Review: Romanov, by Nadine Brandes

Romanov, by Nadine Brandes

HarperCollins - Available May 7, 2019
Fantasy/Historical
Print

335 Pages
Thank you to HarperCollins for providing a review copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. 

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

A magical history tour!

Where to start...I guess the best place to start, as with all things, is at the beginning.  

The cover is absolutely gorgeous! I love it!

Next we can look at the first line of the story itself.

Wow! A powerful first line to grab you right away.  the story easily keeps you interested from there.


BACKGROUND:
Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the story of the Romanov's - the Russian royal family - their exile and ultimately their execution in 1918 during the Bolshevik revolution. 

For many years it was thought that Anastasia and possibly her younger brother Alexi may have survived the massacre of the royal family.  The mystery surrounding Anastasia, and the multitude of theories about what may have happened that fateful night, and the possibility that she might have survived, tickled the consciousness of people everywhere for almost one hundred years, until the last remaining bodies of the royal family were found and confirmed in 2007. 

This book takes a magical route to follow the story of the last days of the Romanov family while in exile, with the focus being on the enigmatic Anastasia. The story is fortified by having a firm base that historically accurate, but make no mistake, Brandes has expertly woven magical realism with the known facts, sprinkled in just the right amount of artistic license, and created a stunning and engaging Fantasy story.

In this book, Anastasia wishes to be a spell master. She is able to perform some very basic spells, and had wished to learn more, but the Bolsheviks outlawed the use of spells and systematically hunted down and killed known spell masters. When the family is separated during their move to Siberia, it falls on Anastasia to smuggle the spell that may offer them protection with her.  Hiding the spell becomes increasingly difficult, and the only person who may be able to help, is a handsome, young Bolshevik soldier.

Honestly, if this is how history had been taught in school, I might have done better at it! I was captivated by this story (I am one of those people who wondered what had really happened to Anastasia). I would encourage readers to take the time to read the author's notes at the end where she discloses what is fact and what is fiction in her story.

A magical and engaging alternate history to delight both history buffs and fans of Fantasy.

Happy Reading,
Christine

Review: I KNOW YOU KNOW, by Gilly MacMillan

I KNOW YOU KNOW, by Gilly MacMillan

HarperCollins - Available September 4, 2018 (Canada)

This digital advance reading copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

This book easily captured my attention within the very first pages and held it right to the end.

In 1996, eleven year old Cody swift was all but inseparable from his best friends Charlie and Scott. One day, Cody is kept inside as punishment, and his two friends are murdered - their badly beaten bodies left behind a dog track in Bristol. The police investigation produces a suspect, who is ultimately convicted and sentenced, but despite this, there were still unanswered questions surrounding the case.

Twenty years later the remains of another body are found at the same sight. Detective John Fletcher, who investigated the original case,  must now  determine if the two cases are linked, and the future of his career may hang in the balance. 

Meanwhile, young Cody has grown up and is now a filmmaker. Plagued by the circumstances surrounding the murders of his friends, he decides to return to Bristol and investigate the questions left unanswered during the police investigation. He documents his interviews and findings through a series of podcasts entitled "It's Time to Tell" which quickly gains attention and a following. It soon becomes clear that there may be people who don't want the remaining questions answered.

Initially,  I did have a little trouble when the timeline flip-flopped, but quickly adjusted to the style/format and all was well after that. 

With multiple twists and turns, certainly an enjoyable read.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: CROSS HER HEART, by Sarah Pinborough

CROSS HER HEART, by Sarah Pinborough

HarperCollins

Available September 4, 2018

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada and Edelweiss+ for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 

A compelling thriller, easier to pick up than to put down.

Lisa is a single mom with a dark past. She keeps her secrets and lives a low profile lifestyle. Lately she has dared to consider the possibility of love and romance with her charming client.

But little things from the past have been creeping into her life and shaking her to the core. When her daughter saves a young boy from drowning and becomes a hero, the resulting media attention sets their world spinning in in a deadly spiral. The only way to save them both, is to face her deadly broken promise from the past.

I really enjoyed the characters. They were believable and as such, their interactions were believable. All of them seemed to have secrets. Lisa, trying to make her way through life, not making waves, keeping her dark secrets, fiercely protective of her daughter. Ava, the angst filled teenage daughter, who, like all teens, has her own secrets. Marilyn, Lisa's best friend, who is quietly dealing with her own problems, thinking that silence is strength, but learning that sometimes we all need help.

With a September date for Canadian release, I can see this book with readers curling up with their favorite hot beverages as we head into the cooler days of autumn. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

WE ARE WHERE THE NIGHTMARES GO AND OTHER STORIES - by C. Robert Cargill

WE ARE WHERE THE NIGHTMARES GO AND OTHER STORIES - by C. Robert Cargill"

HarperCollins - available June 12, 2018
Advance Reading e-Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A collection of dark fantasy and horror short stories - all of them likely to send a shiver down your spine!

I do so like Cargill's writing.  This book starts with a little girl crawling through a door under her bed (what could go wrong?) and ending up in a park of sorts, searching for her way back home. It ends with my favorite part of this book - a novella entitled THE SOUL THIEF'S SON, which is a return to the world of two of Cargill's novels DREAMS AND SHADOWS, and QUEEN OF THE DARK THINGS and the character Colby Stevens. If you like urban fantasy and have not read those two novels, I would highly suggest that you do. (You can read my review of the second novel as an Audio book here:  QUEEN OF THE DARK THINGS AUDIO BOOK REVIEW. If you have not read those books, not to worry, you will certainly still be able to enjoy this novella as a stand alone.

The other stories in this collection are deliciously dark and include tales of prehistoric horror, a building on top of a crack in the world that tries to contain the damned, a paranormal subway encounter, and more. 

Every bit as entertaining as it is dark!

Happy Reading, 
Christine

Review: The Perfect Mother - by Aimee Molloy

The Perfect Mother, by Aimee Molloy

HarperCollins - May 2018

This Advance Reading Copy provided by HarperCollins First Look in exchange for an honest review.


My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"A Tale of Mayhem and Modern Motherhood".  A stunning story that will keep you up late turning pages, and hugging your children a little tighter.

The May mothers are a group of new mother's who meet twice a week to offer each other companionship and support as they navigate the early days of new motherhood.  Under a tree, eating mini-muffins, they share birth stories and offer each other advice and support.  

One day the unthinkable happens. One one of the babies goes missing.  As they all wonder what happened to that baby, one thing is certain to all of them - they did not know each other as well as they had thought. 

I think any mother could easily relate to the characters that Molloy created in this book.  They were each in their own way, perfectly imperfect. Each of them struggled with the very real stresses that come with being a new mother. It can be a little overwhelming at first and the author captured that perfectly.  It was very easy to become emotionally invested in this book.

The story was filled with twists and turns and false leads, as well as the raw emotion that accompanies motherhood in the early days, which made "The Perfect Mother" gripping and powerful book.

This book is expected to be one of the hottest reads of the summer for 2018 for good reason.  The movie rights for this book have been secured by TriStar.

Happy Reading,
Christine

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