Surrender by Amanda Quick

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The Rake Appreciation Society book for September was Surrender by Amanda Quick. This is one of her older standalones and is one of the one's that are popular for Stepback Saturday! I used Surrender to cover the prompts Green on the Cover for Fall in Love and Blue (character that deals with a physical issue) for Color Me Romantic. I also used this to cover the Bang in the Night prompt Published in October and chose the song In the Blue of the Evening off of Frank Sinatra's Reprise Rarities Volume 1.

Victoria is firmly on the shelf. As a lady with a hefty dowry, she has avoided matrimony since a lot of the gentlemen that have been pursuing her have been fortune hunters. When she meets Lucas, the Earl of Stonevale, she can't seem to escape his company. As he finagles more and more chances to be around Victoria, they make a deal. Lucas helps Victoria with the various moonlight escapades she's been wanting to do, and in turn he's going to take the time to charm and seduce her into becoming his wife. When they get caught in a compromising position and forced to wed she finally learns the truth, he is destitute and needs the money. As she travels to his country estate to help get things in order, they struggle to find their footing in their new relationship and with everything out in the open.

Now, I feel like I've said this a lot, but going into a Amanda Quick classic historical, you have to almost expect for things to get a little bit bonkers. I think you just can't go into her books looking to take it super seriously. Not that you can't critique it, but I feel like I get the most enjoyment when I can just go with flow and see what story she's trying to tell. But more specifically to this book, I absolutely adored Lucas. He's probably my favorite of Amanda Quick's heroes so far. I just loved how even though he was going into their situation hoping to seduce her into becoming his wife, he went about it in a way to try to get her to fall in love with him. While I can see others maybe finding this a little bit off, it just really worked for me. Plus Lucas was falling just as much (if not quicker) than Victoria was.

This really only got 4-stars because I really struggled with Victoria at times. She would make some hypocritical decisions that bothered me and then there was her anger that she nurtured throughout the second half of the book. It just bothered me that she would acknowledge society's expectations but then at times act naive or surprised when certain actions were being taken to reign her in or keep her from getting ruined. Honestly though, I could've gotten over that if the second half she really kind of grew up, but I really wanted to throat punch her. Understandably she is angry with Lucas and that he was hiding the true financial status of him and his estate. Where I kind of gave up trying to like her is when she first arrives to the village. She is having a conversation with herself acknowledging that the money he was hoping to receive from her dowry wasn't just to buy fripperies, but actually needed to keep himself and the people that rely on him and his estate living. She recognizes that there needs to be improvements made to get the livestock and agriculture back up to par. She active tries to spend as much as she can in the village to help the local economy. Even though she is realizing that the money he gains from marrying her isn't coming from a greedy place, but one of survival, she actively chooses to deny the reason behind his actions (and the importance of them) and unnecessarily hold on to her anger. She literally tells herself that she doesn't care and she is going to stay angry. It just felt so immature, but the fact that she has this realization when she first arrives on her own but then actively ignores and pretends she didn't drove me absolutely bonkers.

Even though I struggled with Victoria's character, especially during the second half of the book, Lucas really saved it for me and I really enjoyed most of my time reading this book. It's definitely near to the top of my list of favorites of her books so far. I definitely want to continue reading these gorgeous standalones and hope to one day get the full collection with stepbacks! If you haven't participated in Rake Appreciation Society before, it's hosted by Crystal and Jenn on youtube. If you want to check out the live show for Surrender, it was another great meeting. I always have such a fun time discussion historical romance with the other participants!

Have you read Surrender?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Surrender, Amanda Quick, 4-stars, 0 days, Audiobook, 362 pages, published in 1990, traditionally published

The Pirate Lord By Sabrina Jeffries

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The August theme for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive Patreon review was pirate historical romance. The Pirate Lord, the first book in Sabrina Jeffries Lord Trilogy, was the winner of the poll. I was able to use this to cover the prompt favorite trope or subgenre for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Sara, the step-sister to an earl, has decided to join a ship headed to Australia. There is a lot of women that were prosecuted for various crimes that are being sent there for their sentence. Sara, as a representative for her charity group, is hoping to do an expose on the conditions that the women face not only on the trip there, but once they arrive. While traveling, they come across Captain Gideon and his rag tag pirate crew. They are planning on setting up a home base and one of the only things missing is women. They decide to take the women to make them their wives. Sara barters with Gideon to allow the women to be properly courted. As Gideon's men work to woo a wife, Gideon woos Sarah. When Sara's relation to the aristocracy is exposed, Gideon is forced to put aside his hate for the upper-class if he wants to keep the relationship.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. For being published in the late 1990s, it was excellent. I also loved the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers vibes. It was really fun to watch not only Gideon and Sara fall in love, but the crew members and women as well. I feel like with so many secondary romances, each reader can have one that is their personal ship (yes I made the pun). It was just so much fun. I really loved how Sara really pushed for the women to have more choice in the situation and how her and Gideon would "barter" between them.

The biggest detractions for me were two big things. I was a little put out and annoyed with the "other woman" situation. I get that the other woman was trying to get the best situation and partner with the captain, but I felt that all three of them could've been more open and cognizant of the situation. The other minor thing that bothered me was Gideon's backstory it handled his hate for the aristocracy. I just wanted more from it overall since it felt kind of addressed at the last minute and not fully fleshed out.

I'm excited to have finally read a Sabrina Jeffries novel and it won't be my last. I am intrigued enough to finish the trilogy, but I've been really wanting to read her Hellions of Halstead Hall series as well. I'm not sure which one I'll pick up first though since I have a habit of not finishing series. We'll see what happens, but either way I can't wait to read more of Sabrina's work!

