Tag: historical-fiction

Book Review:  The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis

Image belongs to Penguin Group Dutton.

Title:  The Stolen Queen  
Author:  Fiona Davis        
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery        
Rating:  4 out of 5

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

This was a fascinating read! I loved both timelines. The 1930s storyline was so interesting to me, showing the history of the field of archaeology and what a struggle it was to be a woman in the field. The 1970s storyline was also intriguing. Still a struggle to be a woman in the field of archeology, but also showing the behind-the-scenes details of the Met. Charlotte was a great character, and I loved seeing her story come full circle.

Fiona Davis is a best-selling author. The Stolen Queen is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:   The Stone Witch of Florence, by Anna Rasche

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:  The Stone Witch of Florence  
Author:   Anna Rasche       
Genre:  Fantasy, historical fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5

Ancient sorcery. Magic gemstones. Only one woman can save a city in ruins…

1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return. Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again. But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…

This was a tiny bit slow at first, but it grew on me quickly. Pretty depressing setting, unfortunately—I mean everyone is dying horrifically of the plague—but it’s well-done. Ginevra is an interesting character, if a bit naïve, but I enjoyed reading both of her timelines and seeing what made her the way she was. A solid historical fiction read.

Anna Rasche lives in Brooklyn. The Stone Witch of Florence is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Fabled Earth, by Kimberly Brock

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Fabled Earth
Author:  Kimberly Brock  
Genre: historical fiction   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

1932. Cumberland Island off the coast of Southern Georgia is a strange place to encounter the opulence of the Gilded Age, but the last vestiges of the famed philanthropic Carnegie family still take up brief seasonal residence in their grand mansions there. This year’s party at Plum Orchard is a lively young men from some of America’s finest families come to experience the area’s hunting beside a local guide; a beautiful debutante expecting to be engaged by the week’s end, and a promising female artist who believes she has meaningful ties to her wealthy hosts. But when temptations arise and passions flare, an evening of revelry and storytelling goes horribly awry. Lives are both lost and ruined.

1959. Reclusive painter Cleo Woodbine has lived alone for decades on Kingdom Come, a tiny strip of land once occupied by the servants for the great houses on nearby Cumberland. When she is visited by the man who saved her life nearly thirty years earlier, a tempest is unleashed as the stories of the past gather and begin to regain their strength. Frances Flood is a folklorist come to Cumberland Island seeking the source of a legend – and also information about her mother, who was among the guests at a long-ago hunting party. Audrey Howell, briefly a newlywed and now newly widowed, is running a local inn. When she develops an eerie double exposure photograph, some believe she’s raised a ghost–someone who hasn’t been seen since that fateful night in 1932.

As a once-in-a-century storm threatens the natural landscape and shifting tides reveal what Cumberland Island has hidden all along, two timelines and the perspectives of three women intersect to illuminate the life-changing power of finding truth in a folktale.

I enjoyed both timelines of this novel a lot! The setting was such a large part of the story, from Kingdom Come itself, to the small town on the island, and Plum Orchard—all are vivid and memorable. I love how myth and fable are twisted into the story, adding depth and flavor, and all the characters are believable and poignant Such a good read!

Kimberly Brock is a bestselling author. The Fabled Earth is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harper Muse in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, by Julia Kelly

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Betrayal at Blackthorn Park  
Author: Julia Kelly  
Genre:  Historical fiction, mystery
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war.

I’ve enjoyed all of Julia Kelly’s books that I’ve read so far, but this series is a perfect binge-read. I enjoy watching Evelyn and seeing how her mind works as she’s making connections and putting things together. It’s kind of like watching someone work a Rubik’s cube. The way she and David play off each other makes them a great pair, and I was invested in their case from the beginning.

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author who lives in London. Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)