Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Spy

Mistress of Constancy (The Armillary Sphere, Story of Lady Jane Rochford #1) by G. Lawrence: A Book Review

  Mistress of Constancy (The Armillary Sphere, Story of Lady Jane Rochford #1) Author: G. Lawrence  Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: G. Lawrence  Book Release Date: 2021 Pages: 309 Source: Borrowed  Synopsis: Lady of the Tudor Court, servant of queens, courtier, wife, spy... and constant heart. This is the story of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford.        In death she would become infamous, yet in life passed often unseen. Jane Parker, daughter of the scholar Lord Morley, leaves her home at a tender age, embarking on a career in the dangerous Tudor Court. From the halls of her father's house to the palaces of London, from England to Calais and the Field of the Cloth of Gold Jane will travel, seeing much of this world, and others.      Promised in marriage to George Boleyn, Jane is drawn into the future of his family and their advancement... and as Anne Boleyn catches the eye of the King, Jane becomes pa...

Mrs. Benedict Arnold by Emma Parry: A Book Review

Mrs. Benedict Arnold Author: Emma Parry Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Zando Book Release Date: April 28, 2026 Pages: 309 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A riveting reimagining of the young woman who almost ended the American Revolution.       Philadelphia in the 1770s. Peggy Shippen longs for the war she’s living through to end. Though not always appreciated at home, she finds her curiosity is welcomed by a lively and influential circle of friends, including a glamorous rising star in the British army, Captain John André.       When the war separates them, Peggy is devastated—both by his absence and the horrors of ongoing conflict—before finding consolation in a man whose heroics for the Patriots have captured the world’s imagination: General Benedict Arnold.      As she trades Loyalist balls for Patriot salons, entertaining the most prominent figure...

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Briar Club Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense  Publisher: William Morrow Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 430 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful work of historical fiction, a story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.       In this gripping women’s fiction novel, everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who fin...

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang: A Book Review

A Song to Drown Rivers Author: Ann Liang Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy  Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 327 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic novel steeped in myth about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds as the fate of two kingdoms hangs in a delicate balance.       Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.       Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All ...

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory: A Book Review

Boleyn Traitor Author: Philippa Gregory Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Book Release Date: October 14, 2025 Pages: 496 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” ( USA Today ) Philippa Gregory returns with a dazzling historical novel of ambition, betrayal, and survival in the court of Henry VIII.       Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.        For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink...

The Woman With No Name by Audrey Blake: A Book Review

The Woman With No Name Author: Audrey Blake Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark  Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 383 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: Older, diminutive, overlooked…she becomes one of the most ferocious and feared espionage agents in the are against the Nazis.       World War II London, 1942.Though she survived the bomb that destroyed her home, Yvonne Rudellat's life is over. She's estranged from her husband, her daughter is busy with war work, and Yvonne—older, diminutive, overlooked—has lost all purpose. Until she's offered a chance to remake herself entirely…       The war has taken a turn for the worse, and the men in charge are desperate. So, when Yvonne is recruited as Britain's first female sabotage agent, expectations are low. But her tenacity, ability to go unnoticed, and aptitude for explosives set her apart. Soon enough she arri...

Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh: A Book Review

Unsinkable  Author: Jenni L. Walsh Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Harper Muse Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 351 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The Titanic was only the beginning. What she survived has become legend. Inspired by true stories of survival and resilience, Unsinkable entwines the lives of two women, one from World War 1 and another from World War 2, as they face adversity and take hold of the second chances given to them.        Violet Jessop is Miss Unsinkable.        After her mother becomes too ill to work, the responsibility to provide for the family falls to Violet as the oldest of nine. When the world enters the Great War, she serves as a nurse, helping men who could very well be her brothers. Working as a stewardess and wartime nurse, Violet not only survives a shipwreck but also two sinkings, one on the infamous Titanic. No one can unders...

The Lisbon Affair (Flying with the Swallows #1) by Cat Gardiner: A Book Review

The Lisbon Affair (Flying With the Swallows #1) Author: Cat Gardiner Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Unionport Hills Books Release Date: April 2, 2024 Pages: 339 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: An unforgettable reading experience about one woman's brave determination to prove she is more than a do-nothing aristocrat and, in her journey of self-discovery and sacrifice, finds a second chance at true, unconditional love. * Epic adventure and romance. Strong female heroine.      New York City, 1943: War widow and Best Society’s darling Mrs. Evelyn (Evie) Rousseau Somerset is five months into mourning her husband’s death when her family insists on an untenable plan for her future. Desolate and disenchanted with life, she’s determined to remake herself and prove she’s something more than a useless socialite—regardless of what her senator brother and domineering mother demand of her.  ...