Have you read The Pirate Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Pirate Lord, Sabrina Jeffries, 4-stars, 2 days, eBook, 384 pages, published in 1998, traditionally published

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

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The August 2022 book chosen for Rake Appreciation Society was Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan. This is not only her debut book, but the first in her Carhart series. Rake Appreciation is hosted by Crystal and Jenn and this month the live show was on the 17th! I was able to use this to cover the prompt new to you series for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Jenny has been working as Madame Esmerelda, a fortune teller. She is not a real fortune teller and is starting to feel trapped and lonely in her life. When one of her clients, and only friend, brings his cousin Gareth to an appointment, he's only their to scientifically prove that she's a fraud. Jenny, Ned and Gareth end up in a bet where Jenny foretells that Gareth will meet the woman to become his wife at an upcoming ball and if he follows the tasks she sets, can win her heart. Gareth doesn't trust Jenny at all, but in able to see through her disguise finds himself intrigued and attracted to her. His scientific mind wants to figure her out and solve this conundrum, but soon he doesn't think he'll ever be able to stop wanting to be with Jenny in all ways.

Okay, this book was a little bit of a struggle for me. I enjoy Courtney Milan's book and this was one was good as well. I think it was really well paced and I like that she pushes the steaminess pretty quickly. She writes smart and I really noticed it here, probably because this was her debut. Where I struggled is in two main things. First, I am not a fan of the class difference trope; doubly when it's the woman that's the lower class. I very rarely enjoy it and usually find myself not liking a lot of the elements that usually take place when it's the woman potentially becoming the mistress or being brought into society.

Honestly though, I just didn't feel connected to Jenny or Gareth. I found myself start to skim at about the 55% mark. It felt long, even though it's average sized (although I feel like longer than the typical Harlequin). I didn't really feel invested in their relationship and struggled finding something something that I could relate too. I think the character I cared about the most was Ned and Lady Kate. Ned is struggling with depression and it was hard to see him go through the ups and downs. So content warning for that as well as mentions of contemplating suicide. I do feel like Gareth has some sort of social disorder because it's really hard for him to make friends. He constantly finds himself coming across too stern or uncaring and it bothers him, but he's almost unable to stop himself. Maybe I'm reading too much into it though.

I'm happy to have finally read another Courtney Milan, but she's not a top author for me. I love supporting another Asian author, but I haven't gotten that 5-star, blow me away read yet. I will keep trying because overall I do enjoy her works. Hopefully I'll find the one that clicks for me. I'm going to continue to pick up her books for sure.

Have you read Proof by Seduction?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Proof by Seduction, Courtney Milan, 3-stars, 1 day, eBook, 352 pages, published in 2009, traditionally published

Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher

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With a little bit of free time left before needing to pick up one of my book club books for the month, I decided to continue reading to try to finish the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. I decided to pick up Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher to cover the prompt ghost. This also worked to cover the Summer of Swoon 2nd board prompt photo cover.

Belinda, Billie has ended up inheriting Radborne Manor in Cornwall. With nowhere else to go, she travels from Nantucket to claim her new home. When she arrives, she finds the manor is haunted by the previous Earl, Lord Maximillian. As she works with Max to figure out why his spirit is unable to rest and move him on, she gets dragged into a plot more dangerous than expected. While investigating in the town and around the manor, Billie meets the new local Vicar John. The more time she spends with John, the more she realizes he would make a good husband and can see a life with him. It's not as simple with Max the ghost stoking the passions within Billie the more time they spend together.

This was such a fun read. First off, I do know that this book isn't perfect, things are pretty predictable and the tension is a little off when coming to the big mystery, but I just had to give this 5-stars. I had such a good time reading Whispers on the Wind and was super excited to read one of Donna's early standalones. I also need to put out there that this is a great book when it comes to early historical romances (this was published in 1997). Yes there is a lot of silliness going on, but I didn't take it too seriously and really loved how everything developed.

Now, this is a little spoilery, but since it happens pretty early on, I do want to touch base on a couple things regarding the ghost situation. The blurb on the back definitely leads this towards a love triangle, and Billie also at times does feel like she's torn between the two men. She immediately questions if he's really a ghost and I love how she played along with Max's scheme. She was very much: if he's a ghost, great we'll help him move on; if he's not, I'll help him accomplish whatever it is that he's trying to do. I loved how she just really wanted to help him. I also loved how she integrated herself in the town. While she did try to adapt a little bit to the English customs, there were times where she didn't care and she was going to continue acting the American way because it made sense. Honestly, my biggest gripe was how many head injuries that poor girl went through. There was mention that one of them left her in bed for a couple weeks, but that poor girl probably will end up with CTE or something. 

I had a lot of fun reading this (I know I keep saying it). This had the same easy readability of Donna's other books, but it definitely had a different feel. Maybe it's because it was earlier published, maybe it's because it's not set in the Scottish Highlands. Whatever it is, I can't urge you more to try this book if you've enjoyed her other books. I'm also happy I was able to find this in paperback a little white ago in good condition! My enjoyment of Donna Fletcher continues!

Have you read Whispers on the Wind?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Whispers on the Wind, Donna Fletcher, 5 stars, 1 day, Paperback, 360 pages, published in 1997, traditionally published

The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens

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The regular Rake Appreciation Society book for July is The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens. This is the first book in her Bastion Club series. If you haven't heard of RAS, it's hosted by Jenn and Crystal. I was able to use this to cover prompts for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for high tea and Summer of Swoon for no people on the cover on board 2.

Tristan, the Earl of Trentham, is at the new club him and other former military men are creating. He is overseeing the renovations at the residence and has found himself entranced by the lady next door. Leonara plans to run into the new owner after being harassed by a solicitor to buy her uncle's place, two failed break-ins and being personally attacked. She approaches Tristan not sure if he was the man behind the situation. Tristan is not, but being a former military spy, he steps in to take point on the investigation. As the newly minted Earl, he is also looking for a wife. In his mind he had pictured a stereotypical debutante, but as they spend more time together, he can't see anyone other than Leonara as his Countess.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this. I did switch to from the eBook to the audio about 40% in because I was running out of time to get it done before the live show. I think that was a good option in the end because I was able to speed it up a little bit and get through the slower parts. What brings this up from a 3-star to a 3.5 is the relationship between Tristan and Leonara. I know that there are downfalls with this book, but in my mind this is a romance and the main factors for my rating should be focused on the romance itself. I loved Tristan and how much he really pushed to be with Leonara. He fell first and really couldn't stay away from her as much as he tried. I did wish that Leonara didn't fight him as much as she did and I did get a little frustrated that she pushed him away for so long (after seducing him). That's why I'd give their relationship a 4-star. The tension was great between them and I 100% understand why people talk about the steamy scenes that Stephanie is able to craft.

