness again and both are surprised when they do.

As they start to unravel the mystery around who has put a hex on Winter and why, they realize their attraction for each other and begin what they think will be a short-term arrangement. As things progress though, they come to realize they mean more to each other than they expected but Aida has made arrangements already for her next appearance. Because of her independence, things come to a head and they have to decide what is really important.

I really liked the secondary characters in the story and felt they helped move the story along. Bo, Velma, Astrid…all added to the story. If you like great stories with some solid characters definitely check this one out. I am interested to see where book two of the series goes as it appears it is with Winter’s brother and if it is anything like this one, I may be on board for the whole Roaring Twenties series.