*[[Review]] The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Little Book of Hygge, written and read by Meik Wiking. Denmark is often said to be the happiest country in the world. That's down to one thing: hygge. 'Hygge has been translated as everything from the art of creating intimacy to cosiness of the soul to taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things. My personal favourite is cocoa by candlelight...' You know hygge when you feel it. It is when you are cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, or sharing comfort food with your closest friends. It is those crisp blue mornings when the light through your window is just right. Who better than Meik Wiking to be your guide to all things hygge? Meik is CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and has spent years studying the magic of Danish life. In this beautiful, inspiring book he will help you be more hygge: from picking the right lighting and planning a dinner party through to creating an emergency hygge kit and even how to dress. Meik Wiking is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. He is committed to finding out what makes people happy and has concluded that hygge is the magic ingredient that makes Danes the happiest nation in the world.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 3h 13 minutes (Audiobook)
Source: Toronto Public Library 
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audiobook
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 
Add to Goodreads: Goodreads

I'll admit I'm a little late to the Hygge (pronounced Hoo-Gah) bandwagon but, hot damn am I on bored.  For those who do not know what Hygge is it's basically the danish way of being, kind of like the North American word cozy but with more feeling. During this past holiday season I was doing so much running around, cleaning up and stressing out because we brought my Dad home from the nursing home for a couple of days that I didn't  have anytime to sit down and just read, so I downloaded The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking and away I went.

Firstly, can I just say how refreshing it was to have an author narrate their own book? While I was listening to the Little Book of Hygge I just could not get over how perfect Meik Wiking was at reading it aloud. I couldn't imagine anyone else reading it and I found his diction to be perfect. He was warm, and friendly and was just want this little book needed and made this a fun, easy and addictive listen.

While I am new to the term Hygge I would like to say that I'm not new to the concept. I love the idea of cozy living. I don't believe in spending vast amounts of money in the pursuit of happiness mostly because I don't have a lot of money and because money doesn't buy happiness. I was raised in a low income family and I suppose I still am in a low income family situation but to me that is a benefit. I've got to give it to my parents who put family togetherness before everything. We grew up thrifty and to me that is comfort, and comfort is hygge.

Food is a main focus of Meik Wiking's guide to hygge and I couldn't agree with him more. Food is where I find a lot of my hygge. Is it because food uses so many senses? The human sense of smell has the strongest memory retention. When we smell something it is what helps us remember more than any other sense. Though it is not alone, taste, sight and the action of doing all make food hygge. For example, I lost my mum a little three years ago and when I want to shut the family in, have everyone all snug in the house after a rough week I make her spaghetti. We all bundle up and either eat together or go to our own corners of the house, and remember how she used to cook and keep her memory with us. It sounds silly to put an element of hygge so simply, however to me that is what hygge is it's simplicity. It is coziness, it is contentment, it is being in a large group of friends or it is being alone. It is spending a weekend away, or a weekend in. It is as different in what in means to different people as there are different people in the world.

Besides giving some tips on how to find hygge in our ever more hectic, high speed, ultra connected, impersonal world, Wiking spreads a message of happiness, gives an interesting look into the Danish way of life, and  lays out some ways one might try to capture hygge.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his tips on creating hygge, little factoids about happiness and how it is measured in his job at the Happiness Institute, and sharing some personal stories about himself and some of his particularly hygge memories.

The audiobook of The Little Book of Hygge was only 3 hours 13 minutes long but it felt longer, and I don't mean that in a bad way. While it did seem like time flew by while I was listening to this, it certainly made an impact on me and now I find myself on a quest to be more hyggelig in the future and made me think about how I can be more hygge in my life. I feel as though there was a lot of personal reflection that happened after I finished this book, that I will be reading more books about hygge soon which is why I can't recommend this audiobook enough. Get some tips, add a few new recipes to you're recipes, and remember how to laugh and be happy without spending an arm and a leg.

[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway]* Kill and Run (A Thorny Rose Mystery #1) by Lauren Carr

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed. Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer. Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike. 

In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer? 