With the small issues I had with their relationship and then the mystery not feeling worth the risk, I had to give this another ding rating wise. I wasn't able to figure out what the mystery was, but I feel like partly because it was so out there. Then we get an elder neighbor matron that ends up dying and after all this strife what the attacker was after was so, not really worth it. I don't know, it just didn't feel like the risk met the reward. If it was going to be that much I wish that the mystery was a little more pushed and really kept up the tension in that area.

I'm excited to finally pick up a Stephanie Lauren. She's been on my tbr for a while and I know that her Cynster series is highly popular (and has a lot of spin-offs). I definitely want to continue this and start her other series. She also has a lot of gorgeous stepbacks so I'd love to collect physical copies of her books as well. We'll see when I can get to them though.

Have you read The Lady Chosen?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Lady Chosen, Stephanie Laurens, 3.5 stars, 2 days, audiobook, 440 pages, published in 2003, traditionally published

Persuasion by Jane Austen

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For July, there's a bonus Rake Appreciation Society book! In celebration of the new movie, there is a bonus live show to discuss Persuasion by Jane Austen! A classic with many iterations, I read the Amazon Classic edition since it was free via Prime Reading (as a prime member) and also included free audio. I read this via audiobook off and on at work. I was able to use this for the Hockey Champions Readathon to cover the forward prompt for Gabriel Landeskog (character that's a leader). It also worked to cover the new to you author prompt for Summer of Swoon and Bath (England or tub) for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Eight years after falling in love and then separating, Anne and Captain Wentworth find each other spending time with the same families in Bath. As the continue bumping into each other throughout various social events, it becomes harder and harder to deny they still have feelings for each other. As Anne struggles with her family, she also finds herself more and more watching every little move Captain Wentworth makes to see if she can tell if he feels the same. When rumors run rampant that Anne is set to marry her cousin, Captain Wentworth shuts down. After overhearing her true feelings, he passes along the most loveliest of love letters.

This is my first Jane Austen and the first classic I've read since college. I did read this via audiobook and I do think that helped me get through some of the flowery language. I also wasn't expecting there to be as much humor in here. It's not a lot, but I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. With the overall angstiness of the eight years of pining it was unexpected. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of 2nd chance romances, but I think that Jane Austen did really well in really making you feel the pining and loss and hope of Anne. Now this is was technically written as a contemporary when Jane wrote this, but I will be marking it as historical as well as a classic. Now, looking at this strictly as a romance, I do wish that we got more time of them together. The letter that he writes though, there's not may other things I've read that are that swoony. Jane Austen was really setting the standard and all the bars high back in 1817.

I was nervous that I was going to struggle with Persuasion, but I was so pleasantly surprised. It seems like it's a favorite from a lot of the people that came to the live show. Now I do also want to say that there wasn't really much said positively about the new movie. A lot of people recommended the BBC 2007 version though, so I definitely want to check it out at some point.

Have you read Persuasion?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Persuasion, Jane Austen, 4-stars, 1 day, Audiobook, 259 pages, published in 1817, traditionally published

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

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After a late change, the June book selected for the Rake Appreciation Society was A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman. This is the second book in her Ruthless Rivals series. The Rake Appreciation Society is hosted by Crystal and Jenn, but this month featured a guest host, Jessen! I was able to use this for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for the prompt architect and the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author. This also worked perfectly for my Twos prompt for the Yahtzee Challenge!

Carys and Tristan have known each other since they were kids. Being neighbors and their family rivals, they have a slightly antagonistic relationship. When Tristan finds out that Carys has been "ruined" and is being blackmailed by the man responsible, he finds it harder and harder to hold back from making the moves on her. Carys is very bold and acts like nothing will bother her in society, but she is hiding not only her secret, but a big part of her true self. When Tristan strikes a deal with Carys during a house party to teach her about true passion and love making, they find it harder and harder to stay away from each other.

This was super cute, low angst and low stakes. I enjoyed myself, but I do have to say I was a little let down by the Ruthless Rivals wording. Even Carys and Tristan called each other enemies, but it didn't feel like there was any real antagonistic relationship between them. They hung out a lot as children and it seems that it was more of a teasing kind of relationship. Outside of that, this was just a quick and easy read. There really wasn't anything particularly wrong here to make me drop it a star; it was just very pleasant. I wasn't really blown away by anything in particular and while reading I found I was okay to put it down when ending a chapter (where I always try to stop) and was missing the urge to binge the book.

I feel like this review is kind of boring, but there just wasn't too much that stood out for me with this book. This is my first Kate Bateman even though I've had her previous series on my tbr for a while. I'm glad to have finally try her out. I definitely would like to go back and read the first book in the series and will be picking up the 3rd book this December, if anything than at least for the gorgeous cover. With they way trends are going in traditionally published historical romance covers, I will support a clinch cover any day! If you've read the book but missed the live show, definitely check it out. there was some great discussions had!

Have you read A Daring Pursuit?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Daring Pursuit, Kate Bateman, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 311 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret

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The last book I read for my May 24th new releases binge was probably my most anticipated of the three, How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart. This is the the fourth book in Vivienne Lorret's The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. I was able to use this for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge covering the prompt Look What You Made Me Do (cover with eyes on it), Summer of Swoon covering the prompt set outside of the USA and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo covering the prompt property inheritance.

