Historical Fiction – Current Book Stack

November 30, 2021

American Royals Series

Thoughts: I loved this series, to the point that I overnighted the second when I finished the first. It’s essentially if a milder Gossip Girl met The Crown. The books follow the Washington family, descendants of George Washington, who in this world was the first King and not President. There’s no deal in place for the third book yet but it ends with so much more story to tell I really hope she continues the series.

Summary: When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American.

November 30, 2021

The Lost Apothecary

Thoughts: This was my BOTM pick for March and I really enjoyed it. Nella runs an apothecary in the 1700s with two rules, the poisons must be used on men and the names will be recorded so it’s part of someone’s history. In current day London Caroline is on her anniversary trip, alone, and starts to unravel the history of the hidden apothecary.

Summary: Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

November 30, 2021

Fortune Favors the Dead

Thoughts: I loved this book and it has the perfect set up to be a series so I’m excited to see it’s happening. The story is narrated by Will who has spent her recent years as an assistant to a private investigator. We start off learning how she came to work for Lillian and then she tells the story of a high profile murder they solved. I love a good mystery book and this being centered around two qualified women instead of the typical grumpy man and and a random female sidekick was great.

Summary: It’s 1942 and Willowjean “Will” Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York’s best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn’t expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian’s multiple sclerosis means she can’t keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian’s very particular art of investigation.

Three years later, Will and Lillian are on the Collins case: Abigail Collins was found bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball following a big, boozy Halloween party at her home—her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed.

But that’s easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins—the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca’s relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer’s next target.

November 30, 2021

The Four Winds

Thoughts: I won’t lie, this wasn’t my favorite Kristin Hannah book. The story itself is of course beautifully written which is what I think made it hard to read for me. The story follows a family living through the dust bowl and their travels west to try to create a better life for themselves. The story is incredibly moving, especially the ending, but the middle part gets very dark and was hard for me to read more than chunks at a time. Focusing on the strong female impact during this time in our country was incredible to read though and important to highlight.

Summary: Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

January 2, 2021

Top 5 Books of 2020

I finished up my final book of 2020 on Wednesday which makes 75 total for the year. I’ve loved being able to share books with everyone this year and the below five are ones I couldn’t stop thinking about and recommending to others.

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo I truly loved this book, it has everything you could ask for in a story and will keep you captivated and invested throughout. Evelyn Hugo was the it girl of Hollywood for decades, and now that she’s getting older she want to tell her whole story. She hires a young writer to write the book and keep her legacy alive, and we get to listen is as she recounts her decades in Hollywood and life since the spotlight.

2. Verity If Gone Girl is one of your movies that you see playing on TV and can’t pass by, you have to read this book. An author named Lowen is hired to ghost write a book in a very popular series after the author is in a car accident and isn’t able to finish. She moves into the Crawfords’ home to go through the notes Verity made for the book and tries to piece everything together. While looking through the notes however she discovers a lot more than she intended to.

3. The Alice Network If you’re a historical fiction fan, any Kate Quinn is mandatory reading, but The Alice Network was my favorite. The book follows Eve during WWII as she becomes a spy in France, and shows the incredible contributions these women made to the war. The timeline then shifts to 1947 where an American girl Charlie is searching for her cousin who she lost contact with during the war.

4. Talking to Strangers The irony is not lost on me that this was one of my favorite books in a year where 75% of my days I only speak to my husband and cats. What this year did bring however was a change in how we all communicate and interact with coworkers, friends, family and everyone else around us. Throughout the process of learning how to navigate these new communication standards I referenced lessons learned in this book multiple times.

5. Normal People The perfect cuddle up with a blanket and read in one sitting love story. The book follows Connell and Marianne from high school to college and all the life and love lessons they learn along the way. Disclaimer: this is not your happy romcom story, and you might cry, but you will fall in love with this couple. The book was also made into a show on Hulu for when you finish but still want more.

December 29, 2020November 30, 2021

The Huntress

Pairs well with: Sam Adams Boston Lager

I had high expectations going into The Huntress as The Alice Network was one of my favorite books of 2020, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m not even embarrassed to say that I’ve now learned more about WWII from Kate Quinn novels than I did in high school. The way she crafts characters and weaves together stories is perfection. This book is no exception, the way everything comes together at the end is *chefs kiss.* If you’re a historical fiction fan you likely need no convincing to pick up another Kate Quinn, but trust me, do it.

What I love about The Alice Network and now The Huntress is that they focus on strong females getting to tell their stories and the impact they had on the war. The Huntress shines a light on Russian female pilots, following Nina through her journey of becoming a pilot and getting out of her small town. We not only get Ninas’ story through the war but follow afterwards as she teams up with Ian and Tony to attempt to catch war criminals, more specifically, ‘The Huntress.’ This search leads them to Boston where Jordan is living with her father and his new wife.

October 22, 2020November 30, 2021

Mexican Gothic

Pairs well with: Red Wine and the Halloween candy you ‘got for trick or treaters’

I’d seen a lot of people posting about enjoying Mexican Gothic, and then Kelly Ripa posted about it so I was sold. I can only watch Hocus Pocus so many times (according to my husband) to get into the holiday spirit this year so this book was perfect. The author does a great job of balancing the story and character development with the creepiness factor. I won’t lie, when I was walking upstairs to bed after reading I may have turned on every light along the way, but it was a great story.

The story is set in 1950’s Mexico following Noemí. Her cousin married a man quickly and left Mexico City to live at his family home and the family has hardly heard from her until she starts sending some concerning letters. Noemí makes a deal with her dad to go visit and check on her cousin, but when she gets there she realizes there’s something very abnormal about her in laws and their family home.