Romance

All posts tagged Romance

CULT CLASSIC – Sloane Crosley

Posted by Daniel on April 12, 2023
Posted in: HUMOR, ROMANCE, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Reading the description of this book I thought I might be in for something along the lines of the 1985 film, After Hours.

Lola is a hip, modern New Yorker.  She’s an editor, now in her early 30’s. She’s had her string of boyfriends and lovers but is currently living a boyfriend whom she will be marrying soon.

On one particular night out with some friends Lola steps away from the gathering to pick up a pack of cigarettes when she runs into an old boyfriend – someone she hasn’t thought about in a very long time. The timing, however, creates some anxiety as Lola is currently in a relationship with ‘Boots’ and she’s been stressing over whether or not this is ‘the one’ – the potential life-long marriage. Of course, running into this old boyfriend now prompts her to consider and compare.

But as the evening wears on, Lola continues to run into ex-boyfriends (and she’s had quite a few).  The meetings all feel as though they are chance encounters, but what are the odds that she should run into so many just at the time she is considering a life-changing moment? Slim, of course, but what could be behind it? There is indeed something at play, a cult, oddly enough.  A cult of ex-boyfriends? Could it be?

As Lola continues her odd night of encounters, she realizes she has fewer and fewer reasons to be delaying her wedding to Boots.

I really thought this was going to be a deliciously odd book, right up my alley, but was disappointed in the presentation.

This isn’t the exciting, quirky story I was hoping for … the kind where you eagerly look forward to the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter, to see what comes next (more quirkiness or a revelation?!). This was a slow, methodical layering of a story. That works often enough, but with an idea so off-the-wall, we need a pace and energy to match, and this does not. Some of this has to do with the language.  Author Sloane Crosley writes with a rich, brilliant language, but that actually holds this story back. We get caught up in the prose, or stumble over the prose, instead of the action.

The concept is pretty brilliant … a cult of ex-boyfriends – and even the over-arcing story of the woman trying to figure out her life and her future life makes for a potentially best-selling book. I think I’d like to see this same concept given to a dozen different writers to see how different the stories would be because I really like the concept.

Looking for a good book? Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley is an off-beat, satire, romance that doesn’t quite provide the wit and charm that it promises.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Cult Classic

author: Sloane Crosley

publisher: MCD

ISBN: 9780374603397

hardcover, 304 pages

DEFINITELY DEAD – Charlaine Harris

Posted by Daniel on March 15, 2023
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Sookie’s got a new boyfriend and he’s a real tiger.  No, really.  He’s a tiger.  A were-tiger.

If you don’t know Sookie Stackhouse by now, the Louisiana bayou waitress who can read the minds of other humans, but can’t read the minds of the dead (like her ex-boyfriend, vampire Bill Compton, and her ex-boyfriend, vampire Eric Northman) then there’s really no point in picking up this, the sixth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.  Also … where the heck have you been?

In this volume in the series, Sookie learns that her cousin Hadley has passed away.  Hadley has left everything to Sookie and she is encouraged, by the Queen of Louisiana … well, the vampire Queen of Lousiana … to come and get her inheritance.  Hadley, it seems, was the secret lover of the vampire queen. But why the urgency?  The queen once gave Hadley a gift, a gift that had been given to her by the king, and if she doesn’t display that gift soon, all hell will break out at the vampire ball.

Along the way, Sookie will learn more terrible things about Bill, the man she still loves even though she doesn’t want to, will be beholding to Eric yet again, will make love to her were-tiger new boyfriend Quinn, and be set upon by werewolves.

I had a moderately fun time with this.  It’s pretty much just McDonald’s chicken nuggets in the culinary comparison to literature, but sometimes you just want a goofy read that doesn’t make you think too hard.  That would be this kind of book.

The only thing that really surprised me here (and not too much) was how straightforward and simple the plot was.  Dead Hadley’s got something the vampire queen needs and Sookie’s going to get it.  And, yup, she does.  Even the new information about Bill is hardly more than a passing paragraph or two – not even a subplot.