Prudence has been ruined for kissing someone she thought was going to propose soon, but instead gets practically disowned by her father and sent to live with relatives in the country. When she receives a letter from her father that he is allowing her step-mother to use the small items of inheritance that was passed down from her birth mother, Prudence takes action. She heads to London, during the height of the season, to steal her mother's inheritance back. Since she is ruined, she struggles to find invitations to events around town. After running into Leo, the Marquess of Savage, a few times, she decides to take him up on his offer of help. Prudence and Leo sign and fourth month contract to have Pru become his mistress and in return she be rewarded as his previous mistresses, but also to help recover her mother's items.

How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart was one of my most anticipated books for 2022 and it did not disappoint. Going in all I knew about what was going on with Prudence was what we found out in the previous books. I tried to stay away from all blurbs and reviews and was so surprised about what the plotline was. I loved the first meeting of Leo and Pru and how when she was asked why she was headed to London her response was "Larceny" and walked off. From that moment Leo was intrigued by Pru and just wanted to know more about who she was. Now there is the "not like other girls" trope here, but it made more sense. Pru is not like other girls in the fact that she's not like other mistresses and doesn't understand or care to become apart of the demimonde. Her plan isn't to become a mistress that floats from protector to protector. One of the items of inheritance from her mother was a deed to a small cottage that's not entailed. Her plan once she get's all of these items is to move to the cottage and live the rest of her life as a spinster in the country.

The way that Pru really pushes against all the money that Leo tries to spend on her was so funny to watch because Leo gets so frustrated that she's not trying to take advantage of him. She genuinely wants to get to know him as a person since they are going to spend the next four months together, but all his previous mistresses were outwardly happy to just stay surface level. Now I do want to kind of also mention that this might be triggering to others, but there is talk about a forced sex situation. It's not rape, but after her "ruination," the gentleman tracks Pru down in the country and tups her in a field. She is more than happy to not have sex again since he left her really sore and covered in bruises. He also apparently didn't enter her all the way to break her hymen. She doesn't see it as raped, but with the injuries she received Leo thinks that the guy forced himself on her. This is one of those odd situations, so if you are super sensitive to things like that I just wanted to mention it. I also do want to mention that there is some miscommunication at the end that was a little frustrating and I've seen quite a few people giving this 4-stars because of it. I totally understand why, but the rest of the book just gave me so much joy that it didn't detract from my reading experience overall. I do have to say that I might be a little bit biased as well though.

I was so happy to read a new book by Vivienne Lorret and am so hyped for the next book in the series. It's announced at the end that Meg's book will be next. There's also a hint as to what's going on in the 2nd half of the epilogue and I am certainly intrigued. I have so many thoughts about what's going on and as soon as the release date and pre-order is announced I will be getting my order in. Vivienne Lorret is one of my favorite modern historical romance authors and I cannot wait to read more!

Have you read How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperbook, 384 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett

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I decided to do a little reading binge of releases that came out on May 24th, 2022 that were also anticipated reads for me. The first book I picked up was Dukes Do It Better. This is the third book in Bethany Bennett's Misfits of Mayfair series. I was able to apply this to the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge for You Belong With Me (character that knows what they want), Summer of Swoon for author with less than 5 published books and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for widowed protagonist.

Emma has been persuaded by Fi and Lottie to come back to town for the season so her their sons can get to know each other better. While in town, Emma runs into Malachi. They had a tryst months before in the seaside town she lives in before Mal headed back out to sea as a Captain for Her Majesty's Royal Navy. Since they last met, Mal's older brother has passed and he has now inherited his family's dukedom. Mal and Emma want to resume their relationship, but it quickly becomes more as Mal meets Emma's son and family. Mal is struggling with accepting his new title and is looking for a way to remove the hold his mother has over his commanding officers to head back out to sea. When all three couples start getting blackmailed, they must band together to figure out who's behind everything.

Oh my gosh, this was such a great wrap up to the trilogy. I absolutely adored Emma and Mal. Their connection was so palpable and I loved how naturally Mal integrated in with Emma's family. He was also so good with her son. There was a scene where Emma and Mal have a picnic with her son and he's struggling to get his toy sailboat to sail. Of course Mal, captain of a ship, helps him and I just loved the relationship formed between Mal and Alton. The way that they became a little family was just so precious to see, especially at the end when Alton immediately starts calling Mal "papa." My heart was just so full.

Now, I would say you could probably read this as a standalone, but to get the full effect of Emma's background, it would be better to read at least book two, West End Earl first; my favorite of the series. This book takes place about 5-years in the future, so in the background we get to see how Lottie and Ethan as well as Fi and Cal. We get a little more of Cal and Fi, since Cal is Emma's brother, and we also get to see their son as well. It was just such a nice time getting to see Emma get her HEA and how she's really grown over the past five years. Also seeing her as a mother was so neat and you could really feel her emotions when it came to her son. I listened to an interview with Bethany Bennett before the release and Bethany was a single mother for a long time and really pulled from her personal experiences. That little extra relatability just really made it so much more effective emotionally.

I'm sad that this is the end of the trilogy, but also so excited to see where Bethany goes next. She is one of my new favorite historical romance authors and I cannot wait to see where she decides to go. I feel like she adds some really great plot points and uniqueness to her stories. If you haven't checked out Bethany Bennett yet, I highly recommend her! Plus she's a newer author so she only as three books on her backlist (so far)!

Have you read Dukes Do It Better?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Dukes Do It Better, Bethany Bennett, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 328 pages, published in 2022

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

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As I approached the end of May, it was time to pick up the the Smart Women Read Romance Patreon exclusive book for May. The theme was non-aristocratic hero and the book that won the poll was Rules for a Proper Governess. This is the 7th book in Jennifer Ashley's popular MacKenzies and McBrides series. I was also able to use this for the prompts starts with the letter R for the first board of Love Has Sprung and Lover (embrace on the cover) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Roberta aka Bertie is watching the trial of a friend of hers that is being falsely charged for the murder of her mistress. Bertie is upset her friend is going to go down for the murder, but when the barrister turns the tides and surprisingly reveals the real murderer, Bertie can't take her eyes off of him. Once everyone has left, Bertie sees the change from his barrister "persona" to the sadness he deals with day to day after his wife passed several years ago. When she's forced to steal something from him by her father since her father's friend's friend was the murder and now arrested, they are drawn to each other. Bertie can't stay away and "finds" herself at his house. When she sees trouble with his two children and the governess, she steps in. The kids befriend Bertie and hold her hostage until Sinclair comes home and can hire her as his new governess. Sinclair is worried that he'll be even more drawn to Bertie and doesn't want to put her in a potentially bad situation, but Bertie wants it all.

