historical fiction – Always With a Book

k2reader April 27, 2024

The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Recorded Books, for the ALC and Kensington Books, #partner, for an advanced copy of The Flower Sisters in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Kensington Books /Recorded Books Published: April 23, 2024 Summary: Drawing on the little-known true story of a tragic event that took place in the author’s Missouri hometown at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this beautifully written novel, told through twin…

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k2reader April 20, 2024

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC of The House on Biscayne Bay in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Penguin Audio Published: April 2, 2024 Summary: As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel. With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls…

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k2reader March 22, 2024

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Simon and Schuster Audio, for the ALC and Mary Sue Rucci Books, #partner, for an advanced copy of The Storm We Made in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: S&S/Mary Sue Rucci Books / Simon and Schuster Audio Published: January 2, 2024 Summary: A novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that…

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k2reader March 13, 2024

Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Berkley #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Becoming Madam Secretary in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley / Penguin Audio Published: March 12, 2024 Summary: She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it… New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic new novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins. Raised…

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k2reader March 7, 2024

Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa #bookreview

Thank you Berkley Books, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Island Witch in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Books Pub date: February 20, 2023 Summary: Inspired by Sri Lankan folklore, award-winning author Amanda Jayatissa turns her feverish, Gothic-tinged talents to late 19th century Sri Lanka where the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been…

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k2reader March 6, 2024

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl #bookreview

Thank you @thoughtsfromapage/Random House #partner, for the advanced copy of The Paris Novel in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Random House Published: April 30, 2024 Summary: Bestselling author Ruth Reichl takes readers on an adventure of food, art, and fashion in 1980s Paris in this dazzling, heartfelt novel Stella reached for an oyster, tipped her head and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so…

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k2reader February 18, 2024

The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill #bookreview

Thank you Harper Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Turtle House in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Harper Published: February 20, 2024 Summary: Minnie and her granddaughter Lia are unforgettable protagonists, whose grit and grace will inspire you. Together, they find a way through in this gripping debut.”—Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an…

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k2reader February 12, 2024

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Simon & Schuster #partner, for the finished copy of Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 16, 2024 Summary: An Arctic expedition. A mysterious death. And the lengths to which one woman will go to avenge her sister When Maude Horton receives a letter…

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k2reader January 23, 2024

The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Riverhead Books Published: March 28, 2023 Summary: Set against a changing Singapore, a sweeping novel about one boy’s unique gifts and the childhood love that will complicate the fate of his community and country Ah Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule. He…

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k2reader January 20, 2024

Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and SimonBooksBuddies / Simon and Schuster / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of Here in Avalon in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: January 2, 2024 Summary: A New York City fairy tale about two sisters that fall under the spell of an underworld cabaret troupe that might be a…

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k2reader January 13, 2024

Coming to Find You by Jane Corry #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Doubleday Canada for the ALC and Penguin Random House Canada / Netgalley #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Coming to Find you in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada / Doubleday Canada Published: December 19, 2023 Summary: A heart-stopping psychological thriller about a woman running from the aftermath of a gruesome family tragedy–and also from the truth about her part in…

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k2reader December 12, 2023

The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer #bookreview

Thank you to Thoughts from a Page, Sourcebooks Landmark, #partner, for an advanced e-copy of The Lost Van Gogh in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Published: January 2, 2024 Summary: From the author of the much-praised The Last Mona Lisa comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds, and mystery. For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators…

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k2reader December 11, 2023

The Wonder of It All by Barbara Taylor Bradford #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Netgalley / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the finished copy of The Wonders of It All in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford comes the long-anticipated final novel in the House of Falconer trilogy. James Falconer–a tycoon and a self-made man–seems to…

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k2reader December 4, 2023

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Doubleday #partner, for the advanced copy of The Frozen River in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Doubleday / Random House Audio Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote…

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k2reader November 30, 2023

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Recorded Books, for the ALC of The Berry Pickers in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the print book for my own collection. Publisher: Catapult / Recorded Books Published: October 31, 2023 Summary: A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a community, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years. July…

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k2reader November 27, 2023

Strangers in the Night by Heather Webb #bookreview

Thank you to William Morrow, #partner, for an advanced copy of Strangers in the Night in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: William Morrow Published: March 21, 2023 Summary: It was the tumultuous romance that scandalized the world: Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner fought, loved, and lived life to the hilt. Now their unbridled story is brought vividly to life by Heather Webb, the bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco and The…

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k2reader November 21, 2023

A True Account by Katherine Howe #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Henry Holt and Co, #partner for the advanced copy of A True Account in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Henry Holt and Co / Macmillan Audio Published: November 21, 2023 Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe comes a daring first-hand account of one young woman’s unbelievable adventure as one of the most terrifying sea rovers…