But, there’s vampires, werewolves, witches, and were-tigers, naked people and just a little bit of sex.  And it’s neatly wrapped up in author Charlaine Harris’s swiftly moving prose.  If you can’t read this in a day or two, you’re spending too much time on it!

Looking for a good book? Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris is the sixth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Like the others, it’s simple and fast-moving with plenty of action – both physical fighting and sex. If you’ve started the series, go on, read this one too.  If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, don’t start here.  Go watch TrueBlood instead.

I bought a copy of this book at a used book store.

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Definitely Dead

author: Charlaine Harris

series: Sookie Stackhouse #6

publisher: Ace Books

ISBN: 0441014917

paperback, 324 pages

FORGED IN DREAMS AND MAGICK – Kat Bastion

Posted by Daniel on November 30, 2021
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, ROMANCE, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Isobel MacInnes is an archeology student. She’s strong-willed and determined and she’s a rising star with a bright future in archeology ahead of her when she touches an old box that has been handed down by chieftains for centuries and is transported to 13th century Scotland. Here is alpha male, Iain, clan leader who takes an immediate, protective liking to Isobel.

Isobel’s aggressive nature is not unusual in the 21st century but in Iain’s time it is quite unusual, but Iain seems to have great respect for a woman who can match his intensity. They are, they realize, soulmates. But in a cruel twist, shortly after recognizing that they are meant to be together, Isobel is whisked away once again, centuries earlier, now in Pictish-era Scotland.

Here, Isobel meets Velloc, a Pict chieftain; an alpha male; and her new soulmate. It will take some time, but she will manage to get back (forward in time) to see Iain again, who will help her to understand a few things about that box that has helped her time travel, as well as a few important things about herself.

It’s okay to have more than one soulmate, right?

I don’t read very much paranormal romance (probably for good reason), but I recognize Kat Bastion’s name as a popular writer in the genre. In general, I did find the writing to be very well done. The character of Isobel was especially well defined and even though Iain and Velloc were the same type of character, there was enough distinction between the two to make them unique.

There were a number of times that I rolled my eyes while reading this and thought very strongly that this was ‘Mary Sue’ fiction.  For those not familiar with the term, Wikipedia describes it as: “A Mary Sue is a type of fictional character, usually a young woman, who is portrayed as unrealistically free of weaknesses. Originating in fan fiction, a Mary Sue is often an author’s idealized self-insertion.”

“Unrealistically free of weaknesses?”  Yes. And also the one woman two ‘top-dog’ males are madly in love with.  The first wants her so badly that he’ll ignore his lustful desire and treat her with respect (this leader from the 1200’s) and will only have sex with her with her permission, and then he’ll be tender and caring and ready to cuddle afterward.  Yes, really.

I referred to this as a paranormal romance and time-travel maybe isn’t what most people would consider ‘paranormal.’ But there’s something here that most definitely is, and that something while hinted at in only the barest of ways, doesn’t show up until maybe two-thirds of the way through the book.  I really didn’t care for the deus ex machina moment.

There is some sex here.  Really steamy, described in detail, sex.  If the main character here was male and the sex scenes were exactly the same, this would be classified as either sleaze or porn.  But since the main character is female, it’s romance. Or erotic romance, at least.

Looking for a good book? Forged in Dreams and Magick by Kat Bastion wasn’t a bad read, other than the eye-roll moments.  For a self-published author, this is certainly at the top of the genre, and I would consider reading another Kat Bastion book at some point.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Forged in Dreams and Magick

author: Kat Bastion

series: Highland Legends #1

publisher: Kat Bastion

ISBN: 9780615832371

paperback, 338 pages

SPELLMAKER – Charlie N. Holmberg

Posted by Daniel on September 3, 2021
Posted in: ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Somehow I missed the first book in this new duology by Charlie N. Holmberg, which is really too bad because this book shows much more promise as a series – in line with Homberg’s successful Paper Magician series.

