Review: The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

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SYNOPSIS:

London, 1765

Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before.

Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…

250 Years Later…

When a gown she stole from a historic home as a child is mysteriously returned to Fenella Brightwell, it begins to possess her in exactly the same way that it did as a girl. Soon the fragile new life Fen has created for herself away from her abusive ex-husband is threatened at its foundations by the gown’s power over her until she can't tell what is real and what is imaginary.

As Fen uncovers more about the gown and Isabella’s story, she begins to see the parallels with her own life. When each piece of history is revealed, the gown—and its past—seems to possess her more and more, culminating in a dramatic revelation set to destroy her sanity.

Review

From what I see, this is the third book in the Timeslip series by Nicola Cornick. I haven’t read anything before by her so this was an interesting introduction to her work. The story told by dual time periods, the past and the present, feature an intricate plot that wove a tale that featured historical elements, suspense, supernatural elements and those qualities pulled from the seven deadly sins that make this books interesting.

The book was told from three different perspectives: Isabella (Lady Gerard), her maid Constance and Fenella (present). These three woman had such strong personalities which gave a really interesting point of view to the book. I definitely had a love/hate relationship with the characters. More so due to their actions especially Lord Gerard. He was not a good person. The ladies had their moments where they rubbed me the wrong way but as the plot unfolded had their redemption.

Overall, the plot was really interesting. I really enjoyed how the past was blended into the present but there were moments that I felt a disconnect. Maybe that is because with so much emphasis on the dress, there were moments that I wish could’ve been explored more and then moments like what happened like when we stumbled on the woman in the lake (we read what happened but to see it unfold would’ve been a page turner) and the revelations in Fen’s life with the fire (that was definitely a plot twist but I don’t know) I was like those back stories would’ve been more interesting. Other than that, the overall plot I found really interesting and will definitely check out the other books in the series.

Review: Dark History of Hollywood by Keiron Connolly

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There have always been whispers and rumors about how dark Hollywood truly is. The majority of Hollywood secret stay secrets. This was especially true in the early decades of Hollywood. Gossip magazines were not as popular and Hollywood executives were control of everyone and everything.

Dark History of Hollywood: A century of greed, corruption and scandal behind the movies provides an in-depth look at Hollywood. It’s eye opening; it’s gruesome and sometimes heartbreaking. This book was extremely intriguing and it was hard to put the book down. I would recommend this to anyone who has interesting in learning about the Hollywood. Especially, anyone who looks at it with a pair of rose colored glasses because Hollywood is not pretty. It may look pretty, but it definitely is not.  

The Dark History of Hollywood tells 100 years’ worth of dark secrets about Hollywood. Some are well known secrets and some are not well-known. However, regardless, the author provides enough information to provide a detail account of the situation. The book was well organized and seamlessly moves from decade to decade revealing the dark history for Hollywood.

I think the most difficult and shocking secret that I uncovered was about Judy Garland. Her life was anything but perfect and she struggled with addictions and several other issues. And the majority of her issues arose when she was younger and were only heightened by Hollywood executives.

Final Analysis

Dark History of Hollywood provides an in-depth look at Hollywood and all of the deep dark secrets.

Review: American Duchess by Karen Harper

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Synopsis

Before there was Meghan Markle, there was Consuelo Vanderbilt, the original American Duchess. Perfect for readers of Jennifer Robson and lovers of Downton Abbey.

Karen Harper tells the tale of Consuelo Vanderbilt, her “The Wedding of the Century” to the Duke of Marlborough, and her quest to find meaning behind “the glitter and the gold.”

On a cold November day in 1895, a carriage approaches St Thomas Episcopal Church on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Massive crowds surge forward, awaiting their glimpse of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Just 18, the beautiful bride has not only arrived late, but in tears, yet her marriage to the aloof Duke of Marlborough proceeds. Bullied into the wedding by her indomitable mother, Alva, Consuelo loves another. But a deal was made, trading some of the vast Vanderbilt wealth for a title and prestige, and Consuelo, bred to obey, realizes she must make the best of things.

At Blenheim Palace, Consuelo is confronted with an overwhelming list of duties, including producing an “heir and a spare,” but her relationship with the duke quickly disintegrates. Consuelo finds an inner strength, charming everyone from debutantes to diplomats including Winston Churchill, as she fights for women’s suffrage. And when she takes a scandalous leap, can she hope to attain love at last…?

From the dawning of the opulent Gilded Age, to the battles of the Second World War, American Duchess is a riveting tale of one woman’s quest to attain independence—at any price.

Review

I’ve always been fascinated with this period of history, especially learning more about the Vanderbilts. Inspired by Consuelo Vanderbilt, American Duchess had all the elements to sweep me away. I loved the book broken down into parts based on the periods of time in her life. I felt like it guided the book to get to know her better.

I felt the overall story was beautifully written and kept me interested in wanting to know more. Following her journey through her perspective and see her evolve as a person through her life given her circumstances, really piqued my curiosity to learn more about her outside the book. Something that I really loved was the role of the women in this book. It was really interesting seeing the influence of women, especially who had titles and weight behind their names given their place in society.

Despite this being historical fiction and we are getting Consuelo through the eyes of the author, you can really see the love for her and appreciate the thought behind her and the other characters throughout their portrayals in the book. I found several moments interesting of how people can be unlikable until they have a humbling moment in their life that changes them for the good. I found that relevant to my love hate relationship with her mother and her first husband. Some of my favorite moments include with her father, children and her second chance at love with her second husband.

Overall, this was a really good read. This was my first by Karen and I hope to get a chance to read her other books. If you love historical fiction, especially interest of the Vanderbilts, grab a copy and check it out for yourself.

