History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Secret Life of Mrs. London by Rebecca Rosenberg Publication Date: January 30, 2018 Lake Union Publishing eBook & Paperback; 348 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis:  San Francisco, 1915. As America teeters on the brink of world war, Charmian and her husband, famed novelist Jack London, wrestle with genius and desire, politics and marital competitiveness. Charmian longs to be viewed as an equal partner who put her own career on hold to support her husband, but Jack doesn’t see it that way…until Charmian is pulled from the audience during a magic show by escape artist Harry Houdini, a man enmeshed in his own complicated marriage. Suddenly, charmed by the attention Houdini pays her and entranced by his sexual magnetism, Charmian’s eyes open to a world of possibilities that could be her escape.      As Charmian grapples with her urge to explore the forbidden, Jack’s increasingly reckless behavior threatens her dedication. N...

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc Author: Jennifer Kincheloe Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery Publisher: Seventh Street Books Release Date: 2015 Pages: 370 Source: This book was given to me by the publisher and the audiobook was given to me by Audiobookworm Promotions blog tour in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels--but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals.       Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solv...

Looking back at the year of 2017, there were a lot of good reads and also a few disappointing ones.  Some books I knew little about ended up being favorites, and some books by favorite authors were among my least. Overall, though, there were many very good titles to keep me thoroughly entertained. This is a list of my favorite books for the year. This was a such a fun read about a Celtic princess turned into a female gladiator! I can't wait for the sequel to come out! I'm a sucker for fairy tales and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales! Rachel L. Demeter gave a gothic spin to this classic tale! I can't wait to read the next book in the series! Margaret George is one of my favorite authors, and this proves why she is my go to author! I have read many books on Cleopatra, but so far this has been the best! Margaret George gives us an intimate and very realistic view on this elusive queen. I'm a huge fan of the Maisie Dobbs series! ...

The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: 2016 Pages: 512 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: A sweeping and spellbinding love story spanning the warm waters of the Mediterranean to the cold, clear skies of Norway—the second in an epic new series of novels by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.      Ally D’Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world’s most perilous yacht races when she hears the news of her adoptive father’s sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father—an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt—has left each of them a tantalizing clue to their true heritage.      But the timing couldn’t be worse: Ally had only recently fallen into a new and deeply passionate love affair, but with her life now turned upside down, sh...

Stolen Author: Jessica Titone Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Jessica Titone Release Date: November 24, 2017 Pages: 232 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In the twilight days of World War II, seventeen year old Ella's heart is broken when her partner, Jesse, mysteriously vanishes from their London ballet school. A search for him proves futile, leaving Ella to take matters into her own hands. Lured by a strange melody, she ventures through an old attic door and emerges in an idyllic, magical land. There she meets Wren, who instills in her the ways of the forest and fear of the mountain queen. The quest to rescue her lost love forces Ella down a path that questions her loyalty, tests her fortitude, and examines her heart's deepest desires.       My Review: Ella is a student at a ballet academy that dreams of becoming a ballerina. She falls for her partner, Jesse. Just before their romance b...

The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: A Novel by a Gentleman Volume I by Collins Hemingway Publication Date: June 20, 2015 AuthorHouse Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook Genre: Historical Fiction Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Everyone should marry once for love – Even Jane Austen      Jane Austen, single and seemingly comfortable in the role of clergyman’s daughter and aspiring writer in the early 1800s, tells friends and family to hold out for true affection in any prospective relationship. Everybody, she says, has a right to marry once in their lives for love.      But when, after a series of disappointing relationships, the prospect of true love arrives for her, will she have the courage to act? The Marriage of Miss Jane AUsten re-imagines the life of England’s archetypal female by exploring what might have happened if she had ever...

Isabella Unashamed: An Alternative History Author: Helen R. Davis and Carolina Casas Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction Publisher: Editorial Calíope Release Date: September 7, 2017 Pages: 144 Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Isabella of Castile is known as Europe’s first great queen. Renowned for her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon and birthing of modern day Spain, Isabella is also known as the queen who launched the Inquisition, completed the Reconquista and expelled the Jews from her nation. Not long after her triumph in 1492, her dynasty came apart and unraveled, and it was whispered by many that the Trastamara line was cursed.      But, What if Isabella had been wiser and not expelled the Jews, some of the very people who ironically helped put her on the throne of Castile? What if Isabella had had more foresight and had her successor be Catalina, who, although the younges...