There are two kinds of wizards in the world – those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like Elsie Camden who are born with the power to break those spells. Elsie has kept her spellbreaker ability a secret, meaning she is unlicensed, which could land her in some trouble.

Currently (in 1895) magicians are being murdered and the crimes are unsolved. For someone with Elsie’s talents, it isn’t too difficult to find the culprit, but to do so she’d have to reveal herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. The assassin in question tries to get Elsie to join him in pursuit of his more nefarious plans (and he’s a charmer, making this a more difficult decision than it should be) and the also charming good wizard, Bacchus Kelsey, offers to help Elsie navigate the path to good and righteousness despite her not being registered.  But he has one condition … they must be married in order to provide a believable cover story.

This book is absolutely delightful and charming. Holmberg’s greatest strength as a writer is in creating loveable characters – people who bring out the best in one another and who we, the readers, want to see succeed. Fortunately, Holmberg is also an extremely talented storyteller, weaving a plot that makes sense and appropriately utilizes the characters and their talents (this seems like a no-brainer, but one might be surprised at how often these things don’t happen).

Spellmaker maybe focuses a lot on the romance aspects for Elsie, but there’s enough of the magic and spells to appeal on that level. I don’t mind the romance when it’s handled well, and Holmberg does handle it well.

I will definitely be buying the first book.

Looking for a good book? Spellmaker is a captivating fantasy romance by Charlie N. Holmberg – one of the best in the business at writing in the genre.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Spellmaker

author: Charlie N. Holmberg

series: Spellbreaker Duology #2

publisher: 47North

ISBN: 9781542022576

paperback, 302 pages

SWINGS – Corbin Lewars

Posted by Daniel on April 7, 2021
Posted in: ROMANCE. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Sadie Walker is trying to fit in.  She’s a new mother and she’s looking for a mother and child group so that she can have conversation with adults. But Sadie isn’t your typical sweet mother.  She’s been un-invited to some of the groups for eating non-organic foods in group, and maybe swearing now and then.

At yet another group of screaming babies and women talking organic foods, Sadie is about to give up even trying when in walks John, a handsome young dad with his child. Maybe the group wasn’t so bad? In addition to being good looking, John is outgoing and adventurous and gets many of the women together to go out for a coffee or treat after class.

Since having the baby, the relationship between Sadie and her husband has gone down hill. In John, Sadie finds someone who she can talk to. It doesn’t hurt that he’s pleasant to look at it. And soon John begins flirting with Sadie. John, it seems, has an open relationship with his wife and has a regular partner as well. Now John invites Sadie to change her lifestyle and enjoy the life of an open relationship with him.  If her life with her husband were better she wouldn’t even consider it, but ….

This book kind of falls apart on many different levels.

The book was billed as an erotic romance and there is absolutely nothing erotic here (not by today’s publishing standards anyway) and there is no romance, only some longing and light flirting.

And swinging…? Well, John does have an open relationship, so technically speaking he’s swinging, but it comes across as infidelity rather than a swinging lifestyle.

Sadie’s feelings of loneliness are not unusual for a first time mother (post partum depression is a real thing), and what Corbin Lewars does well is set up our main character struggling with desire for someone new and desire to return to the known relationship that was there before they had the child.

But for all Sadie’s back-and-forth on what to do, we just never believe she’s ever seriously considering a swingers lifestyle. She struck by a handsome man paying her some attention, but not for a second do we think this will take off.

This was a disappointing read. It was slightly dull, not at all what it was billed as, and there never seemed to be a purpose to it.

Looking for a good book? Whether or not you’re looking for a romance, some erotica, or just a titillating read, there are better books out there in all those categories.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Swings

author: Corbin Lewars

publisher: Booktrope

ISBN: 1620157276

paperback, 192 pages

THE RESURRECTIONIST OF CALIGO – Wendy Trimboli & Alicia Zaloga

Posted by Daniel on March 8, 2021
Posted in: ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Roger Weathersby digs up corpses for medical schools. It is his hope to earn enough money by this means to buy his own text books and study to become a physician. Though he’s never been a man of wealth or means (he was the son of a servant) he had been childhood friends with a princess – Princess Sibylla – though that was many years ago.