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 424 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: July 20th 2015 by Acorn Book Services

Genre: Mystery

Series: A Thorny Rose Mystery

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audiobook

Buy Links: AMAZON - B&N

ADD TO GOODREADS 

I've been meaning to read Lauren Carr for years, I remember when I first started blogging and everyone was reading her books and I had every intention of trying her sooner...but well..you guys probably know what happened. My little to read pile took on a life of its own and a lot of books got pushed down on my list.

Do not let the purple cover lull you into a false sense of security. This is not your grandma's cozy mystery. Kill and Run is the first in a surprisingly dark and sexy mystery/thriller series. I was one of those people who took one look at the cover and thought I knew what I was getting into but ended up being pleasantly surprised!

I enjoyed that Kill and Run was not just my first venture into Carr's writing but also Murphy (the male lead's) first case as well and what a case to have. Five dead women seemingly unconnected at first but as he pulls the threads of their lives finds a connection that's closer to home than he'd like and with a little help from his new bride Jessica Faraday things become very clear to him that nothing is as it seems.

There were lots of plot twists and turn in this one and just when I thought I knew what was going on with the murderer and the characters, the author switched things around on me and I loved it! The characters were great and there was more than just brutal murders to keep me interested in the story. The two main characters Murphy and Jessica were great together. They played off each other well and they sounded like a real married couple to me. I love how they bickered together but boy the steam coming off them sometimes made it hard to read! Plus there were a lot of laughs (and a lot of animals) to off set the darker undertones of the series as well.

Overall, this one surprised me a lot in a great ways. The writing is great, face paced and both the characters and the plot had substance. I didn't find either lacking and I'm super stoked that the author lived up to my expectations. I'm only sorry that I haven't tried Lauren Carr's books sooner. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a murder mystery with an edge. Not sure I would call this a thriller but it's definitely very edgy and isn't one that I'd miss.

AUTHOR BIO:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

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[Blog Tour Review]* The Munich Girl by Phyllis Edgerly Ring

Anna Dahlberg grew up eating dinner under her father’s war-trophy portrait of Eva Braun. Fifty years after the war, she discovers what he never did—that her mother and Hitler’s mistress were friends. The secret surfaces with a mysterious monogrammed handkerchief, and a man, Hannes Ritter, whose Third Reich family history is entwined with Anna’s. Plunged into the world of the “ordinary” Munich girl who was her mother’s confidante—and a tyrant’s lover—Anna finds her every belief about right and wrong challenged. With Hannes’s help, she retraces the path of two women who met as teenagers, shared a friendship that spanned the years that Eva Braun was Hitler’s mistress, yet never knew that the men they loved had opposing ambitions. Eva’s story reveals that she never joined the Nazi party, had Jewish friends, and was credited at the Nuremberg Trials with saving 35,000 Allied lives. As Anna's journey leads back through the treacherous years in wartime Germany, it uncovers long-buried secrets and unknown reaches of her heart to reveal the enduring power of love in the legacies that always outlast war. 

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 336 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: N/A

Publication Date: November 14th 2015 by Whole Sky Books

ADD TO GOODREADS

Many of you know how much of a historical fiction fan I am. I love the genre, I love how authors are able to capture history and bring it to life....and I generally like all historical periods though there is one subset that I don't venture into very often and that is WWII historical fiction. Then there are books that come a long and make me question why? 

The Munich Girl was rich with historical details. Chronicling three different women Anna, Peggy, and Eva Braun and told in different timelines as Anna is in 1995 and she's set to solve the family mystery that began 50 years before during the Second World War.

I'm a sucker for books that are told in alternating timelines, and from multiple points of view. It's one of my favourite ways to read a historical fiction novel and the way that the author was able to bring all of her characters, the setting, and the emotions to life was amazing. I found Munich Girl to be an emotional read, I was torn between loving and hating certain characters but I do applaud the author for being able to really evoke those feelings in me.

