Tag: historical fiction

Book Review: Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1) by Chloe Gong

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Magical Realism + Historical Fiction Romance
Length: 528 pages
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: McElderry Books
Release Date: September 27th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.

To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.

NEW OBESSION.

I loved this book so much y’all!!!!!! It was one of my biggest releases for the year and it did not disappoint in the slightest.

All of the characters were amazing. The main leads Rosalind and Orion had me hooked on them because MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE. I loved the build they have and the way they are slowly moving from unsuspecting partners to a close bond. They, along with the other relationships that are starting (not saying because spoilers) are fantastic. I am here for it all.

The plot is captivating and I never wanted to stop listening to the audiobook. There was great pacing and the flow of writing is stellar. I was definitely shouting at my steering wheel listening to some of these scenes. Shocked doesn’t even begin to cover it. I loved all of the twists and betrayals. Never quite knowing who’s side someone is on. It reads like an incredible spy thriller and I cannot wait for more.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fiction + Magical Realism
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, blood depiction, medical experimentation mentioned, murder, physical violence, weapons violence

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ARC Book Review: A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction + Romance
Length: 328 pages
Author: A.L. Sowards
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Release Date: March 14th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sometimes the road to freedom is a six-thousand-mile-long railroad track. Sometimes the road to love is even longer.

The Former Russian Empire, 1918

Czech soldier Filip Sedlák never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So at the first opportunity, he defected to the Russians. Now he and others like him have formed the Czechoslovak Legion. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia.

With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya’s life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her lands are confiscated, and her aristocratic world is gone forever. But Nadia is determined to elude the Bolshevik agent who destroyed her family and find a way to survive in this changed world.

When Nadia takes refuge with the Czechoslovak Legion, the last thing she expects is an ally. But when Filip proposes a sham marriage to ensure her safe passage across Siberia, she takes it. Neither Filip nor Nadia expect real love, not when the legion has to take over the longest railroad in the world—and then hold it against Bolshevik counterattacks, partisan sabotage, Allied intrigue, and a set of brutal Siberian winters. At risk is the future of Czechoslovakia, the fate of Russia—and their hearts.

Thank you to Covenant Communications and author for an ARC.

WONDERFUL READ.

This is my first A.L. Sowards book and it will officially not be my last. I was captivated from the start and continually kept wanting to read this to know what happens next. I’m picky when I pick up historical fiction because I prefer reading about less common areas and this has it. 1918 in former Russia? No I have not read any books like this and I loved learning more about this time through the book and the author’s note afterwards (and as a history nerd googling things too).

I loved Nadia’s strength. She could have easily lied down and be done with all that life was handing her, but through her faith (their is a light faith vein throughout) and the kindness of just enough people Nadia kept taking the next step forward. I also adored Filip. He had that passion and deep love for what his country and watching out for those around him. I thought their relationship was sweet (and HELLO marriage of convenience!!). The way multiple things were handled between them gave my heart all the flutters and hope.

This book surprised me by having more than two POVs and I LOVED the addition of the others! With the seeing other snippets of the people around Nadia and Filip, I quickly fell in love with the side characters too. Why I wouldn’t call every ending a happy one, it all did feel beautifully hopeful and true to the unfortunate nature of war.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fiction + Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: closed door between married couples
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions/theme of war, war injuries, gun violence, disease, miscarriage, kidnapping, off-page sexual assault/rape, executions

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2023

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I’ve been focusing hard this year to try to pick books (and accepts ARCs) I legitimately think I will enjoy. Out of 80+ books, I’ve only had TWO two stars. And that to me is really impressive. I’ve also been doing a lot of rereading and I’m here for that era too.

FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

  • First to Fall
  • A Game of Hearts
  • Final Offer
  • Into the Churn
  • All Rhodes Lead Here
  • A Waltz with Traitors
  • Edenbrooke
  • Wing and a Miss
  • Exes and O’s
  • The Bluff
  • The Work of Art
  • A Dawn of Onyx
  • Sensibly Wed
  • Running Barefoot
  • Royal Gone Rogue

LEAST FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

  • Falling Hard for the Royal Guard
  • First to Fall (Lost Story Bookshop #2) by Jenny B. Jones
  • [Reread/ALC] Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker
  • Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher
  • The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
  • [ARC] Into the Churn by Hayley Reese Chow
  • Well of Eida (The Fallen Kingdoms #1) by KB Benson
  • [Reread] All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
  • The Curse of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #1) by Nicole Platania
  • Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time #6) by Robert Jordan
  • My Phony Valentine (Holidays With Hart #1) by Courtney Walsh
  • The Shattered City (The Last Magician #4) by Lisa Maxwell
  • [ARC] A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards
  • [Reread] Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
  • Wing and a Miss (Deadlights Cove #3) by B. Perkins and Aimee Vance
  • Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim
  • [Novella] Mysteries of Thorn Manor (Sorcery of Thorns #1.5) by Margaret Rogerson
  • [Reread] Exes and O’s (The Influencer #2) by Amy Lea
  • [Gifted] Lovely Dark and Deep (Fallow Creek #1) by Claudia Cain
  • [Reread/ALC] The Bluff (Graham Brothers #2) by Emma St. Clair
  • These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ARC] Happy Place by Emily Henry
  • Spare by Prince Harry
  • [Gifted] Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
  • [ARC] Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson
  • [Novella] Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan
  • Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr #1) by Helen Scheuerer
  • The Work of Art (Somerset Stories #1) by Mimi Matthews
  • A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones #1) by Kate Golden
  • In Spotlight and Shadow (Doors to the Past #11) by Rachel Scott McDaniel
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (The Unselected Journals #1) by Beth Brower
  • Sensibly Wed (Bradwell Brothers #1) by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC] Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander
  • Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon
  • Beauty and the Blade by S.C. Grayson
  • Mr. Gardiner and the Governess (Clairvoir Castle Romances #1) by Sally Britton
  • [ARC] The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes
  • Stardust in Their Veins (Castles in Their Bones #2) by Laura Sebastian
  • [ARC] Royal Gone Rogue (Sweet Royal RomComs #2) by Emma St. Clair
  • Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare
  • A Tournament of Crowns (A Trial of Sorcerers #3) by Elise Kova

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Book Review: The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction
Length: 435 pages
Author: Kate Quinn
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: March 29th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son–but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper–a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC–until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.

WHOA.

Uh, why have I been apparently sleeping on Kate Quinn books?
WHY????????

This was incredible (also, audio is 1,000x the way to go here). I am hit/miss with historical fictions, I usually find the most enjoyment [reading wise] when they’re on a more unique focus and I found that here. A female Russian sniper with 300+ confirmed kills? TELL ME MORE.

What an stunning story. I was captivated from the get-go. It draws you in and every angle of this plot keeps things moving, keeps you guessing, keeps you wondering how in the world it’s going to end. I know some fictional liberties were taken, but they fit perfectly in with this novel. I love that Mila broke down barriers, and was stronger than I can ever imagine being. Her love for her son, and her country was palpable.

Many times my heart felt pulled right out of my chest. The middle of this book HURTS. The intricacies and pits of war are laid out in full view. I loved the complex nature of this dealings and seeing some of the war side in the United States with the Roosevelt’s. Even more so that the focus was on Eleanor and what part she played in Mila’s life (and vice versa). How a bonded female friendship was born from across two different nations.

This book was just something else. This experience was wholly encompassing and never let up. I LOVED it and will now be adding some Quinn backlist to my TBR.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: teenage pregnancy and marriage, war themes, gun violence, colonialism, antisemitism, racism, sexism, slut-shaming, attempted murder

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