I forgot how much I enjoy Jennifer Ashley's writing. I really loved the connection between Bertie and Sinclair and their tension was really good too. The sass Bertie brought to the table was bringing me everything I could need and I really enjoyed seeing how she maneuvered through everything.  The kiddos were also really well done I loved that they were two completely different characters and felt like real children. His daughter also broke my heart since she was still kind of processing and dealing with her mother's passing.

Overall this was really well done, but there were a couple things that detracted for me a little bit. The biggest was how much the stakes suddenly increased and didn't feel natural. There were life and death stakes a couple of times. Now the first instance was kind of explained away, but even then it just felt like for what the "villains" were using as their reasons for acting out against Sinclair didn't match their fervor or how they were wanting to get revenge. It just felt disjointed to me. Also, while this mostly read well as a standalone, there were a couple of times when I was obviously missing what's going on or all the names of people that were mentioned mean nothing to me (except Ian and Beth). While I know those are meant to be more of an easter egg, because this was book 7, there was a lot of people involved with couples and their kids from the previous 6 books. Plus we had family members that will most likely be in the remaining 5. It wasn't all the time, but it did stick out to me a little bit because there were so many people involved.

I really enjoyed my time and this was a good reminder that I still have the rest of the series on my tbr. I'll need to bump it up on my list for sure. Jennifer Ashley writes so well and this is a good option if you're looking for a historical romance set in a Regency-esque time period but with main characters that aren't apart of the aristocracy. I'm basic and usually prefer to read in the aristocracy, but this series has a lot of aristocracy adjacent characters that would fit the bill!

Have you read Rules for a Proper Governess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rules for a Proper Governess, Jennifer Ashley, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 320 pages, published in 2014, traditionally published

The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

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The Rake Appreciation Society book for the month of May is The Marquess Makes His Move. This is the third book in Diana Quincy's Clandestine Affairs series. Rake Appreciation is hosted by Jenn and Crystal (and is one of my favorite book clubs!). I was able to apply this to my reading challenges as well covering flowers on the cover for Love Has Sprung and Shake It Off (character you want to shake some sense into) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Alex, the Marquess of Brandon, has requested a map of property lines to show that the pond between his and his neighbor's country estates is on his land. When the map comes back wrong and missing an obvious fence-line, he knows instantly there was some type of collusion between the mapmaker and his neighbor. Alex goes undercover as a footman to the mapmaker's estate and finds himself assigned to his wife Rose. What Alex doesn't know is that Rose is actually the one making the maps. As they grow close and secrets are exposed they start to connect in an unexpected way.

So, I have to be honest. There were quite a few things that really bothered me here, but the biggest issue I had was the miscommunications, lies (by omission and not), and the keeping of secrets between Alex and Rose. Now, I get that that is the premise of how they meet, but instead of those just staying as they were, more and more things kept getting added to the the "secrets." At one point, around the 3rd act conflict of they say to each other that they will come clean. Then they allow a few different things to put off being honest with each other, and then Alex gets called away to a fire at his country estate. Then after all that, they don't open up to each other and the secrets get exposed by Alex's family. And then Rose hides something else from Alex. It was just too much for me and I just really didn't like how it was handled.

Now, I will say the technically there's no cheating here if you are worried about that. I don't want to spoil it if you've read the book, but for me I still didn't like how the situation played out. Cheating isn't a big trigger for me, but it has to be done well. Now like I said, technically it wasn't cheating logistically. However, Rose and Alex both hold off because they still think it's cheating in their minds. That's were my issue comes in. There were more things I wasn't too fond of, but I did enjoy the overall premise and though it was pretty unique. I did want the emotional connection between them to be stronger, but I did think it was pretty well written. It's also great to see more representation in historical romance as well.

I'm not sure if I'll pick up more in this particular series, but I'm definitely intrigued to read more from Diana Quincy. I just think I might wait to see reviews of others I follow and trust before picking one up. I did hear that there were a lot of similarities with this book and the others in the this series and that's why I'm more hesitant about picking up those. I'm always ready to try something new though, so we'll see what Diana does next! I also do want to mention that the ratings were pretty varied, so if you want more thoughts check out the live show!

Have you read The Marquess Makes His Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Marquess Makes His Move, Diana Quincy, 3-stars, 2 days, eBook, 384 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn & Violet Charles

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The 2nd book I picked up for the Historical Romance Readathon was the graphic novel Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron. This was written by Julia Quinn and illustrated by her sister Violet Charles. It covered the prompts standalone, single parent and clinch cover. I also was able to apply this to the prompts diverse hero for the second board of Love has Sprung and Mine (book you own) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Miss Butterworth has led a hard life with lots of crazy happenstances. When she ends up as a companion to the "Mad" Baron's grandmother, their paths intertwine once more. This is a graphic novel that's the novel from within the novel. Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Sarah Gorely is mentioned in several books by Julia Quinn.

Okay, so there's not too much to the summary because the graphic novel is really short and a lot of the events are mentioned where the "book" is mentioned in Julia's novels. This was just a fun romp and just as crazy and fun as expected. I loved that it still had an HEA in it's own right. Now, it was really well illustrated, but it's not the type of illustration I'm really drawn too (heh). I did get used to it after a few pages. I think my favorite parts of the novel were when we saw their inner-selves. It reminded me a lot of Skip Beat (my favorite manga) and I always love seeing the inner-struggle/thoughts of characters. It's a great literary technique, especially for graphic novels/comics.

