Now this one…this one is super good. It has been quite a while since I have had a Civil War book. This one is well researched, well written and well narrated.
Now tell me about your March audible books! Inquiring minds want to know!
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name. It is 1936 and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name. As LUCIENNE CARLIER Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border and earns a new nickname from the Gestapo for her remarkable ability to evade capture: THE WHITE MOUSE. With a five million franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, she is told to use the name HÉLÈNE with her comrades. And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly MADAM ANDRÉE, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, known for her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and her ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces. But no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same, and the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed she–and the people she loves–will become.
Review
Hélène is a reporter at the early part of the war. She meets and marries Henri, the love of her life. He is sent to protect the Maginot line. While he is gone, she drives and ambulance and ends up, in a convoluted way, with the resistance. She helped change the history of WWII. And because of all her undercover activities, she saved a multitude of lives.
When this story began, I was in awe of Hélène. And I pretty much stayed that way through the whole book. This woman was a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with. However, the story is a little muddled, especially in the middle. But, boy am I glad I read it. I learned so much! What an amazing lady and and an amazing story of her life.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
In the thrilling conclusion to The Undertaker’s Daughter series, THE DARKNESS WE HIDE, Doctor Rowan Dupont has been staring death in the face for so long, she’s willing to meet it for the secrets it holds. Death has followed her back to her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee, ten months ago, cloaking the walls of her family’s Victorian funeral home like a shroud. In investigating the mysterious deaths of her loved ones, Rowan has unearthed enough family secrets to bury everything she’d previously thought true. But each shocking discovery has only led to more bodies and more questions; the rabbit hole is deeper than she ever imagined.
Despite settling into a comfortable life with Police Chief Billy Brannigan, Rowan knows dangerous serial killer Julian Addington is still out there. She can’t let her guard down now. Not when she’s this close to ending it once and for all. But with a storm brewing on the horizon, she’ll get only one shot before the impending darkness takes hold, threatening to wipe away every truth she’s uncovered—and everything she holds dear.
Review
Rowan is still struggling to uncover all the secrets about her family. The more she finds out the more entangled the mystery becomes.
Rowan is a great character. She and Billy are fantastic together. I love how this author is very subtle with the love stuff. She always has great lead characters which depend on each other through thick and thin.
This story will keep you on the edge of your seat. This author just keeps putting out fantastic reads. She has the best characters and some of the best plots out there. From the first word till the very end…you will be captivated.
Do not miss this book…heck do not miss the whole series! And I would read them in order. Each book picks up where the last one ended.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Author Bio:
Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com
It’s sweltering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Temperance Brennan, still recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, is battling nightmares, migraines, and what she thinks might be hallucinations when she receives a series of mysterious text messages, each containing a new picture of a corpse that is missing its face and hands. Immediately, she’s anxious to know who the dead man is, and why the images were sent to her.
An identified corpse soon turns up, only partly answering her questions.
To win answers to the others, including the man’s identity, she must go rogue, working mostly outside the system. That’s because Tempe’s new boss holds a fierce grudge against her and is determined to keep her out of the case. Tempe bulls forward anyway, even as she begins questioning her instincts. But the clues she discovers are disturbing and confusing. Was the faceless man a spy? A trafficker? A target for assassination by the government? And why was he carrying the name of a child missing for almost a decade?
With help from a number of law enforcement associates including her Montreal beau Andrew Ryan and the always-ready-with-a-smart-quip, ex-homicide investigator Skinny Slidell, and utilizing new cutting-edge forensic methods, Tempe draws closer to the astonishing truth.
But the more she uncovers, the darker and more twisted the picture becomes…
Review
Tempe is on the outs with her new boss. When she receives some strange text messages about an unidentifiable corpse. She oversteps in more ways than one.
It has been quite a while since I have read a book by this author. Years ago she was a favorite. But, as the years have passed other authors have worked their way in. So, I took advantage when this came up for me.