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k2reader November 11, 2023

The Audrey Hepburn Estate by Brenda Janowitz #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you HTP Books #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Audrey Hepburn Estate in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Graydon House / Harlequin Audio Published: April 18, 2023 Summary: When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can’t help but return for one last visit. After all, it…

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k2reader October 26, 2023

Lone Women by Victor LaValle #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: One World / Random House Audio Published: March 28, 2023 Summary: Blue skies, empty land—and enough room to hide away a horrifying secret. Or is there? Discover a haunting new vision of the American West from the award-winning author of The Changeling. Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes.…

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k2reader October 8, 2023

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger #bookreview

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The River We Remember in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: September 5, 2023 Summary: In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by the murder of its most powerful citizen, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling standalone novel from the New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land. On Memorial Day, as the people of…

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k2reader October 3, 2023

The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams by M.J. Rose #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Get Red PR and Blue Box Press , #partner, for the finished copy of The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Blue Box Press / Brilliance Audio Published: February 7, 2023 Summary: A captivating tale of two passionate women separated by decades but united by a shared vision. One, the famous jeweler Suzanne Belperron, fighting to…

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k2reader September 30, 2023

A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge #bookreview #audiobook #bookseries #backlistreview

Thank you TCL BookTours, Kensington Books, #partner, for the finished copy of A Trace of Poison in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Kensington Books / Highbridge Published: October 25, 2022 Summary: In England’s stately manor houses, murder is not generally a topic for polite conversation. Mallowan Hall, home to Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, is the exception. And housekeeper Phyllida…

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k2reader September 29, 2023

Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you GetRedPR and the author, #partner, for the advanced copy of Don’t Forget To Write in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook. Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio Published: September 1, 2023 Summary: In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good. When Marilyn Kleinman is…

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k2reader September 25, 2023

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Golden Gate in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook for my own collection. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: September 19, 2023 Summary: Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at…

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k2reader September 9, 2023

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Simon & Schuster #partner, for the advanced copy of The House of Eve in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: February 7, 2023 Summary: From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be…

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k2reader August 23, 2023

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner, for the finished copy of Little Souls in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin / Macmillan Audio Published: August 22, 2023 (Paperback Release) / April 26, 2022 Summary: Sandra Dallas’s Little Souls is a gripping tale of sisterhood, loyalty, and secrets set in Denver amid America’s last deadly flu pandemic Colorado, 1918. World…

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k2reader August 23, 2023

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Scribner / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: March 21, 2017 Summary: The thrilling new novel from number-one New York Times best-selling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been abandoned and adopted by an American couple. Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and…

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k2reader August 23, 2023

The Woman With the Cure by Lynn Cullen #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Berkley Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Woman With the Cure in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Berkley Books / Penguin Audio Published: February 21, 2023 Summary: She gave up everything— and changed the world. A riveting novel based on the true story of the woman who stopped a pandemic, from the bestselling author of Mrs. Poe.…

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k2reader August 21, 2023

The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Sunset Crowd in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: July 4, 2023 Summary: From Rodeo Drive to the French Riviera, Karin Tanabe’s The Sunset Crowd is a tale of survival and reinvention, of faking it until you make it, and the glittering appeal…

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k2reader August 4, 2023

Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Published: August 1, 2023 Summary: New York in the Roaring Twenties—a riveting true-crime novel, based on one of the most notorious unsolved murders of the era, where power, politics, and secrets conspire to bury the truth. Manhattan, 1923. Scandalous flapper Dot King is found dead in her Midtown apartment, a bottle of chloroform beside her and a fortune…

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k2reader July 25, 2023

The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly by Katherine A. Sherbrooke #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Dreamscape Media/Netgalley for the ALC and MB Communications & Pegasus Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Pegasus Books / Dreamscape Media Published: April 4, 2023 / June 26 2023 Summary: When a runway model in 1940s Hollywood makes a split-second decision intended to protect those she loves, she triggers a cascade of secrets that threatens to…

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k2reader June 22, 2023

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you to HarperAudio/Netgalley for the ALC and Thoughts From a Page, Mariner Books, #partner, for an advanced e-copy of Banyan Moon in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Mariner Books / Harper Audio Published: June 27, 2023 Summary: A sweeping, evocative debut novel following three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch, revealing the family’s inherited burdens, buried secrets, and unlikely love stories.…

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k2reader June 5, 2023

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Scriber #partner, for the advanced copy of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Scribner / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: June 6, 2023 Summary: The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s…