I know I didn't really say too much about Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, but it was super short. If you enjoyed Julia Quinn's books, definitely check this out. It's a great addition to her backlist and just super fun. It's also a super quick read.

I do also want to extend my condolences to Julia Quinn and her family. Before this was published Julia lost her father, her sister Violet and Violet's husband when they were hit by a drunk driver. My heart goes out to her and her family. I've experienced grief before, but to have that many people in your family gone at once and from something that is so stoppable (DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE PEOPLE!), broke my heart when I first heard the news. There is a lovely note at the end of the book were Julia touches on what happened and I love that she's been somewhat open about what she experienced. 

Have you read Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, Julia Quinn & Violet Charles, 4-star, 0 days, Paperback, 144 pages, published traditionally

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

Happy Thursday!

Today we are wrapping up the latest round of the Historical Romance Readathon! It was once again hosted by the lovely Jessica, Lacey and Lisa. The readathon ran from Monday May 9th through the 15th. If you missed my tbr post, below is the bingo board they created.

So, coming into the readathon I was really excited and managed to finish my first book Tuesday night. Then I had a reading slump. I just was dealing with emotional and mental things and needed to spend my time being more actively engaged. I did manage to squeeze in one more book (that's actually a graphic novel) so I at least read two. I'm sad that I didn't read more, but only because I was so excited and as you could probably tell from my tbr had a lot of ideas of books I wanted to get too. Below is my finished bingo board the books I read.

🌺 How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins - Covered second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers

🌺 Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles - Covered single parent, standalone and clinch cover

Even though I only read two books, I was able to at least get a bingo. Usually I try not to set too high of standards for my readathons and only push my reading for what I want. I just really needed to do what felt right for my mental and emotional health. I usually pick up a few historical romances a month anyway, so I'm not too perturbed about needing to take a break. Hopefully when the next round happens I'll be good to go!

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

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After the Mafia Romance Readathon, I immediately jumped into the Historical Romance Readathon! The first book I decided to pick up was How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins. This is the first book in her MacLean Curse series. This covered the prompts second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers. This also worked for the prompts one person on the cover and Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince ("heartbreaker" in the story) for Love Has Sprung board 2 and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge respectively. I also finally found a book to cover the prompt Englandtimes Highlander Vegas for the Heaving Bosom's 2022 Reading Embrace.

After Fiona is struggling to keep her brothers from killing people in Clan Kincaid after their younger brother Callum is killed. There hasn't been that type of warring for a while and it's not time to start. To help keep everybody in line Fiona plans to marry her old flame Jack Kincaid. When she finds him on the side of the road she takes him to the pastor and convinces him to marry them. When Jack sobers up, he's surprised to see the one woman he wanted more than as a mistress suddenly his wife and bucks against the marriage.

This was a lot of fun and I loved how zany the plot was at times. Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me, but mostly because I felt like I was missing a little bit more of the emotional development. It did feel like a lot of that emotional development between Fiona and Jack happened when they were younger, but we didn't see any of that. I would've loved just a couple (not too many) flashbacks or even a prologue or the first couple chapters set in the past before a time jump. I just was left wanting more emotionally between them at the end.

I pretty much loved everything else. I really enjoyed the push and pull between Jack and Fiona; as well as the mutual pining. Fiona's brothers were hilarious and just as expected as angry older brothers. I also found the curse aspect really interesting. Before each chapter there were a couple lines or little blurbs of an older grandmother teaching three girls about the MacLean curse. I'm not sure if it's going to be resolved in this series, but I loved that they can effect the weather. What made it even better was that even though they could cause rain or hail, it couldn't be controlled. There were moments where local villages would be in threat of flooding and the brothers would have to really control their feelings to keep their tenants and locals safe from sudden thunderstorms. It was just a fun extra element added throughout!

I really loved this book and can't wait to read more in the series. I'm super intrigued to see who the brothers get paired with and have a new series to get into! I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick them up, but I can't wait. This was such a good book to start the readathon with and it gave me a bingo single-handedly!

Have you read How to Abduct a Highland Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How to Abduct a Highland Lord, Karen Hawkins, 4.5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 313 pages, published in 2007, traditionally published

Historical Romance Readathon TBR

Update: Wrap Up is posted! 

It's time for another readathon announcement! This time it's for the next round of the Historical Romance Readathon. As always, it's hosted by Jessica, Lisa and Lacey. They've made some pretty instagram templates, so check them out there. It will run from May 9th through the 15th. They usually do a live show on the last day, but I haven't seen an announcement about date and time yet. Below is the bingo board they've put together for this round!

I once again have a lot of ideas, so we'll see what I end up reading. The first two are books that are at the top of my list, followed by books I picked to fit prompts still left open. Then I added what I would read if I went full mood reader. Too many option once again, but I also tried to pick a lot I have in paperback! I also want to note that I will use books for multiple prompts once again.

🌺 The group book chosen for this round is the first book in Julie Garwood's Crown's Spies series, The Lion's Lady. From what I can tell, it will cover in a series, rake, clinch cover, spies, Julie Garwood and flowers on the cover.

🌺 The May Rake Appreciation Society book is The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy. The meeting is the following Thursday and it would cover at least part of a series, clinch cover and flowers on the cover.

🌺 A Lisa Kleypas I have yet to pick up that is a popular book of hers is Again the Magic. This is the prequel to her fabulous Wallflowers series. It can cover rags to riches hero, 2nd chance and in a series.

🌺 Looking through my paperbacks for a highlander book I hadn't read yet, I found How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins. It would cover that but also part of a series, marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers.

🌺 Looking for a Western to pick up, I still have to read Lorraine Heath's Rogues in Texas series. The first book is Rogue in Texas and would cover single parent, part of a series and flowers on the cover as well.

🌺 Most of the historical romances I own are apart of a series, so I had to do some digging to find a standalone. I finally stumbled across a recent acquire; Scandalous by Jenna Petersen. This would cover standalone plus rake, clinch cover, marriage of convenience and flowers on the cover.