I will be honest, this was just a so-so read for me. I did not feel like the story really went anywhere. It was a slow start and just never really grabbed me. Plus, I hated Tempe’s boss! You will have to read this to discover what that witch…ugh..excuse me…woman was up to. But, I still found it intriguing in places. Especially the mystery around the child’s disappearance and the unidentifiable body. I did wonder how Tempe was going to link all the clues together. It is a fast moving, quick read. I just think there are other books by Kathy Reichs which are much more captivating.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
From the New York Times bestselling author behind the “joyful, warm, touching” (Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author) The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.
Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.
James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.
Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…
From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.
Review
Carey is working as an assistant to Melissa Tripp. James is an assistant to Rusty Tripp. Melissa and Rusty are a powerful tv remodeling duo. These two have secrets and are slowly falling apart. Carey and James have their work cut out for them!
I am a huge fan of this writing duo. However, this book is not my favorite. I think it is because I am not a fan of Melissa and Rusty Tripp. Melissa is a total “B” word and she mistreats everyone. Rusty is just there. He is a womanizer and a big ole flirt. But, he kind of felt like a minor character till the end.
I also did not feel connected to Carey until about the middle of the book. That being said…it is still a pretty good read… just not their usual caliber of work…IN MY OPINION.
This is a fast paced, cute story. It just fell short for me. But, you may want to give it a shot! It is entertaining and enjoyable.
The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin’s arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. The only clue he leaves behind is a bright yellow energy gel dropped on the road. As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, and deals with the FBI, Austin’s prickly family, and her colleagues at the hospital, Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in? Set amidst the adrenaline-fueled world of the emergency room, The Red Lotus is a global thriller about those who dedicate their lives to saving people, and those who peddle death to the highest bidder.
Review
Alexis is an ER physician. She meets Austin in the ER and they start dating. They end up on a bike tour of Vietnam. Austin disappears. This starts a whole investigation which leads to a revelation like no other!
Alexis is not to be stopped. When Austin turns up missing, she is determined to find out what happened. She hires a private investigator and he uncovers some amazing truths.
I enjoy Chris’ books. They are slow burns. Sometimes you need a change of pace. He can weave a tale and then slowly unravel it. This is one of those books.
I enjoyed the scenery and the historical perspectives about Vietnam. Plus the science…I am a science nerd and this book hit the spot! And the characters help create such a unique story..and at this day and time..it’s almost a little too real.
Need a slow burn….oh boy! You will not be disappointed with this one!
Between the Cracks: one woman’s journey from Sicily to America By Carmela Cattuti Genre: Historical Fiction
Join Angela Lanza as she experiences the tumultuous world of early 20th century Sicily and New York. Orphaned by the earthquake and powerful eruption of Mt. Etna in 1908, Angela is raised in the strict confines of an Italian convent. Through various twists of fate, she is married to a young Italian man whom she barely knows, then together with her spouse, immigrates to the U.S.
About the Author Carmela Cattuti started her writing career as a writer for the Somerville News in Boston, MA. She is a writer, painter, and yoga instructor in Boston. After she finished her graduate work in English Literature at Boston College, she began to writer creatively. As fate would have it, She felt compelled to writer her great aunt’s story. Between the Cracks and The Ascent have gone through many incarnations and will become a trilogy. The Ascent is the second novel.