For her part, Sibylla had been rather pleased when Roger left the estate. She had seen him kissing members of the staff and heard that he’d taken a bribe to leave the palace.  A man like that was not needed around royalty.  Now Sibylla is focused on continuing her magical bloodline, which means finding a suitable mate. (Can we guess where this might be going?)

Roger is accused of murdering one of the corpses he digs up.  Since the police are sure it’s him, and he (and we) know it’s not, that means there is a killer on the loose and it’s up to Roger to find him. Roger’s only hope is his old friend Sibylla and time is running out!

I really found this book quite average.  There is a slight sense of steampunk-ness given it’s mock-Victorian-era setting, but it’s not fantastically steampunk or Victorian.  There is a slight murder mystery but the book is more interesting in establishing two characters to really give us a meaty mystery. There’s a slight hint of magic, which gets used more frequently as we’re about to be done with the book, but even this seems to be more a prop for a longer story arc than important to this book. And that leaves us with … I’m not sure what.

The story, such as it is, takes way too long to develop.  It’s maybe two-thirds in before we start to feel like we’re getting what we came for, those pages filled with backstory and character development. But if we don’t see where it’s headed, we don’t really care where we’ve been.

This was one of those books where I could see that others might enjoy it.  Romantic Victorian fantasies have a following but I rarely have ever enjoyed such myself. I was hoping for a little more on the mystery portion of the book, or perhaps even some adventure, but I found it a little too … flowery? … to provide much to interest me.

Looking for a good book? There’s a specific audience out there for The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga, but if you’re not into Victorian fantasy romances it might not be for you.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Resurrectionist of Caligo

authors: Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668269

paperback, 360 pages

THE HEART OF THE CIRCLE – Keren Landsman

Posted by Daniel on January 29, 2021
Posted in: ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

The Sons of Simeon are religious extremists in Israel. Their focus is finding and persecuting sorcerers. This not exactly in line with government law, but the government tends to look the other way. When a demonstration ends with a brutal murder, the empath Reed becomes the next target for the extremist groups. Reed has sorcerer friends and ‘normie’ friends, all looking for ways to protect the unlikely target. But Reed is the one who will need to protect his friends from the Sons of Simeon. And it gets trickier when Reed’s focus becomes distracted because he falls madly in love.

This book … this book just didn’t do anything for me.

On the surface, this should be right up my alley of interest. Alternate reality with sorcerers and empaths? Yeah, I like that. A familiar yet unique location (I’ve never been to Israel). I like that, too.

There’s some romance here, which is fine – I don’t read sci-fi/fantasy for the romance, but don’t mind it being there. This romance happens to be a gay romance, which isn’t my thing, but people and emotions … that’s pretty universal.

But there are a couple of problems here. First, it’s NOT a sci-fi/fantasy with some gay romance. Our main character, Reed, seems overwhelmed with lust and this becomes a gay romance with shades sci-fi/fantasy overtones. There’s a real subculture of these kinds of books, but I never expected to read this from a major sci-fi publisher.

The book tries to be an allegorical statement on oppression – making sure that we recognize the oppression in our own history, but it’s so in-your-face that’s it’s not allegory.

The characters never drew me into the story and the world was not built to be very interesting. All that mattered was that a main character began pining for an ex-boyfriend early in the book and it never grows much from there.

This was an all-around disappointment.

Looking for a good book? The Heart of the Circle by Keren Landsman may appeal to a small circle of readers but you’ll have to have some very specific reading interests to find this a worthy read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Heart of the Circle

author: Keren Landsman

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668110

paperback, 400 pages

THE ORPHAN OF CEMETERY HILL – Hester Fox

Posted by Daniel on December 28, 2020
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, ROMANCE. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Boston in the 1800’s. Sisters Tabby and Alice are on the run as they’ve just escaped their cruel, abusive aunt and uncle. They choose to split up so that they can reduce the likelihood of being found and Alice leaves Tabby to hide out in a cemetery for awhile.  There, Tabby meets Eli, an old caretaker at the cemetery. The two develop a respectful bond and Eli comes to think of Tabby as a daughter and likewise, Tabby thinks of Eli as the father she didn’t have and she helps him with his caretaking and grave-digging work.