The Munich Girl was fast paced, well written and heartwrenching. I appreciated the amount of research that obviously must have gone into constucting the backdrop of the story. I felt as though I'd been transported back in time, it was almost as if I was in the story myself. I found the lives of the three women in the book to have come together so wonderfully. There were many different threads to follow in the story and everything came together very well. The side characters were also very well fleshed out. They were not used as mere props but had quirks, and there were some I loved and some I hated for various reasons.

Overall, I know I've been slightly vague in my review but fear not dear reader, this was intentional! With how interwoven the stories of the three women are I'd rather not give away any plot twists and believe me The Munich Girl has its fair share of twists. Is it a book that I would recommend? Absolutely. It was a unique story, and I think historical fiction enthusiasts should give it a try, and if you're new to the genre or are just curious about delving into this particular era in history I'd say this is a lovely place to begin and I can't wait to read more by the author. 

[Review]* Justice By Another Name by E.C. Hanes

Set against the backdrop of North Carolina’s powerful hog-producing industry, Justice by Another Name tells the story of Paul Reavis’s suspicious workplace death followed a year later by a senseless death of his young son Paulie. Lana Reavis, who believes her husband was murdered and her son the victim of deliberate negligence, enlists the aid of her long-ago boyfriend, Will Moser, who is currently chief deputy of Hogg County and the heir apparent to the local sheriff. As Will’s investigation unfolds, suspicious activities and cover-ups begin to emerge. All evidence points to Oris Martin, the powerful owner of Martin Farms, a huge hog-production enterprise and Hogg County’s largest employer, as the mastermind. Despite political pressure and physical threats to look the other way, Will continues his search for what really happened. Meanwhile, Lana, convinced that Oris will be beyond the reach of justice, devises a plan to avenge her family and destroy everything precious to Oris Martin.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 245 pages (Hardcover)

Series: N/A

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: March 1st 2017 by RaneCoat Press

ADD TO GOODREADS

Think a life in the country is quite? Seemingly safe? Have you thought about moving to a backwoods county? Dreamt of sipping sweet tea while sitting on the porch swing breathing in the North Carolinian air? Me too. Except probably not where Will Moser chief deputy is.

There's just something about the politics of a small county that make everything seem so much more dangerous than anything that's happening in the big city. 

While only 245 pages long E.C. Hanes thriller packed a whale of a punch. Hogg County is a little and just like any small town things aren't at all like they seem in a postcards. There's a lot of secrets buried in the dry sunbaked dirt and Will Moser is right smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation involving a conspiracy theory centered around the county's biggest hog farmers and there is nothing he isn't willing to do to get to the bottom of the death he's investigating.  I  found Will Moser to be gruff but tenacious in his pursuit of justice. His uncanny ability to snuff out the clues that the bad guys had left, figuring no one in their podunk little county could be smart enough to put all the pieces. 

Justice By Another Name was one of those thrillers that really does depend on the smallest detail being given at just the right time to piece together the larger picture. While something may see insignificant, or irrelevant to the story a chapter later I'd find out that the author pulled a fast one on me and I'd be left trying to figure out how I'd missed it. 

Even though it was a shorter read it had an immense amount of detail, extremely well written characters and an amazing, creeping, slow building conclusion that came out of no where for me at least. I thought it was just the right amount of country without being overly so and would definitely recommend it to other fans of the small town thriller type reads. If slow building, character driven stories are what does it for you, I suggest giving Justice by Another Name a try and I am really looking forward to seeing if the author is going to stay the course and continue writing similar thrillers. 

[Review] Fatal Option by Chris Beakey

On the coldest night of the year, Stephen Porter is pulled from a restless sleep by a midnight phone call. His 17-year-old daughter Sara is stranded in a blizzard near the top of a mountain beyond their suburban home. She's terrified and unable to stop crying as she begs him to come to her rescue.
Unfortunately Stephen went to bed just an hour before after a night of binge drinking. With his blurred vision and unsteady balance he knows it’s dangerously irresponsible to get behind the wheel. But he heads out into the snowstorm to bring Sara home.
High school teacher Kieran O’Shea is also behind the wheel, searching for his autistic younger brother Aidan, who is wandering aimlessly through the storm on that same mountain. Kieran is also terrified—of the voices in his mind, of the possibility that Aidan will be taken from him, and of the certainty that he will soon be arrested for murdering three women.
In a matter of minutes Stephen will encounter Kieran and drive headlong into a collision that will force him to unlock the secret of his wife’s death, avoid prosecution, and protect his children from violence that hits all too close to home.