Review: The Sisters Hemingway by Annie England Noblin

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The Sisters Hemingway centers on three sisters- Hadley, Pfeiffer, and Martha Hemingway. Three sisters who are, unfortunately, too familiar with grief and tragedy. In their youth, they had lost their parents and younger sister. As they grew, they each left behind their small town. Hadley went to New York and ended up marrying a senator. Pfeiffer landed a job at a publishing company in New York. And Martha chased her dreams in Nashville. They don’t return home until another tragedy emerges.

I enjoyed The Sisters Hemingway. In essence, this book is about coming home and family. Those two themes were heavily emphasized within the book and I think the author did it beautifully. It was heartwarming and compelling.

The Sisters Hemingway also features an intriguing mystery. Sometimes it is hard to keep a mystery engaging and exciting, but this book does not have this problem. Everything about this book is a page turner, it was hard to put it down.

Characters

Although I find myself having a particular liking towards Pfeiffer, all of the sisters well-developed, interesting, and likable characters.

Each sister appeared to have been leaving them dream, but that was far from the truth. Hadley’s marriage was suffering, Pfeiffer had lost her job, and Martha was struggling creatively and just left rehab. They were almost lost. And it was interesting to see them return to their roots and find themselves again. And in addition, learn to be sisters again. Because they distant and guarded at first.

Final Analysis

The Sisters Hemingway is a beautifully written book about coming home and coming together.

*ARC was provided by TLC Book Tours for an honest review*


Review: Low Country Hero by Lee Tobin McClain

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Synopsis:

Welcome to Safe Haven, where love—and a second chance—is just around the corner…

Sunny, carefree days splashing in the ocean—it’s the life Anna George has always wanted for her five-year-old twins. And now that they’ve made it to Safe Haven, South Carolina, she won’t let anyone stand in her way. Not the abusive ex she’s just escaped and not the rugged contractor who caught her setting up house in the shuttered beachfront cabins he’s refurbishing. When he offers Anna and her daughters a place to stay in exchange for her help with renovations, she’s tempted. His gentle way with her girls makes her want to trust him, but she’s been wrong before…

A family is the last thing contractor and former military man Sean O’Dwyer wants right now. But when he discovers Anna and her girls, he recognizes kindred spirits. They’re survivors who’ve seen the worst of people, just like he has, and he’ll do anything he can to help them. As he and Anna spend their days bringing the cottages back to life and their nights sharing kisses in the warm bayou breezes, Sean must choose between the life he always wanted and the family he can’t live without.

Review

Honestly, I’m torn on my thoughts for this book. Low Country Hero is the first book in Lee Tobin McClain’s Safe Haven series. I’m always up for a new second chances novel.

Right out the gate, the book had me hooked at the Prologue. It really intrigued me and I wanted to know what happened to this woman and her children. Here comes my conflicted thoughts. I’m not sure if this was to set up the foundation of the series for their story to unravel over time. If that is why, than I’ll accept it but I did feel cheated because it sort of was a let down because I really wanted to know. Even though we get little bits of information there were moments of the book that it could’ve been explored and revealed but it didn’t. So, I guess I’ll just have to stick around and see how it all plays out. By the way, this was my only issue, everything else was good.

The book touched upon domestic violence bringing different perspectives in the storylines. Safe Haven, such the fitting name for a town that took care of each other. I loved the role Yasmin and Ma Dixie had in the book. They gave a safe haven to the women and children who needed support in their lives. It would be nice to see in the other books more about them and their lives.

It was refreshing reading about Anna’s journey. Seeing a character such as her is inspiring for women who didn’t have the courage to leave their situation. She risked everything to leave her abusive husband . Trying to stay strong for girls and rebuild their life was a wonderful thing. Also seeing the evolution of her children puts things in perspective.

Seeing the effects of abuse from the perspective of the children as adults. Sean, who befriended Anna, he and his brothers Liam and Cash with the guidance of Ma Dixie and Safe Haven grew up to make good lives for themselves in spite of the psychological abuses as children. It was interesting seeing their perspective and how it affected their lives and relationships. The was more evident in the relationship with Anna and Sean. It was thought provoking seeing two abused people struggle and break through the boundaries to moved from their abused pasts to where they are now.

Overall, the book had a really nice story mixed with some important themes that blended well into it. There is many perspectives with a great takeaway. The other characters in the book brought some warmth and charm. I’m looking forward to seeing how the other characters are explored in the upcoming books, especially getting my questions answered. This looks like it’s going to be a nice series. I’d recommend checking it out.

Spotlight: The Risk (Briar U Book 2) by Elle Kennedy

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Compared to the first book in the Briar U series, I think this one may be my favorite. I will attempt that is was hard to read at times. It tended to be a little too slow and dragged on. But all and all it was an enjoyable book  with a good romance. 

The Risk is about Brenna and Jake. Brenna's dad is the hockey coach at Briar and has a long standing rivalry with Harvard- the team that Jake plays for it. The Risk is full of fake dating, banter, & hockey. 

Like mentioned, earlier I enjoyed the book. There were funny moments and it did attempt to throw in some realistic, grounded moments. However, it is worth mentioning that it sometimes felt too much. Those moments were introduced and then quickly wrapped up without fully exploring them. For example, Brenna & her cousin. They have this big moment and then her cousin isn't mentioned again until the book is almost finished. I had completely forgotten about her. 

I'm a sucker for the fake dating trope and the enemies to love trope. If completed well, it can really elevate a book for me. Jake & Brenna's relationship was nicely done and I enjoyed it. I want more of them.

Final Analysis 

The Risk isn't perfect but it is enjoyable. This is particularly due to the outstanding romance.