Excerpt: A cross from Italy’s mainland sat the city of Messina like an indomitable fortress. Proud of its solid presence, Messina was the travelers’ first encounter with the island of Sicily. The earthy colors of the buildings and landscape signaled to the visitor or returning Sicilian that Messina and its people belonged to the island, not to any outside political force or cultural tradition. The clang of the donkey-drawn carts and the voices calling out to customers to buy wares in the market added to the music of the city’s sounds. Visitors marveled out loud at the cathedrals and ancient art work throughout the city, but the locals walked and spoke softly, especially near the narrow slits between the buildings. Visitors delighted in the snake-like movement of the streets. The streets seemed to lead directly to a famous church or street market but then would slowly veer off in a different direction. They seemed to be designed to intentionally confuse. The city offered no help in arriving at a specific destination. Ancient buildings were so close together that air barely squeezed through. Residents believed that between the buildings old mysteries sat, holding the true essence of Messina. Whenever one of the townspeople walked close to the openings, there seemed to be a whisper, not a sound you could hear with your physical ears but heard in your mind. The whisper seemed to convey a yearning that had been imprisoned for hundreds of years. When this happened, people scurried past, heads down, attempting to get away from the whispers in their heads. Angela ran down the hot cobblestone street and fell, scrambled to her feet and ran, then fell again. She threw herself on the street and screamed a long scream that echoed off the ruins of the ancient churches. A timeless scream that would always and forever be heard. Her city, Messina, was a massive graveyard. She searched for her family—her mother, sister and brother. She yelled their names into the air, into demolished houses. She screamed at bodies crushed or run through by fallen beams. Other bodies were caught between the open earth and the street. They were the souls in hell that she had seen in paintings, forever in agony, never at peace.
A WOMAN’S AMBITION… In the brooding moors above a humble Yorkshire village stood Fairley Hall. There, Emma Harte, its oppressed but resourceful servant girl, acquired a shrewd determination. There, she honed her skills, discovered the meaning of treachery, learned to survive, to become a woman, and vowed to make her mark on the world.
A JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME… In the wake of tragedy she rose from poverty to magnificent wealth as the iron-willed force behind a thriving international enterprise. As one of the richest women in the world Emma Harte has almost everything she fought so hard to achieve-save for the dream of love, and for the passion of the one man she could never have.
A DREAM FULFILLED-AND AVENGED. Through two marriages, two devastating wars, and generations of secrets, Emma’s unparalleled success has come with a price. As greed, envy, and revenge consume those closest to her, the brilliant matriarch now finds herself poised to outwit her enemies, and to face the betrayals of the past with the same ingenious resolve that forged her empire.
Review
There is so much I want to say about this book. I read it back in the 80’s. It was around 1986 or 1987 due to a recommendation from my librarian mother. When I told her I was asked to review the 40th anniversary edition…she had no idea what I was talking about. Go figure!!! But, I DO REMEMBER this book. It made a huge impact on me at the time. It was probably one of the first family sagas I had ever read. It was amazing then and it is amazing now. It just did not have the same impact on me at this time in my life. This is what is marvelous about books. They make an impression on you when you when you need them the most.
I remember reading about Emma Harte when I was a young teenager. She is such a wonderful character. She is strong and fierce. She is a character which literally changed her stars. However, life is so tough, whether you have money or not. And this is one of the many aspects of life which this book shows you.
As a young teenager, I took away from this book that with hard work you can achieve anything you want. And this is mostly true, luck and circumstances have a lot to do with it as well. Another take away from this book as a 50 year old woman is that life will always be hard. There will always be something or someone who wants to stand in your way. You must always be strong and fight.
Emma Harte was a fighter till the end. This is a fantastic story about strength, power and greed. No family or life is immune to challenges. I did find out family sagas are not my favorite reads anymore. I like books which move faster and are not so long…I know I know… I am just older and want to read more and more!
I received this novel from Suzy Approved Book tours for a honest review.
About The Author:
Barbara Taylor Bradford was born and raised in England. She left school at 15 for the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post. At 18, she became the paper’s first woman’s editor and, at 20, moved to London and became a columnist and editor on Fleet Street. Barbara has had 33 books published, all worldwide bestsellers, including her first novel, A Woman of Substance which is ranked in the top ten bestselling works of fiction of all time and this year marks its 40th anniversary. Her books have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide in more than 90 countries and 40 languages, and ten miniseries and television movies have been made of her books. In The Lion’s Den will be her 34th book.