Tabby meets Caleb who is at the cemetery to bury his father. He finds her beautiful but he’s engaged and Tabby doesn’t want to encourage him despite her own feelings. They remain good friends and they will need one another’s help  when each is in danger.

Tabby discovers that she can communicate with the dead – an ability that may prove useful as a secret organization is currently robbing graves in order to experiment on the bodies. But her ability is used against her though she may need it to save Caleb as he is accused of murdering his fiancé.

This was kind of a new genre for me to read.  I’ve read plenty of fiction with supernatural elements, but this strikes me as more of a gothic romance – a genre that I have mostly avoided because … well … I don’t know why other than it hasn’t appealed to me.

Author Hester Fox creates a dark, moody atmosphere (which is something I would expect in a gothic romance) and yet our central character, Tabby, somehow always seems bright and positive, even in the bleakest of moments.  It’s an unusual dichotomy, and I’m not even sure how intentional it was, but it worked because it kept me interested in the story. I cared about Tabby, and by extension, Eli and Caleb (and even Alice, though she isn’t in much), so what happens to them is always pressing for me as the reader.

I did expect, or want, there to be more to the “Resurrection Men” part of the story, but I felt it did take a back seat to the romance aspects.  Even Tabby’s ability to communicate with the dead didn’t contain as much interest or excitement as I was hoping for.

In all, not a bad read.  It doesn’t make me eager to read more of Fox’s work or the gothic romance style, but neither does it deter me from such.

Looking for a good book? The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox is a gothic romance with a strong, positive central character who will appeal to many readers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Orphan of Cemetery Hill

author: Hester Fox

publisher: Graydon House

ISBN: 152580457X

paperback, 384 pages

UNDER THE CAPE – anthology

Posted by Daniel on November 20, 2020
Posted in: ROMANCE, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Superheroes and sex – two big topics in today’s market.  I’ve read a number of superhero-related books in the past couple of years, but never one specifically one looking at erotic/sometimes-graphic sexual scenarios, but, why not?  I would think this is the perfect time for a book like this. This particular book is a collection of short fiction and like nearly every anthology I’ve ever read, there are some stories here that i liked, some I didn’t, and some that were fairly average.

The first of three that stood out in a positive light was “Time for No Mercy” by Elizabeth Schechter. I liked the look at politics and political correctness, but I also liked the science and the idea of developing a widespread morning-after type spray that would allow women to not get pregnant any time they didn’t want to, and here the hero was trying to stop it.  This was well written and thoughtful and it really had me thinking afterward.

Next was “No Words Needed” by David T. Valentin in which a young man can’t decide what’s caught his attention the most – that he has superpowers he’s only just discovered, or that the guy he likes happens to like him back. This was well-written and tasteful.

And finally, by the editor of the anthology, Rachel Kenley, we have “Just Be Yourself.”  This was probably the best written story here. The ‘romance’ is dialed up a notch – in fact gets pretty graphic.  But unlike a lot of erotica, where the sex drives a meager plot, this is definitely plot-driven with some steamy sex.  And I chuckled at the sentence: “She had a moment to wish her underwear was sexier, then decided it didn’t matter because she wouldn’t be wearing it much longer.”

On the negative end I’d start with “Swiftly in Love” by Stella B. James. I don’t even want to go into it.  This was just a big ‘no’ for me.

“The Little Push” by Christopher Peruzzi was also at the bottom.  the story, the writing, the characters … nothing clicked.

The rest were quite average.  Nothing was interesting enough that I wanted to read more by any particular author (other than Rachel Kenley).  For an anthology, especially one with only a dozen or so stories, average is about what I would expect.

