Month: September 2020

Review: The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1)

Title: The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1)
Author: Signe Pike
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Touchstone
Source: Gifted
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon, this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin. 

I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history…

In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.

Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time.

Review:

Langoureth is the forgotten queen from the sixth century. She was raised with her twin brother, Lailoken, in the Old Way, with legends and secrets kept by the Keepers. As they grew up, Christianity grew in popularity and became the religion of the land. When Langoureth is promised to be married to the son of the king, she has to fight between the desire to follow her heart and to do what’s right for her family.

This story was fast paced and exciting. The chapters ended with cliffhangers that made me want to keep reading. Langoureth had many secrets that she had to hide from others, which added tension. If these secrets were revealed, it could mean the death of her or the people she cared most about so it was important that she keep them to herself. The threat of these secrets kept up the tension in the story.

I loved the medieval history in this story. I wasn’t aware of this story before reading this book. There isn’t a lot of information about these historical figures, since it took place 1,500 years ago, but this story of the forgotten queen, Langoureth, is an important one.

This is a great historical story. I’m so excited to read the next book in the trilogy!

What to read next:

The Forgotten Kingdom (The Lost Queen Trilogy #2) by Signe Pike

Finding Merlin by Adam Ardrey

Have you read The Lost Queen? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books for My Younger Self

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books for My Younger Self. Here’s my list:

1. Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith

2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

3. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

5. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

7. Dear Martin by Nic Stone

8. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

9. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

10. Pride by Ibi Zoboi

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Happy Pub Day – September 8

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney

The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson

My Riot by Rick Spears and Emmett Helen

These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

One by One by Ruth Ware

Iron Heart by Nina Varela

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: The Switch [audiobook]

Title: The Switch
Author: Beth O’Leary
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: August 18, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some long-overdue rest. 

Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects. 

But stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find true love? In Beth O’Leary’s The Switch, it’s never too late to change everything….or to find yourself.

Review:

When Leena is forced into a two month vacation from her job, she decides to switch places with her 79-year-old grandmother, Eileen. They’re both struggling to find happiness in their lives, so they agree that they need a change of pace. Leena takes over her grandmother’s place in the councils of the small town, and Eileen joins the online dating world in London. They both have to face their new gossipy friends and a different pace of life. Their lives change during those two months in ways that are irreversible.

I loved the audiobook version of this book. There were two different narrators, for the alternating chapters of Leena’s and Eileen’s perspectives. The two women had great voices that really suited the characters.

I liked that Eileen was an older character in this story. I’ve heard complaints that a lot of romantic comedies usually feature young adult characters, rather than characters who are middle aged or seniors. Eileen’s position as a senior actually made for some funny situations as she learned about online dating. Her elderly friends were also funny in the way they obsessed over little details in the small town. I’m glad to see this diversity of the age of characters in a contemporary romance.

This is a great story! I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

Have you read The Switch? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 7

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1) by Signe Pike.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Jackie and Maria by Gill Paul.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 6

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Lost Queen

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1) by Signe Pike.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon, this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy revealsthe untold story of Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin. 

I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history…

In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.

Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – ‘Clever’ Characters

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is ‘Clever’ Characters. Here’s my list:

1. Hermione Granger

2. Cress Darnel

3. Jo March

4. Nancy Drew

5. Temperance Brennan

6. Flavia de Luce

(All book covers from Goodreads)

Did you make a Six for Sunday list?

Review: Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1)

Title: Bringing Down the Duke
Author: Evie Dunmore
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order. 

Review:

Annabelle Archer is excited to be moving to Oxford to study and support the women’s suffrage movement. She had to convince her cousin to let her go, but with some persuading, he allowed it. Annabelle’s work with the suffrage group leads her to Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery. Annabelle is in charge of securing his support for the cause, but he opposes it. When Annabelle and Sebastian spend time together, they start to fall for each other, but it wouldn’t be proper for a Duke to be with a commoner, right?

This was a great enemies to lovers romance! There were some quite steamy scenes, especially considering it takes place in the nineteenth century. These characters didn’t let social conventions stand in their way of getting what they wanted.

Even though it was a romance, there were some serious issues in this story. Annabelle and her friends fought for women’s rights, which got them into trouble. The question of a woman’s place in marriage was also a prominent issue. Annabelle was offered an opportunity to be a mistress, because she wasn’t at the right social standing to be a wife to that man. They had to marry for business and social rules, not for love. These serious topics made the story seem more realistic, because there wasn’t always an idealistic outlook for the characters.

This is such a great Victorian romance!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

Other books in the series:

  • A Rogue of One’s Own

Have you read Bringing Down the Duke? What did you think of it?

Monthly Wrap-Up – August 2020

These are the books I read in August with their ratings and links to my reviews:

I read 26 books. My favourites were Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From and Fangs.

What was your favourite book of August?