Barbara is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and in 2007 was awarded an OBE for her services to literature. She currently lives in New York and was married to her beloved husband, television producer Robert Bradford, for 55 years until he died in July 2019. https://barbarataylorbradford.com/
Twenty-five years ago, Halle Lane’s best friend vanished from their Tennessee town. When a childhood photo brings Liam Hart to Winchester, Halle is certain the man is the same child who vanished. Now Liam seeks out Halle to help him investigate the circumstances of his mysterious past. Can Liam and Halle uncover the truth before a killer buries all traces of the boy Halle loved—and the man he may have become—forever?
Review
Liam receives a newspaper article in the mail. It is a story about a lost boy over twenty-five years ago. This story sends his life into a tailspin. He decides to find out more. He travels to Tennessee to find the reporter and get to the bottom of this problem.
Halle knows the instant she lays eyes on Liam. This is her lost friend. However, Liam does not believe this at all. Then…there is a murder. And Liam just gets pulled closer and closer to the truth.
This novel is more mystery and suspense than I expected. I was really caught up in Liam’s story. The where, when and the WHY….had me captivated from the very start.
I really believe Debra Webb has become one of my favorite southern authors. She has fabulous stories with wonderful characters. Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
About the Author
DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at http://www.DebraWebb.com or write to her at PO Box 176, Madison, AL 35758.
After fleeing an arranged marriage as a fifteen year old to an abusive older man, Lakshmi Shastri steals away alone from her rural village to Jaipur. Here, against odds, she carves out a living for herself as a henna artist, and friend and confidante to wealthy, upper caste women. Surviving by her wits and talents, she shares her knowledge and keeps their secrets in a delicate balancing act amid the changing 1950s social mores brought about by Indian Independence. Vulnerable to opinion and innuedo, at any point her intentions might be misunderstood, and she could fall prey to a damaged reputation or worse. Still Lakshmi manages to save to build a house with the dream of bringing her aging parents here to live with her and redeem herself in their eyes. Then one day her ex-husband arrives in town seeking her out with a girl in tow, a sister she did not know she had. Her sister is both passionate and reckless by nature, and all of a sudden the caution that Lakshmi has carefully cultivated is threatened, along with her livelihood. But she preseveres, and in doing so manages to lift up the others around her with her success.
Lakshmi’s tenacity and spirit see her join the ranks of other brave women of historical fiction, such as Farough Farrokhzad in Jasmin Darznik’s Song of a Captive Bird.With gorgeous prose and urgent themes, the novel will captivate readers of Shobha Rao’s Girls Burn Brighter, and those who seek a narrative both compelling and necessary.
Review
Lakshmi was in an abusive, arranged marriage. She escaped and created a whole new life for herself. She is the most sought after henna artist in her city. She thinks she is on the right path to riches. Then her estranged husband shows up with her little sister in tow. This threatens everything she has worked so hard to achieve.
I love Lakshmi! As most of you know, I love strong women characters and Lakshmi is one of the strongest. She has created herself a new life. She is building a house and creating a business which just keeps growing. She has a tenacity rarely seen. And her talent! Oh my! I could just picture her work in my mind! When her new life starts to unravel….you need to read this to find out how…she LEARNS from it and does not let it stop her.
This book is super good. I have never read a book about a henna artist. I will be honest, I did not even know they existed. I was so impressed with Lakshmi’s courage, talent and intelligence. Plus, the culture in this read…I learned a great deal!
Do not miss this one! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
About the Author
Alka Joshi is a graduate of Stanford University and received her M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts. She has worked as an advertising copywriter, a marketing consultant, and an illustrator. Alka was born in India, in the state of Rajasthan. Her family came to the United States when she was nine, and she now lives on California’s Monterey Peninsula with her husband and two misbehaving pups. The Henna Artist is her first novel. Visit her website and blog at thehennaartist.com
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