reecaspieces

Overview

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.

When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

Review

Emma and her daughter, Olivia, are struggling. Emma’s husband has died and she cannot make ends meet. She finally gets a job at the Boots’ Booklover’s Library. Then the war comes and everything changes once again.

Emma truly breaks my heart in the beginning. She is sad, she is struggling and she just wants to do what is right. When she gets the job, things start to look up. Then the war comes. This creates so many issues for Olivia and Emma.

I loved how this story played out. Oh and the wonderful book references! Not only is this tale traumatic in so many ways, but it is also joyous! You must read this to find out.

I have read several books by this author and all of them are super good! So, add all of them to your list!

Need a wonderful historical fiction tale with great book references…THIS IS IT!

Grab your copy today.

About the Author:

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty-five different languages.

Social Links

Author Website: https://madelinemartin.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadelineMMartin 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelinemmartin/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin 

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HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-booklovers-library-madeline-martin?variant=41311560695842 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335000399  

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-booklovers-library-madeline-martin/1143849745  

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-booklover-s-library-original-madeline-martin/20392302 

Overview

From the author of The School for German Brides and A Bakery in Paris, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century Paris tells the story of Claire Eiffel, a woman who played a significant role in maintaining her family’s legacy and their iconic contributions to the city of Paris.

Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.

As she proves her competence, Claire’s importance to her father grows. She accompanies him on his travels and becomes his confidante and private secretary. She learns her father’s architectural trade and becomes indispensable to his work. But when his bright young protégé, Adolphe Salles, takes up more of Gustave’s time, Claire resents being pushed aside.

Slowly, the animosity between Claire and Adolphe turns to friendship…and then to something more. After their marriage in 1885 preserves the Eiffel legacy, they are privileged by the biggest commission of Eiffel’s career: a great iron tower dominating the 1889 World’s Fair to demonstrate the leading role of Paris in the world of art and architecture. Now hostess to the scientific elite, such as Thomas Edison, Claire is under the watchful eye not only of her family and father’s circle, but also the world.

When Gustave Eiffel’s involvement in a disastrous endeavor to build a canal in Panama ends in his imprisonment, it is up to Claire to secure her father’s freedom but also preserve the hard-won family legacy.

Claire Eiffel’s story of love, devotion, and the frantic pursuit to preserve her family’s legacy is not only an inspired reflection of real personages and historical events, but a hymn to the iconic tower that dominates the City of Lights

Review

Well…Aimie Runyan has done it again. I loved The School for German Brides. And this one is right up there with it!

This story follows Claire Eiffel and her family. Her father was the amazing architect behind the Eiffel Tower. When her mother passes away, Claire does her best to be everything to everyone in the family. She even became her father’s private secretary. This change in her life leads her to give up her dreams of becoming an artist herself.

I love a book that has me researching. I immediately started looking up Claire Eiffel. She was truly a lady ahead of her time. And this story captivated me all the way through.

Claire is strong willed but because of the time period she lived in, she was constrained, in more ways than one. But, she left her mark!

Need a wonderful, well researched, historical tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

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Overview

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • Two detectives: one human, one AI. And a case that will test them both.

“Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling, this is the kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her intuition, honed through years of on-the-beat police work. Picked to lead a pilot program that has her paired with Lock, an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity)—a hologram that is activated by a device on Kat’s wrist—Kat’s gut reactions about people and motives come up against Lock’s statistical calculations and data analysis that can be devised in seconds.

But as the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help when the case begins to target Kat personally. AI versus human experience. Logic versus instinct. With lives on the line, can the pair work together to solve the mystery in time?

A dazzling debut from an exciting new voice, In the Blink of an Eye asks us what we think it means to be human.

NOMINATED: Capital Crime’s Overall Crime Book of the Year; Crimefest’s Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award

Review

Kat’s husband passed away from cancer and now it is just her and her son. She has just returned to work as a cop after her bereavement leave. She has been asked to be a part of a new trial program. It involves AI. It does not take Kat long to figure out this is not exactly what she thought it would be.

Kat is a character I very much liked. She is a bit of a smart aleck but she has a soft side. She is also intelligent! So, pairing her with an AI hologram really intensifies her personality. And she soon realizes they will have to work together to catch a killer.

I am surprised I enjoyed this as well as I did. I at first thought it was going to be a bit more science fiction with all the AI stuff. But the story took over and I was hooked. I loved the way the author wove in the AI hologram and soon I was thinking of him as a person. Very unique.

I enjoyed the way this tale unfolded. It definitely had me guessing all the way through.

Need a good crime thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

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Overview

Where murder mystery and family saga collide—with deceptively charming Charleston as a backdrop. 

As a middle child, Boston native Kathryn Moore has always struggled to fit into her nouveau riche family and would rather do anything than carry on with the family business. Her aspirations lie in more artistic pursuits: to become a writer like her uncle, which strains her already turbulent relationship with her mother.

