History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

THE GIRL WHO KNEW DA VINCI Belle Ami Series: Out of Time Series Book 1 Genre: Paranormal Romance, Thriller Publisher: Tema N Merback Publication Date: May 31, 2018 Source: This book was given to me by Book Unleashed Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: What she knows could kill her.     In the spirit of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Shadows of the Stone Benders by K. Patrick Donoghue The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami unravels an unforgettable mystery.      Three destinies, one remarkable painting.      Will her visions lead her to the truth?      Art historian Angela Renatus is haunted by dreams of Leonardo da Vinci and a mysterious painting of Giuliano Medici and his mistress Fioretta Gorini. A painting that, as far as the world knows, doesn’t exist. Compelled by her visions, Angela is determined to find out the truth.      When Angela is contacted b...

Dido's Crown Author: Julie K. Rose Publication Date: September 26, 2016 Pages: 340 Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Set in Tunisia and France in 1935, Dido's Crown is a taut literary-historical adventure influenced by Indiana Jones, The Thin Man, and John le Carré.      Mary Wilson MacPherson has always been adept at putting the past behind her: her father's death, her sister's disappearance, and her complicated relationship with childhood friends Tom and Will. But that all changes when, traveling to North Africa on business for her husband, Mary meets a handsome French-Tunisian trader who holds a mysterious package her husband has purchased — a package which has drawn the interest not only of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, but the Nazis as well.       When Tom and Will arrive in Tunisia, Mary suddenly finds herself on a race across the mesmerizing and ...

Michelangelo's Ghost (A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery #4) Author: Gigi Pandian Genre: Mystery, Thriller Publisher: Henery Press Release Date: October 4, 2016 Source: This book was given to me by iRead Book tours in exchange for an honest review. Book Description:      A lost work of art linking India to the Italian Renaissance. A killer hiding behind a centuries-old ghost story. And a hidden treasure in Italy’s macabre sculpture garden known as the Park of Monsters… Can treasure-hunting historian Jaya Jones unmask a killer ghost?       Filled with the unexpected twists, vivid historical details, and cross-cultural connections Pandian is known for, Michelangelo’s Ghost is the most fast-paced and spellbinding Jaya Jones novel to date.       When Jaya’s old professor dies under eerie circumstances shortly after discovering manuscripts that point to a treasure in Italy’s Park of Monsters, Jaya and her brother pick up the ...

Aphrodite's Choice by Christy English Publication Date: May 20, 2016 eBook; ASIN: B01FZQ80F0  Series: The Goddess Diaries #1 Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Paranormal/Romance Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.        Synopsis: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, still walks the modern world. No longer thronged by worshipers, Aphrodite heals the bodies and souls of the men she touches, one man, one night, at a time. But not everyone thinks of her as a long-dead myth. Someone is stalking her. The men who have hunted her kind as witches for centuries have passed their hatred on to their sons.      As she flees her enemies and tries to warn her sisters of the danger facing them once again, Aphrodite is followed by one of the members of the Brotherhood, a man who has been given the task of killing her, and any of her sisters who cross his path. But it does not take he...

Louise's Chance: A 1940s Spy Thriller Set in Wartime Washington (A Louise Pearlie Mystery) Author: Sarah R. Shaber Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Publisher: Severn House Release Date: 2015 Pages: 192 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940s, Washington DC. Government girl Louise gets her big chance, when she is tasked with recruiting German POWs for a secret mission inside Nazi Germany      Government girl Louise Pearlie has a new job inside the OSS – the Office of Strategic Services: recruiting German prisoners-of-war for a secret mission inside Nazi Germany. It’s a big chance for her, and Louise hopes she can finally escape her filing and typing duties. With the job comes two new colleagues: Alice Osborne, a propaganda expert, and Merle Ellison, a forger from Texas who just happens to speak fluent German.       But when the three arrive at Fort Meade camp, to interview the first German POWs to ...

