With the arrival of my first term of nursing school coming up this weekend, I wanted to make sure that I spent every spare moment before the big day doing as much reading as I possibly could. This month I have six books I’m very excited to share with you. A few you will notice are from authors I’ve shared about before (Bryn Turnbull, Colleen Cambridge and Emily Henry) and others are from authors who are new to me. Whether you’re looking for historical fiction, a murder mystery or a previously unsolved kidnapping case, or a story with some romance, this list is sure to have something that will spark your interest.
The Story Collector | Evie Woods
This is my first Evie Woods novel and I really enjoyed it. I grew up loving fairytales (both Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen) as well as the various classics, so I enjoyed reading this dual timeline novel that goes between the present day Sarah Harper whose marriage has just fallen apartment and she find herself waking up on a plane that’s just touched down in Ireland (after a misadventure at the airport) and Anna, a young farm girl from a century ago (whose diary Sarah finds). As Sarah reads Anna’s diary she finds herself not only reconnecting to her love of art, but discovering some of the secrets in the village around her.
This book shows the magic in the everyday, and I highly recommend it to anyone who grew up loving fairytales (and those that still do!)
RATING: A+
In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything…
One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.
In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.
With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.
Book Lovers | Emily Henry
Book Lovers has to be one of my favorite Emily Henry books. I always think of Henry’s books as a type of reward. Especially if I’m reading it after a murder mystery, thriller or suspense novel. While the characters have their problems and/or flaws, it’s still like wrapping yourself in a warm cozy blanket.
Book Lovers centers around Nora (literary agent) and Charlie (once hot shot editor who has gone back home to help his parents run the family book store). When Nora’s sister Libby asks her to go on a getaway to Sunshine Falls, a small down just outside of Asheville, NC the last thing she expects to run into is Charlie.
For fans of Emily Henry, I definitely recommend this book. You won’t regret it!
RATING: A+
One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
A Murder Most French | Colleen Cambridge
In the second novel in the American in Paris Mystery series by Colleen Cambridge, we find ourselves back in the world of chef-in-training Julia Child (and her completely fiction best friend) American ex-pat Tabitha Knight.
When Tabitha agrees to go to a demonstration at Le Cordon Bleu, she doesn’t expect there to be a murder, nor does she expect to also be on the site of a second murder either. As much as she tries not to investigate, she finds herself pulled into the case after her Grand-père and Oncle Rafe nearly meet the same fate.
This novel takes us from Le Cordon Bleu to the depths of the Paris catacombs for one exciting ride where you never know who you can really trust.
RATING: A
Postwar Paris is surging back to life, and its citizens are seizing every opportunity to raise a glass or share a delicious meal. But as American ex-pat Tabitha Knight and chef-in-training Julia Child discover, celebrations can quickly go awry when someone has murder in mind . . .
The graceful domes of Sacré Coeur, the imposing cathedral of Notre Dame, the breathtaking Tour Eiffel . . . Paris is overflowing with stunning architecture. Yet for Tabitha Knight, the humble building that houses the Cordon Bleu cooking school, where her friend Julia studies, is just as notable. Tabitha is always happy to sample Julia’s latest creation and try to recreate dishes for her Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.
The legendary school also holds open demonstrations, where the public can see its master chefs at work. It’s a treat for any aspiring cook—until one of the chefs pours himself a glass of wine from a rare vintage bottle—and promptly drops dead in front of Julia, Tabitha, and other assembled guests. It’s the first in a frightening string of poisonings that turns grimly personal when cyanide-laced wine is sent to someone very close to Tabitha.
What kind of killer chooses such a means of murder, and why? Tabitha and Julia hope to find answers in order to save innocent lives—not to mention a few exquisite vintages—even as their investigation takes them through some of the darkest corners of France’s wartime past . . .