Summary & Cover taken from GoodReads.com

Length: 304 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Series: N/A

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: February 21st 2017 by Post Hill Press

ADD TO GOODREADS

I've been having some personal issues here so I've had to step back from the blog for a couple weeks until things were sorted out, as a result I'm a bit behind in a few reviews so now I'm playing catch up and Fatal Option was the first one on deck.
Chris Beakey had me from page one. I am not kidding. I thought that it might take me a bit of time to get back into the rhythm of reading again but as it turns out all I needed was the right book. Add in the cold rainy day that I spent reading it, it was just what the doctor ordered. What a thing to say about a thriller right?
This was very much a cat and mouse type thriller. We have our protagonist, Stephen. Widower. Drunk. Father. Fool. He's all of these things and more...but there was a grace about him. I found him flawed but a great character and he sure knew how to play the cat and mouse game the "bad guy" tangled him up in and he did it very well. His daughter is the one who sets him on the course of the events in the book on the worst blizzard of the year but I learned very quickly that with this thriller that all is not how it seems.
In Fatal Options, the characters, the events the motivations of each person appeared to be very clear but, I learned as I read on that not all was as it appeared. It reminded me of a tangle of knots. Just as I thought I was finally beginning to understand where the story was going I was flipped, spun around. It was like playing pin the tale on the donkey and I loved it. It was such a surprise to be surprised and a relief. Where I thought the story was going never ended up being what I thought it would.
This was an emotional rollercoaster of a read. I went into this book with my mind made up about certain characters but found by the end of it that I had been led astray by my presumptions. There's a lot of death in this book, sadness, grief and guilt were all such strong feelings I felt on behalf of the characters made me feel as if the emotions themselves were characters in the story made flesh.
This was haunting and heart pounding. Exciting and gut clenching and an all around dark yet fun read for me as a thriller lover. I thought that it was refreshingly well written told with a unique voice and one that I can't wait to hear more from. Chris Beakey left me wanting more and I can't wait to see what this exciting author has next.
I highly recommend thriller fans and fans of heart pounding plot twists to give this book a read as soon as possible. It's not one to be missed.

{Blog Tour Review]*A Ghostly Reunion (Ghostly Southern Mysteries #5) by Tonya Kappes

Emma Lee Raines sees dead people

Proprietor of the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home, Emma Lee can see, hear, and talk to ghosts of murdered folks. And when her high school nemesis is found dead, Jade Lee Peel is the same old mean girl—trying to come between Emma Lee and her hot boyfriend, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, all over again.

There’s only one way for Emma Lee to be free of the trash-talking ghost—solve the murder so the former prom queen can cross over.

But the last thing Jade Lee wants is to leave the town where she had her glory days. And the more Emma Lee investigates on her own, the more complicated Miss Popularity turns out to be. Now Emma Lee will have to work extra closely with her hunky lawman to get to the twisty truth. 
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 352 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: December 27th 2016 by Witness
Buy Links: AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
ADD TO GOODREADS

This was such a fun mystery to read. 

I loved the southern charm that oozed from the pages of this one. Despite the fact that Emma owns and runs a funeral home I thought she was a sparkplug. She see dead people but this lady is full of piss and vinegar. Pardon my french.

I came into this one having not read the previous books in the series (hoping to rectify that soon!) but apart from the odd time here or there I would say that A Ghostly Reunion was easy to follow along with. 

I loved the idea of Emma seeing dead people. What can I say? It's one of my favourite themes in books so the fact that this was mixed with a cozy little southern mystery I was all set to enjoy it, and enjoy it I did.

I liked the cute banter between Emma and her boyfriend Jack who just happens to be the sheriff. I thought they were adorable together and they seemed really right for each other so I was so on Emma's side when her dead frenemy from high school tried to sink her ghostly claws into Jack I wasn't having it.