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k2reader May 29, 2023

Drowning by T.J. Newman #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC of Drowning in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Published: May 30, 2o23 Summary: Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside—and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them. Six minutes after…

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k2reader May 26, 2023

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley, Harry Whittaker #bookreview #bookseries

Thank you to GetRedPR, Blue Box Press, #partner, for the finished copy of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Blue Box Press Published: May 11, 2023 Summary: Co-authored by her son, Harry Whittaker, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt draws the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley’s multimillion copy sensation, to its stunning, unforgettable conclusion. Over 35 million copies of the Seven Sisters books…

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k2reader May 26, 2023

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Atria Books, #partner for the finished copy of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: August 2, 2022 Summary: Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living. As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into…

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k2reader May 25, 2023

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark #bookreview

Thank you to TLC BookTours, S&S/Marysue Rucci Books, #partner, for a finished copy of Fellowship Point in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books/ Scribner / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: July 5, 2022 Summary: Celebrated children’s book author Agnes Lee is determined to secure her legacy—to complete what she knows will be the final volume of her pseudonymously written…

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k2reader May 21, 2023

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Riverhead Books Published: November 1, 2022 Summary: Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a shattering novel about a young woman caught between allegiance to community and a dangerous passion. Amid daily reports of violence, Cushla lives a quiet life with her mother in a small town near Belfast. By day she teaches at a parochial school; at night she…

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k2reader May 17, 2023

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner #bookreview

Thank you UpLitReads & Berkley Books #partner, for the finished copy of Only the Beautiful in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Books Published: April 18, 2023 Summary: A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart by the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the…

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k2reader May 12, 2023

Homecoming by Kate Morton #bookreview

Thank you to TandemCollectiveGlobal, Mariner Books, #partner, for a finished copy of Homecoming in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Mariner Books Published: April 4, 2023 Summary: Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town…

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k2reader May 7, 2023

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and Algonquin Books, #partner for the finished copy of Dust Child in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Algonquin Books / Hachette Audio Published: March 14, 2023 Summary: From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness, set during the war and in present-day Việt Nam. In…

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k2reader April 18, 2023

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani #bookfeature #paperbackrelease

Today, I’m featuring a book that is coming out in paperback today. I happened to read this book last year when it first came out in hardcover and absolutely loved it! Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors and I just adore her books and this one was no exception. You can read my review here. Thank you MB Communications for inviting me to help spread the word about…

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k2reader April 6, 2023

The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Simon & Schuster #partner, for the finished copy of The House is on Fire in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: April 4, 2023 Summary: The author of Florence Adler Swims Forever returns with a masterful work of historical fiction about an incendiary tragedy that shocked a young nation and…

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k2reader March 31, 2023

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you HTP Books & Park Row Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The London Seance Society in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Park Row Books / Harlequin Audio Published: March 7, 2023 Summary: From the author of the sensational bestseller The Lost Apothecary comes a spellbinding tale about two daring women who hunt for truth and justice in the perilous art…

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k2reader March 29, 2023

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Netgalley / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Celadon Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Beyond That, the Sea in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Celadon Books / Macmillan Audio Published: March 21, 2023 Summary: A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the…

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k2reader March 29, 2023

The Levee by William Kent Krueger #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio, #partner for the ALC of The Levee in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Published: February 28, 2023 Summary: An audio original novella from the bestselling author of Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, The Levee is a powerful, captivating story of a family, a storm, a complicated rescue, and the true cost of survival. It’s 1927, and the…

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k2reader March 20, 2023

Marmee by Sarah Miller #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you William Morrow, #partner, for the advanced copy of Marmee in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio Published: October 25, 2022 Summary: From the author of Caroline, a revealing retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved Little Women, from the perspective of Margaret “Marmee” March, about the larger real-world challenges behind the cozy domestic concerns cherished by generations of readers. In…

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k2reader March 8, 2023

Weyward by Emilia Hart #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of Weyward in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: March 7, 2023 Summary: I am a Weyward, and wild inside. 2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and…

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k2reader March 8, 2023

Lessons in Chemisty by Bonnie Garmus #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book and audiobook for my own personal collection. Publisher: Doubleday Books / Random House Audio Published: April 5, 2022 Summary: A delight for readers of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show. Chemist Elizabeth Zott…

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k2reader March 6, 2023

Goodnight From Paris by Jane Healey #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Get Red PR , #partner, for the advanced copy of Goodnight From Paris in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio Published: March 7, 2023 Summary: In Nazi-occupied France, an American film star takes on the most dangerous role of her life in a gripping novel about loyalty and resistance, inspired by a true story, from the Washington…

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