The Berlin Apartment | Bryn Turnbull
While The Paris Deception remains my favorite novel by author Bryn Turnbull thus far, The Berlin Apartment is a close second. Revolving around Uli and Lise, their love story spans from just before the Berlin Wall separated them until… well I won’t give that part away. What really shines through with this novel, is the resilience of the people that lived during the years that West Berlin was separated from East Germany. While many of the residents of Eastern Germany were indoctrinated into the socialist views of their government there were many who didn’t. Their determination to find a way to the West and live the lives they deserved (not matter how long it took) is inspiring.
RATING: A
Berlin 1961: When Uli Neumann proposes to Lise Bauer, she has every reason to accept. He offers her love, respect, and a life beyond the strict bounds of the East German society in which she was raised — which she longs to leave more than anything. But only two short days after their engagement, Lise and Uli are torn violently apart when barbed wire is rolled across Berlin, splitting the city into two hostile halves: capitalist West Berlin, an island of western influence isolated far beyond the iron curtain; and the socialist East, a country determined to control its citizens by any means necessary.
Soon, Uli and his friends in West Berlin hatch a plan to get Lise and her unborn child out of East Germany, but as distance and suspicion bleed into their lives and as weeks turn to months, how long can true love survive in the divided city?
The Rose Arbor | Rhys Bowen
I first discovered Bowen’s work back in 2021 when I shared a Q&A about The Venice Sketchbook. I recently picked up a copy of her latest novel, The Rose Arbor. The title was the first thing that intrigued me, and the synopsis for the novel was the next. Set in 1968 in the aftermath of WWII, reporter Liz Houghton, determined to get out of the obits column and back into the newsroom, investigates two cases, the first is a current case of a missing girl named Lucy, and the second happened two decades earlier with the disappearance of three little girls. While searching for clues that may tie the two cases together, Liz discovers a family secret of her own.
The Rose Arbor is an engaging story, so much so that you don’t want it to end. A must read for any lover of all things mystery.
RATING: A+
An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.
London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.
Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.
As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?
Frequent Fliers | Noué Kirwan
Lanie’s been unlucky in love all her life. Her search for someone who will just love her for who she is has alluded her, until she runs into a man who just might check all the boxes… well I should say, he runs into her.
While in the airport on the way to reunite with family in England, (and her childhood crush who just happens to be marrying her cousin) Lanie is more than a little skeptical about how she’s going to handle the whole ‘maid of honor’ duties not to mention the additional task of being ‘best mate’ to Jonah (aka her longtime crush.)
On the trip she is seated next to Dr. Ridley Aronson (a widower and single father) aka the jerk who ran into her just to get to the head of the line to board the plane. Over the next several hours she finds herself befriending that handsome stranger, with the possibilities of where this could go quite literally up in the air.
For lovers of romance novels, this is one to check out.
Rating: A-
Her life is up in the air—literally…
Lanie Turner has some loose ends:
A nearly complete PhD.
A job she basically enjoys.
And a lifelong crush…that she’s almost gotten over.
On a trip to reunite with her family in England—and said crush, Jonah—Lanie intends to take care of one of those items. Her favorite cousin, Gemma, is engaged…to Jonah. And they want Lanie to be both their maid of honor and best “mate” at the wedding. It’s the perfect opportunity to prove the pitying gazes wrong: she’s over Jonah. Really.
As Lanie travels between New York City and London to help with wedding prep, she befriends her handsome seat mate. Dr. Ridley Aronsen—a widower and single father—who is prickly at first, but feisty Lanie reminds him of a more carefree time in his life. And after a steamy layover in Iceland, the pair take a direct flight from seat mates to lovers. Ridley even agrees to be her plus-one for the wedding. For once, everything seems to be falling into place.
But Lanie’s used to getting hurt, and Ridley finds opening up difficult. How will a long-distance relationship even work once Lanie’s back in NYC permanently? It’s easy enough to let one more loose thread unravel…after all, life’s problems seem tiny from thirty-five thousand feet in the air.
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