Murder in The Merchant’s Hall: An Elizabethan Spy Thriller Author: Kathy Lynn Emerson Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Publisher: Severn House Release Date: 2015 Pages: 256 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The intriguing new mystery featuring Tudor sleuth, Mistress Rosamond Jaffrey.     When Lina Walkenden is found clutching a bloody knife over the dead body of her brother-in-law and guardian, there’s only one person she can turn to for help: her childhood friend Rosamond Jaffrey. Rosamond vows to do all she can to prove Lina’s innocence, but when it transpires Lina was being forced into a marriage against her will and was instead besotted by her fiance’s charming yet unscrupulous nephew, her motives for murder seem overwhelming.     In desperation, Rosamond seeks out the help of the Queen’s spymaster himself, Sir Francis Walsingham – but when she overhears a conversation at the French Embassy, it seems Li...

Aurelia (Roma Nova, #4) by Alison Morton Publication Date: May 5, 2015 SilverWood Books Paperback & eBook; 270 Pages Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book tours in exchange for an honest review.                   Synopsis:  Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 21st century. Aurelia Mitela is alone – her partner gone, her child sickly and her mother dead. Forced in her mid-twenties to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer, she is struggling to manage an extended family tribe, businesses and senatorial political life.      But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale. Sent to Berlin to investigate, she encounters the mysterious and attractive Miklós, a suspected smuggler, and Caius Tellus, a Roma Novan she has despi...

The Lady Agnès Mystery - Volume 2:  The Divine Blood and Combat of Shadows Author: Andrea Japp Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Publisher: Gallic Books Release Date: August 17, 2015 Pages: 624 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Agnès de Souarcy has survived the medieval Inquisition, but remains in grave danger. Her protectors must battle with powerful enemies.      "Five women, in the centre the sixth" are the enigmatic words foretelling Agnès's destiny. But will she fulfill the role that has been prophesied?      My Review: This story picks up where the first novel left off. Lady Agnes has escaped the French Inquisition, however she finds out that she is still in danger. Due to the prophecy that involves her, her enemies seek to get rid of her. Her allies who seek to protect her are determined to find out who wants to harm her at all cost. In order to protect all she holds dear, Agnes must fi...

The Lady Agnès Mystery - Volume 1: The Season of the Beast and The Breath of the Rose Author: Andrea Japp Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Publisher: Gallic Books Release Date: July 13, 2015 Pages: 670 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1304: The Church and the French Crown are locked in a power struggle.       In Normandy, monks on a secret mission are murdered.      Young noblewoman Agnès de Souarcy fights to retain her independence but must face the Inquisition, unaware that she is the focus of an ancient quest.       My Review: When Lady Agnes’s husband dies, Agnes knows that her half-brother may take away her dower leaving her with nothing. Agnes fights to keep her manor and her lands. However, when a corpse is found on her property the signs point to Agnes as the murderer. Soon she finds herself amidst the French Inquisition. During her trial, she finds out that there is a p...

Lost In The Shadows Author: Sydney Bristow Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, Thriller Publisher: CreateSpace Release Date: 2015 Pages: 286 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Imagine a time when love was not only discouraged, but also considered irrelevant. When women had no legal rights. When the only way for women to secure a bright future was by taking “the dark leap” into marriage. Sound far-fetched? Welcome to Boston on the eve of the Revolutionary War.       Grace Galloway always regretted never finding time to meet prospective suitors. She was too busy caring for her siblings. Until she meets a wealthy politician who makes her realize that romance is truly worth fighting for. But then someone plunders her financial assets, leaving her family bankrupt. And when the lone suspect turns up dead, the authorities target Grace for the crime. Now she is forced to prove her innocence while in pursuit of the t...

Perfiditas (Book #2 of the Roma Nova Series) Author: Alison Morton Genre: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller Publisher: Silverwoods Books Release Date: 2013 Pages: 288 Source: This book was given to me for the Historical Fiction Virtual Tours Book Tour      My Review: Perifditas is an alternate history and science fiction novel. It is set in a country, named Roma Nova that is ruled and dominated by women. Roma Nova was created in 395 AD when Emperor Theodosius’s final decree banned all pagan religions. Romans, who are still loyal to the old religions and sought refuge, trekked out of Italy and into a country that is similar to Slovenia. Over time, women began to rule over Roma Nova and also became a matrilineal society, while the men defended the country.  At the center of this novel, is Carina Mitela, who is Captain of the Special Forces. Carina must prevent a conspiracy who that not only threatens her country, bu...