🌺 The final prompt I had to cover when putting together my list was heiress. This one took a while, but I finally decided on The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan. It would also work for part of a series and indie published.

🌺 Some final quickfire ideas of historicals I want to read regardless of prompts are The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren, The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh and Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean.

It'll be fun to jump right from the Mafia Romance Readathon into this one. If you are looking for more ideas, check out my hrreadathon tag to see what I read the previous rounds I've participated in. You could also look at the historical romance tag too! I'm so excited to participate once again and am happy it's in the beginning of the month so I won't have a bunch of book club and readalong books to get to yet!

Will you be participating in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Topaz by Beverly Jenkins

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The April book for Rake Appreciation Society was Topaz by Beverly Jenkins! This is one of her standalone novels, but most of Beverly Jenkins's books are in the same universe and do connect in some way. If you haven't heard of the Rake Appreciation Society, it's a historical romance book club hosted by Jenn and Crystal on YouTube and it's one of my favorites! I was able to use this for my Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge for the prompt Blank Space (character that uses a gun) and the Love Has Sprung reading challenge for prompt diverse author.

Katherine is undercover as a reporter to expose a scheme by wealthy man Rupert. When undercover around him, she finds herself engaged to him to get closer to steal the evidence of his crimes. When he catches her, things hit the fan. Thankfully Kate's father is currently offering her hand in marriage to Marshall Dixon in return for selling off his cattle when he was presumed dead. Dix arrives in time to interrupt the wedding and steal Kate for himself. As they travel back to Indian Territory, where Dixon resides, they go by wagon and have a lot of time to connect and build their relationship.

I think this is my favorite Beverly Jenkins so far. I loved the humor and really enjoyed Dix as a hero. I do struggle with getting everything that I want in a 5-star from Beverly (so far), so I do have a few nit-picky things to touch on. First is the way that at times the romance feels secondary to whatever other plot points are happening. I think Topaz is the most romantic I've read so far and gave me most of what I need. I did pay attention to this one closely while reading and found a point that I struggle with. When it comes to her steamier scenes, I don't feel the tension between the characters. I was struggling with some of their kiss scenes early on and really payed attention once I was feeling let down once again. I have figured out why I feel disconnected with those scenes in particular and it's too many metaphors or roundabout ways of describing what the characters are feeling or doing. While I can go with one, there were times where one paragraph about the same moment would have three different metaphors. It just was too flowerly and almost felt removed from the situation for me to really feel the steaminess between the characters.

I do also have to say that while I love and commend Beverly for bringing to light events in history not everybody learns in school, sometimes they feel a little too history textbook-y. When it's something that our characters are going through or relate to them directly, I can understand it better. There are times though where we get a complete shift to get a history lesson and it really just removes me from the story. While I loved this book when I was reading it, I really struggled with the urge to pick it up once I put it down. This took me a lot longer than expected to get through and ended up setting it aside to do the Dark Romance Readathon.

Despite all the critiques though, I really did enjoy this book and like I said, it's my favorite Beverly Jenkins so far. I don't want to count out all of her books, but I think at this point her writing style just doesn't quite fit 100% with my tastes. I will read her in the future I'm sure, but it'll probably be because of a book club or buddy read or something. I'm not sure if I'll reach for one completely on my own. I had a lot of fun, as always, during the live show and can't wait until the next meeting!

Have you read Topaz?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Topaz, Beverly Jenkins, 4-stars, 7 days, eBook, 400 pages, published in 1997, traditionally published

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

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After watching the second season of Bridgerton on Netflix, I was very disappointed. I immediately picked up the book version, The Viscount Who Loved Me. This is the second book in Julia Quinn's Bridgertons series. I was able to use this to cover the prompt favorite author for Love Has Sprung as well as the Teardrops On My Guitar (instrument in the story) prompt for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Kate and her sister Edwina are in London to take part in the season. Since it's just them and their mother Mary, they are not as well off financially. There is really only once chance for a season and hopefully Edwina can find a good match. While Kate is also needing to be married, she's on the older end of the spectrum and is not the classic beauty that the ton likes. When Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, decides it's time to find a wife, he plans to go after whomever is the incomparable. When Edwina is known to be as such, he approaches Kate since she is the one to be offering a blessing in place of their father. As Anthony tries to sway Kate to gain her approval to marry Edwina, they start to feel a spark between them. When their respective traumas put Kate and Anthony to open up to each in a way they haven't with any other person, they just can't seem to hold back their feelings anymore.

Honestly, this is my favorite Bridgerton book and is absolute perfection. This is the third time I've read in in the past couple years and I feel like it gets better every time. I absolutely adore Anthony and Kate and love how much they connect to each over their role as eldest sibling. As the eldest sibling myself, I find myself connecting with them in a lot of different ways. And while my fears aren't the same as Kate's, I do understand wanting to keep any issues or problems that can be perceived as week since you have to be so strong for others as well as yourself. Now I loved this book before, but it has come to mean a lot more after loosing my mother. While I don't quite have the fear that Anthony does, I do relate in the fact that it's just really hard to comprehend that I will most like live longer than my Mom did. I understand it logically, but emotionally it's hard.

Usually I try to keep my reviews to two paragraphs about my thoughts on the book and while I could, it would just be more of me gushing about how beautiful and amazing this is, I'm going to keep it a little short this time. Seriously, if you enjoy historical romance and haven't read the Bridgertons, certainly check it out. There's a lot of variances on which is a favorite book (like most everything), but the family aspect throughout is just absolutely masterful! I would love to marry into the Bridgertons!