I loved the mix of murder mystery mixed with the small town setting and thought that the characters were really well developed. I liked their relationship and I like how it was tested a bit. The way the she came to find out who killed Jade was one that I didn't see coming and enjoyed seeing how it all came to a conclusion.

I'd recommend this one to fans of the cozy genre with the right amount of southern sass, some ghosts and laughs. I can't wait to go back to the beginning of the series and seeing how Emma's adventures all started.

Author Bio:

Tonya Kappes has written more than fifteen novels and four novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers, and one ex-stray cat in northern Kentucky. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full-time but can be found at all of her guys’ high school games with a pencil and paper in hand.

Author Links:

 Website Twitter Facebook 

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1. 01/16 Guest post/showcase @ The Book Divas Reads

2. 01/16 Showcase @ Sapphyrias Book Reviews

3. 01/16 Showcase @ Tome Tender

4. 01/17 Guest post @ Mythical Books

5. 01/17 Showcase @ The Way I See It

6. 01/18 Interview/showcase @ CMash Reads

7. 01/19 Review/Showcase @ Just a Little R&R

8. 01/20 Showcase @ A Bookaholic Swede

9. 01/21 Review @ WTF ARE YOU READING?

10. 01/22 Showcase @ A Dream Within A Dream

11. 01/23 Review/showcase @ Books, Dreams, Life

12. 01/25 Interview @ b00k r3vi3ws

13. 01/26 Review @ Bless their hearts mom

14. 01/27 Showcase @ BooksChatter

15. 01/28 Guest post @ Suspense Magazine

16. 01/30 Review @ Hott Books

17. 02/02 Guest post @ Rabid Reads

18. 02/03 Review @ Book Babble

19. 02/04 Interview @ Rockin Book Reviews

20. 02/06 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews

21. 02/07 Showcase @ Caroles Book Corner

22. 02/08 Review @ Hezzi-Ds Books and Cooks

23. 02/08 Showcase @ The Pen and Muse Book Reviews

24. 02/09 Review @ Lauras Interests

25. 02/10 Showcase @ Sleuth Cafe

26. 02/11 Review @ A Holland Reads

27. 02/11 Review @ Turning the Pages

28. 02/16 Review @ JBronder Book Reviews

29. 02/16 Review @ I am not a bookworm!

30. 02/17 Review @ just reviews

31. 2/15 Review @ Bookishly me

[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway]* The Queen's Maid of Honour (The French Orphan #4) by Michael Stolle

The year is 1643. The scheming Cardinal Mazarin is now Prime Minister of France, but on the other side of the Channel, unrest in England grows daily, as civil war is erupting. As the political situation in England deteriorates, the royal court flees London for Oxford, and King Charles is desperate to secure both funding and troops to come to his aid.

Mazarin, every bit as devious as his predecessor, Richelieu, engages the services of François de Toucy to save the Queen of England, a former royal princess of France. François and his friends will set sail for England, in a quest to ensure the safety of the queen.

Whilst François is walking a diplomatic tightrope across the political cauldron of the royal court, his friend Armand falls desperately in love with the Queen’s Maid of Honour, a lady as beautiful as she is cunning.

Soon the friends find themselves deeply entangled in a deadly combination of cut-throat politics, disasters on the battlefield and bitter machinations at court over love and war and the struggle between Protestants and Catholics that threaten to spell only death and disaster. 
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 425 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: March 30th 2016
ADD TO GOODREADS 
Buy Links:  AMAZON US AMAZON CAN AMAZON UK AMAZON AUS/NZ