This anthology includes:

Introduction by Rachel Kenley
“Flying Fast, Falling Hard” by Kim Strattford
“Where There’s Smoke” by E.D. Gonzalez
“Trust Paradox” by Naomi Hinchen
“Time for No Mercy” by Elizabeth Schechter
“No Words Needed” by David T. Valentin
“Swiftly in Love” by Stella B. James
“Supergay” by Julie Behrens
“The Little Push” by Christopher Peruzzi
“Foolproof” by Louisa Bacio
“Just Be Yourself” by Rachel Kenley
“Love, Law, and the Whippoorwill” by Austin Worley
Author Bios

Looking for a good book? The anthology, Under the Cape, edited by Rachel Kenley is a pretty average collection of short fiction featuring superheroes and romance/erotica.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Under The Cape: An Anthology of Superhero Romance

editor: Rachel Kenley

publisher: Riverdale Avenue

ISBN: 1626015597

paperback, 320 pages

THE LOST QUEEN – Signe Pike

Posted by Daniel on September 25, 2020
Posted in: ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s Arthurian legend retold time again.  This time we focus on Languoreth, a future queen, and her brother Lailoken.  They are raised in Scotland as royalty in the old ways – with mysticism and magic.  But a new religion is on the rise, threatening their way of life and their future – Christianity.

Languoreth has been promised to wed Rhydderch, son of a Christian king, in order to secure her reign over a larger swath of Britain. But the forces of magic have her in love with Maelgwn, a soldier in the army of Emrys Pendragon. This new landscape of politics and violence could be tough on a gentle soul like Languoreth, but she has her brother and a tough old druid named Myrddin to help her.

I found this book to be boring.

It was clear quite early that this was a romance novel with an Arthurian setting. Which is fine, except 500 pages of mooning and pining gets old.  There is more that happens, of course, but none of it is important to Languoreth. so it doesn’t seem important to the reader either.

What makes the book most boring, though, is that Languoreth is not a particularly interesting character.  When you narrow it all down and describe her in one paragraph or so, she looks, indeed, like a fascinating character to write about … but she needs something to do other than be confused about love and how to act like a queen.

I had high hopes that this was going to be another Crystal Cave or Mists of Avalon, but it’s not.  It’s an angst-y, brooding, YA-like romance that drags on too long.

Looking for a good book?  It’s hard to go wrong with a story in the Arthurian legend, but The Lost Queen by Signe Pike does just that.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Lost Queen

author: Signe Pike

series: The Lost Queen Trilogy #1

publisher: Touchstone

ISBN: 1501191411

hardcover, 527 pages

THE PARISIANS – Marius Gabriel

Posted by Daniel on March 18, 2020
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, ROMANCE, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

The Parisians by Marius Gabriel is one of those books that really took me by surprise.

Taking advantage of the Kindle Unlimited program, I often look for books that I am not sure if I would enjoy or not, but for one reason or another catch my eye. With the Kindle Unlimited program I feel I can try a book and if I’m not enjoying it I can easily stop because I haven’t made a commitment to read it. I have recently discovered that many of the books available through this program also give me access to the audio version of the book. That was the case with The Parisians and I listened to it primarily on my work commute.

Olivia Olsen is an American art student, living in Paris in the 1940’s. Although talented, she hasn’t been able to sell enough of her paintings to make a consistent living, even though one young man commissions work from her that he can hardly afford.  Meeting up with the young man at his home – he lives with his mother – Olivia accepts the friendship of the man and his mother, and her relationship with him develops into something more.  Olivia accepts the mother’s offer of help to take on a job and Olivia goes to work as a chambermaid at an elite Parisian hotel.  One of the long-term hotel guests is Coco Chanel.

Despite the French chatter of standing up to the oncoming German forces (this is set during World War II, mind you), the Germans invade and take over the hotel as their living quarters.  Olivia, has refused to leave because of her love, now, for her art-admiring boyfriend (who happens to be a French Resistance fighter). She is provided a Swedish passport, and thanks to her upbringing, speaks fluent Swedish as well.