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn, 5-stars, 4 days, Paperback, 378 pages, published in 2000, traditionally published

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

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The Rake Appreciation Society book for March was The Proposal by Mary Balogh. This is the first book of her Survivor's Club series. If you haven't heard of the book club before, it's a monthly club hosted by the lovely Crystal and Jen. I was able to use this for the prompts 2 word title for Love Has Sprung and White Horse for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

When Gwen goes to the coast for fresh air from her friend that she came to visit in the country, she ends up getting stuck and hurt. She had accidentally crossed over to local Duke's land and ends up being rescued by Hugo, Lord Trentham. He is struggling with becoming apart of the nobility after receiving accolades from war. As he constantly finds himself in contact with Gwen both in the country and back in London, he decides to propose so he can beget an heir. When Gwen rejects his proposal, it's because she wants him to properly court her first.

I have to say, I struggled getting into this book. It was the night before book club and I ended up only being about 70 pages in. I checked my library's hoopla and thankfully they had the audiobook. I listened to it all day at work and was able to get it done in time. Once again I really struggled with a Mary Balogh. I did enjoy this one a lot more than The Gilded Web, but it just fell flat for me after a point. When I first switched over, I got a little more of the humor between them and was enjoying myself, but I think overall it just felt like pretty stagnant character growth for me. This very much focuses on the characters themselves and there isn't much exciting plot, but I just found myself getting bored a lot. I can enjoy character based books, but I just didn't really connect with Gwen and Hugo. I also felt like the humor died down a lot.

I am intrigued enough to try the next book in the series and during the live show several people mentioned that their favorite in the series were other books. I also know that Mary's Bedwyn Saga is very popular so I would be interested in picking those up. I think whatever I pick up from her next though will be in Audiobook. I just find with the slower historicals like this I enjoy them more in audio. I'm not crossing her off my list yet though. If you want to now what other people though, check out the live show!

Have you read The Proposal?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Proposal, Mary Balogh, 3.5 stars, 1 day, Audiobook, 365 pages, published in 2012, traditionally published

The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood

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The February book chosen by patreon members for the exclusive Smart Women Read Romance review was The Beast of Clan Kincaid. This is the first book in Lily Blackwood's Highland Warrior series. This was actually the book I recommended and I was happy it won. This was a rare book that didn't count for any of my readathons or reading challenges.

After Niall "The Beast" returns to his father's castle after the murder of most of his clan, he's looking for revenge. Niall has been working as a mercenary and has finagled the chance to be the new merc for hire for the Laird of MacClaren. When he arrives, he is immediately drawn to Elspeth, the laird's eldest daughter. When Elspeth is required to start seriously choosing a husband, she fights against her desire for Niall.

The best way to explain my rating for this book would be that it feels like a debut. There were some intriguing parts and some interesting plot points, but overall it just didn't all culminate together. I did like the overall chemistry between Niall and Elspeth, but there were some odd choices made. The best way for me to describe it is that I wanted Elspeth (and her father) to just pick a lane. She kept bouncing back and forth and it happened just a few times too many. There were also some classic twists and tropes used and it just felt like too much.

I really enjoyed the overall plot though and the idea that it felt a little different than the usual highlander tropes while still fitting the genre. I don't know why, but it kept surprising me and showing a glimmer of uniqueness, but then something too stereotypical would happen. I feel like I could point more things out that bothered me, but despite all of those I did enjoy the book overall.

I'm certainly intrigued to read the other two books in the series about Niall's brothers. I'm a little sad to see that it seems these three books are all that Lily wrote. I was looking at her twitter and she didn't post anything from 2018 until 2021, and since she came back has just mainly retweeted some other author's posts. I hope she does plan to write more eventually because I'm intrigued and would love to see how her writing evolves. Juliette did mention that she was reading the next book during the live show and was enjoying more than this one so far. I'll definitely be adding the rest of this series to my highlander spinner wheel!

Have you read The Beast of Clan Kincaid?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Beast of Clan Kincaid, Lily Blackwood, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 318 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published

Annie's Song by Catherine Anderson

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Taking a little break from FaRoFeb, I needed to get in the book for the February meeting of Rake Appreciation Society. The club is hosted by Crystal and Jenn and they chose Annie's Song by Catherine Anderson for this month! I was able to use this to cover the prompts billionaire, CEO or businessman hero for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss and the jazz bagpipes prompt for the Heaving Bosom's 2022 Reading Embrace.

Annie became deaf at the young age of 6. Her parents didn't realize that she had become deaf and instead took her disability as becoming mentally disabled. She has been raised as such a person and never really got proper schooling or socialization. After Annie gets raped and becomes pregnant, the agressor's brother Alex steps up and offers to marry Annie to help keep the child. When he takes her into his home, he realizes her true disability and goes about trying to give her the life she always deserved and more.

Now, there is a trigger for rape right off the bat. There's also what we would call insensitive words now used to refer to Annie. Despite that rough start, this really is a beautiful love story between two people. I loved Alex and he was such a great hero. He really made the book for me and saved it from being rated lower. The way that Alex was so willing to do everything to help Annie learn to write and use sign language and just do normal things as she could was so heartwarming. There were also some great moments of humor that really brought some lightheartedness to the situation.

I can see how the way that Annie's character was portrayed would be very off-putting for some. Yes she was deaf and turned mute, but she was also very childlike in her mental state. There were some things she would understand, but others not. For me, I was able to reconcile that with the fact that she never got any schooling past the old timey version of kindergarten. Once she started learning and being spoken too as someone with the capability to learn, you could see her really start to mature. She was still able to keep that spark though. For me the dock in rating was really that I just struggled to connect emotionally. A lot of other readers mention crying and tearing up during this book, but I never felt it. That's weird for me since I am such an emotional reader. I'm still not sure if it was writing style or what it exactly was that didn't speak to me, but it just didn't hit me in "the feels."

I loved chatting with everyone during the live show! There were a lot of good contrasting opinions on the book that were able to lend to some really great conversations. If you've read the book or want to learn more before picking it up, definitely check it out! I am intrigued to read more from Catherine Anderson, but I do have to say she's not at the top of my historical authors backlist list. She is on there though!

Have you read Annie's Song?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Annie's Song, Catherine Anderson, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 410 pages, published in 1996, traditionally published