What an ending to a great series.
I just finished this one today and I'm still taking in the ending, so bear with me, this is a really short review.
I really enjoyed seeing Fancois grow in this novel with the help of his friends. Both France and England are in the midst of major political upheaval in this one and there's a whole lot of out with the old and in with the new in terms of people coming to power and people being ousted (some none to gently or well...alive that is).
There was a lot going on in The Queen's Maid of Honour. I was expecting the pace of the story to perhaps slow down what with this being the final book in the French Orphan series but to my surprise it kept the frantic (in a great way) pace up right until the very end which I truly appreciated. I think that if the novel had gone at a slower pace the sense of urgency that prevailed for many of the scenarios in the story would have suffered.
I feel like Michael Stolle pulled out all the stops in this volume. The writing was crisp, edgy and very well detailed. The characters were well thought out and I felt that they were very well developed, we saw the final results of all that they'd been working towards whether that end be good or bad but things wrapped up very well for me.
Again, I'm still trying to formulate more comprehensive thoughts on this one so stay tuned for an updated review with extra notes. If this sounds like a series you would like to try check out my reviews for the other 3 books in this series which are linked in the sidebar and don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of book one.

Author Bio:

Born and educated in Europe, Michael has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.

He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall...

Author Links: 

GOODREADS

Giveaway:

To win a paperback copy of The French Orphan (Book One) by Michael Stolle, please enter via the Gleam form below. Three copies are up for grabs!

Rules:

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 11th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

– Giveaway is open to residents in the US, UK, and CANADA only.

– Only one entry per household.

– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

French Orphan Series

[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway]* Under the Spell of The Serenissima (The French Orphan #3)by Michael Stolle

The third in the French Orphan series follows the exploits of Pierre, former penniless orphan who discovers he is heir to the de Beauvoir inheritance.

So far, Pierre has found friends in unexpected places, been surprised by love, learned the true meaning of friendship, discovered the extent of human cunning and depravity and dodged numerous attempts by his closest family member to despatch him to the next world.

In Under the Spell of the Serenissima Pierre’s search for the third Templar ring continues, but as ever, his path is not a smooth one. Pierre and Armand, along with Jean and Edoardo, are making for Venice, unaware that others too are racing towards the beautiful city, some intending to help, others with far more sinister motives.

As the various characters are drawn inexorably towards Venice, a conclusion will be played out that must decide Pierre’s fate, one way or another…

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 302 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Genre: Historical Fiction

Available Formats: Print/E-Book

Publication Date: December 15th 2013 by CreateSpace

ADD TO GOODREADS

Buy Links: AMAZON US AMAZON CAN AMAZON UK AMAZON AUS/NZ

You don't have any idea how much I've enjoyed my trips back in time in Michael Stolle's French Orphan series. 

In Under the Spell of the Serenissima, we see things really begin to heat up politically and personally for Pierre, and his best friend Armand. We see both of them really grow into men in this installment and earnestly try to leave their youthful fancies behind. We see where the furture may come to lead these two and it made me wonder if they had a future supporting each other and made me want to bash their heads together more than once over some disagreements. However, I did enjoy that there was a bit more conflict between our two lads in this one because they are best friends we also see how each of them is being pulled in so many directions that I found it dizzying. 

That being said, the book wasn't chaotic don't get me wrong there was a lot going on but I by the time I finished it I could begin to see where it was all headed and what might just be the outcome. One thing I think was a great push for this installment was that I saw that not just the main characters grown and evolve but many of the main supporting cast like Marie, Jean and Nicholas as well. We begin to see what everyone elses motivations are and I thought it was refreshing that they came more to the forefront in this volume since they play such a large part in the story.

We also see the treacherous political machinations begin to reach a head, and there was plenty of heart pounding moments in which I thought the jig might be up but I was pleasantly surprised to see how our young hero Pierre bounced back in the face of adversity.

This was a welcome edition in this series and I'm glad to say that the momentum has not let up. This one truly lives up to the standard that the first two books put in place. If you haven't checked this series out (my reviews for books one and two are located in the sidebar), than I highly suggest doing so if you want a book that's a mixture of historical fiction, political thriller and adventure novel.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's review of the final book in this series!

Author Bio:

Born and educated in Europe, Michael has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.

He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall...

Author Links: 

GOODREADS

Giveaway:

To win a paperback copy of The French Orphan (Book One) by Michael Stolle, please enter via the Gleam form below. Three copies are up for grabs!

Rules:

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 11th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

– Giveaway is open to residents in the US, UK, and CANADA only.

– Only one entry per household.

– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

French Orphan Series