Hermann Göring is the leading German in Paris, and he takes a liking to his Swedish maid, Olivia.  But when her boyfriend is cruelly murdered during his interrogation, Olivia joins the Resistance and feeds them information and photos from the paperwork left out in the rooms that she cleans.

Slowly, Olivia falls in love with her contact, an American she knows only as ‘Jack.’

I had no expectations going in to this book, other than I was looking forward to reading about an American studying art in Paris. What I got was a really wonderful combination of love story, historical fiction, and war thriller.

This could have been written purely as a romance, and at times the romance was just a little (a very little) too much, but the story around Olivia had her interest in the men in her life was grounded so well, and the war so dark and violent, that the romance doesn’t take over. It is, however, essential to the story.

There are two side stories going on here as well … that of Coco Chanel, and that of French actress Arletty, who falls in love with a German officer and is seen as betraying her country. I didn’t always feel the need for these stories, but they do offer interesting, different views of the war, and they broke up the story of Olivia nicely (Olivia does interact with Coco).

I listened to the Audible version of this book and I was a little surprised at how caught up I was with the story.  That speaks highly of the work of both the the author, Marius Gabriel, and narrator Karissa Vacker.

Looking for a good book? The Parisians by Marius Gabriel is a well-written historical fiction/romance set in Paris during World War II. You are likely to get caught up in the lives of the the three women featured.

I borrowed this book through the Kindle Unlimited program.

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The Parisians

author: Marius Gabriel

narrator: Karissa Vacker

publisher: Lake Union Publishing || Brilliance Audio

ISBN: 1503905047

paperback, 368 pages || 13 hours, 19 minutes

THE FLIGHT GIRLS – Noelle Salazar

Posted by Daniel on September 3, 2019
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, ROMANCE. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

While I did request this book, looking for something more along the lines of historical fiction rather than a romance, but despite the strong romance angle here, I enjoyed this book.

Audrey Coltrane learned to fly from her father back in Texas and her one goal in life is to buy the airfield where she learned to fly – the airfield owned by her father.

It is because she knows how to fly that she signed up to train military pilots how to fly as the world went to war in the early 1940’s and that she found herself in Hawaii when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Audrey was witness to horrible deaths and destruction. It was also in Hawaii that Audrey met James Hart, a man she called ‘friend’ but whom she would never stop thinking about.

Audrey joined the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) program, connecting with other patriotic women who would become close friends. Here she would meet the dashing Officer Wilson, a man willing to risk his commission for the opportunity to take Audrey out on a date.  But flattered as she is by this handsome man with a strong career ahead of him, Audrey can’t stop thinking of James. She and James reconnect and admit their love and commitment for one another shortly before James goes into action, is shot down, and classified as missing even after the war is declared over. Audrey, though, doesn’t give up, knowing that James would do everything he could to stay alive and return to her.

I really liked the character of Audrey. She definitely came across as someone strong and capable – the sort of woman we expect to find as a WASP. Her friends in the WASP program are a mix of qualified pilots and giggly girls thinking about men – which we need because, of course, Audrey is committed to her job and her future plans and doesn’t have any experience with men and she needs the nudges from the other girls. But her pattern of committing to something stays true when she commits to James and doesn’t let up even when all others would move on.

The historical aspects to this book were very well researched and brought to the story.  So much so that I am definitely interested in learning more about the WASP program and the women who flew in it.

The story is pretty straight-forward romance with a plot that can likely be found in almost any romance … shy, inexperienced girl meets guy, doesn’t want to feel anything for him but can’t help herself, throws herself into commitment despite the odds against them.

If you like this kind of romance then you should definitely enjoy this book because author Noelle Salazar writes it well. But even if you don’t normally enjoy a romance (or think that you don’t) then you still might want to give this a read because the historical aspect should hold your interest.

Looking for a good book? The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar is a gentle romance with a strong female protagonist in a remarkable historical setting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Flight Girls

author: Noelle Salazar

publisher: Mira Books

ISBN: 0778369226

paperback, 384 pages