After Kathryn’s uncle, her mentor and confidante, dies tragically in a car accident, she learns he has bequeathed his Charleston home to her, and life changes in ways she never could have predicted. But was his untimely death an accident or is the truth more sinister than that?

As she grapples with his death and delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding it, Kathryn struggles with visions she has little control over. She can’t help but wonder if the act of logging them into her notebook along with her story ideas etches the visions into reality. Could she be responsible for all the misery left in her wake—including her uncle’s death?

Review

Kathryn’s uncle, Gray, has just tragically passed away in a car accident. She has inherited his house in Charleston. She cannot fathom why he would do this. Yes they were close, but she never dreamed that he would leave her his home. After she arrives to inspect the house to put it on the market, she starts to discover not everything is as it seems.

Kathryn has always wanted to be a writer like her uncle. But her mom has done everything in her power to keep this from happening. And while she is in Charleston, Kathryn starts to come into her own. She not only pushes back against her overbearing mother, she discovers more about herself and her strengths start to show.

This is a wonderful family drama full of mystery and family secrets. I enjoyed young Kathryn, especially as she develops her courage. Then there is the setting of Charleston and this old house…such charm and possible paranormal activity! Perfect for a fall read! Add in the circumstances surrounding Gray’s death and you have a fast paced tale you do not want to miss.

Need a fabulous family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today! This releases September 17!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

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Overview

An absolute delight of a magical tale.” —Louisa Morgan, author of The Age of Witches, on Small Town, Big Magic

A witch cursed to tell the truth, and the man who won’t let her lie to herself anymore…

Cursed by her own mother to always tell the truth and one of the only half-witches around, Ellowyn Good has never considered herself an equal part of the Riverwood coven. But when the Joywood, the evil rulers of the witching world, target her directly, she begins to wonder why they want her gone. 

She’ll need to work with her newly formed coven to survive, which includes dealing with her first love, past wreckage and a whole new complication she didn’t see coming. With their fates in the balance, Ellowyn will have to learn to trust Zander again—or be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Assuming they all survive the Joywood’s latest bid for absolute power over the witching world…

Review

Ellowyn is only half a witch. She has never thought of herself as especially talented in the witch department. But, when she is targeted by the evil rulers of Joywood, it takes the whole coven to protect her and her child!

This is one of my favorite fall series. I enjoy these wonderful characters, especially Ellowyn. Her interactions with Zander just tickle me. She is determined NOT to be in love with him. But, believe me, she is! And now that she is pregnant with his child, he is extra special to her. These two end up fighting for more than their child, they end up fighting for their lives. And Ellowyn is definitely in the most danger.

I enjoyed the witch fights, the spells and the ghosts in this story! And the characters are the best!

Need an all around good witchy read….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

A love letter to books and reading. This debut is catnip for any book geek. I just loved it.” —Cesca Major, author of Maybe Next Time, a Reese’s Book Club Pick

A story of second chances and new beginnings, this is a love letter to books—and a love letter to life

Still reeling from a recent tragedy, Erin Connolly knows she needs to start living, but has no idea how. When she accidentally donates her favorite book—a heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without—to a local little community library, she’s devastated. But then the book turns up a week later, back in the library with fresh notes in the margins, along with an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to meet her newfound pen pal.

A life-changing conversation, written only in the margins of beloved classic books, begins between Erin and her Mystery Man. Following each other through the pages of their favorite novels as the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up, falling into a friendship…and maybe something more. 

But Erin and her pen pal have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. Faced with painful reminders of the past—and the one person she swore never to forgive—Erin finds herself at a crossroads. One that could change her life forever.

A book-lovers dream! References to the following classics can be found in The Book Swap.   

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
• GREAT EXPECTATIONS
• WUTHERING HEIGHTS
• MANSFIELD PARK
• THE GREAT GATSBY
• MIDDLEMARCH
• BELOVED
• ON THE ROAD
• THE BELL JAR

Review

Erin finally decided to quit her job. She knows she needs to do something new, she just has no idea what. When she accidentally donates her heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without to a local little community library, she’s devastated. She checks this little library daily. It is soon returned back to this little library and it is full of new comments. This opens up secret conversations with a mystery man!

Erin is a bit of a hot mess. She is still grief stricken and she has some issues she just can’t shake. Then there is James. He is struggling through life as well. His mother is bipolar and he blames himself for it. But, both of these characters struggle to come into their own. And they do it separately for the most part, or rather, they have no idea they have helped each other through their margin notes.

Parts of this book are brilliant! I loved the book references and the way they wrote notes to each other is adorable. This is very unique and creative. Then there are parts that are just a tad slow, the beginning especially.

This story is more than just a love story. It encompasses grief, heartbreak, bullying and family issues. So, it will definitely give you lots of emotions!

Need a wonderful romance with tons of book references…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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