Angieville

Today marks the release of The Art of Theft ―the fourth installment in Sherry Thomas's superb Lady Sherlock series . I'm delighted to be participating in the blog tour with a giveaway courtesy of Berkley. My emotions regarding this gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes retelling are tangled and fathoms-deep. These characters are incredibly dear to me, and I return to each book so very happy to see them and to read the breathtaking empathy with which Sherry Thomas writes about the realities of the lives of Victorian women and the truths that are so difficult to speak. Fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber should definitely search out this series if you've not yet made its acquaintance.  ABOUT THE BOOK Charlotte finds herself in  the  midst of an all-new debacle: how does a renowned detective, a super-sneaky sleuth, steal a piece of artwork?  The  crime-solver has uncovered missing persons, and even nabbed a murderer or two—but when an old friend of Mrs. Wat...

Today marks the release of An Artless Demise ―the seventh installment in Anna Lee Huber 's excellent Lady Darby mystery series. I'm happy to be participating in the blog tour with a giveaway courtesy of Berkley. This is a series I've enjoyed from the very beginning (you can read my review of the first book here ). Be sure that Kiera and Gage are well worth your time, particularly if you are a fan of Deanna Raybourn or Tasha Alexander . ABOUT THE BOOK Kiera’s return to London is anything but mundane after fleeing in infamy more than two years ago. While Kiera expected the whispers and murmurs inspired by her reappearance, she wasn’t prepared to receive a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge the secrets of her past and implicating her in crimes she didn’t commit. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of killing people from the streets and selling the bodies to medical schools, and Kiera is a perfect suspect for their crimes―after all, she was previo...

This series. My feelings for it are fierce and tangled, much like the ties that bind its protagonists. Charlotte, Lord Ingram, Livia, Inspector Treadles, Bancroft,  Lady Ingram  . . . characterize them each how you will, but there is nothing equivocal about them. While there is infinite room for every sort of gray area in their circumstances, their histories, and their difficult presents, the feelings that they engender (at least in me) are nothing if not strong one way or the other. And really, I wouldn't have it any other way. Who wants to feel the least bit milk-soppy about the people who inhabit their wonderfully complicated Victorian mysteries? Not me. That is who. Which is to say that I was prepared for a tumult of emotions as I embarked on this the third volume in Sherry Thomas 's Lady Sherlock series . Just, as it turns out, nowhere near prepared enough. Be warned: unavoidable spoilers for the first two books abound. Death has finally found its way to Lord Ingr...

I think this is (shamefully) the first Tessa Dare book I've reviewed on the site. I believe I initially read a couple of her Spindle Cove books awhile back and didn't really land upon the "right" one for me. Then I gave Romancing the Duke a try and found it to be ridiculously charming. The rest of the books in that series weren't quite my cuppa, but that first one was so fun that I went back and found the right Spindle Cove novel for me ( Any Duchess Will D o , in case you're interested; ugh, I love that book). Which brings me to  The Governess Game , which   is a delight from start to finish. That's the wonderful thing about books by talented and prolific authors. They're not all necessarily going to work for you, but it is so lovely reading your way through as time and whims allow and finding the ones that are yours. Alexandra Mountbatten tells time. That is to say, she sets clocks. For a living. Carting her instruments from aristocratic hous...

Because this series is unquestionably one of the very best I'm following these days, here is the cover for the third book in Sherry Thomas ' excellent Lady Sherlock series— The Hollow of Fear . A moment of shivers for that title, yes? But also. I have it on good authority that a couple of key aspects of this series are going to pick up some steam in this installment. And since the second book,  A Conspiracy in Belgravia , was arguably the best sequel I read last year, I am beside myself with excitement. Can you handle it? The Hollow of Fear is due out October 2nd.

It's been a full year of delicious anticipation, this waiting for the second volume in Sherry Thomas ' delightful Lady Sherlock series. I thoroughly enjoyed A Study in Scarlet Women  last year, and I had just a really good gut feeling about where the sequel would take my favorite characters—from the absolutely flawlessly rendered Charlotte Holmes and the impenetrable Lord Ingram, to Mrs. Watson, Livia and Bernadine Holmes, and poor, beleaguered Inspector Treadles. I was so pleased to be back in their company once more when I finally cracked open my copy of  A Conspiracy in Belgravia and commenced reading. It took her awhile, but now Charlotte is living in something more akin to the manner she would prefer. Together with her companion Mrs. Watson (and Mrs. Watson's irrepressible niece and aspiring physician Miss Redmayne), Charlotte is becoming extremely well-versed in the solving of all things mysterious around London. The only black marks on her new life are the dista...

September 5th feels a long way off yet, but I was so delighted to get a peek today at the beautiful cover for Sherry Thomas ' second Lady Sherlock novel— A Conspiracy in Belgravia . You know how much I enjoyed A Study in Scarlet Women , so I'm sure you won't be surprised when I say that the moment I read that this second installment involves one Lady Ingram, my mind fairly exploded with anxiety and anticipation. I just . . . how will it ever work out ? I ask you! If you're suffering in similar anticipation, feel free to share. I'll just be sitting here fretting.

I decided to start off the year with a read I felt was sure to satisfy. That's the space I'm occupying right now, guys. I need something new and I need something that's going to just make it right. Tall order, I know. But I've been a fan of the first Veronica Speedwell mystery for awhile now, and I was definitely eager to rejoin Veronica and Stoker's company to see what adventure they might find next. Deanna Raybourn has been my go-to author when it comes to Victorian mysteries for awhile now. Together with Sherry Thomas, Anna Lee Huber, and Laurie R. King, she brings the nuanced character development and effortless charm that I so enjoy to historical shenanigans and foul play. Veronica Speedwell has been thwarted in her latest plans for further world exploration when her host trips over a tortoise (truly) and sustains a compound fracture, the likes of which make their journey to the South Pacific impossible for the foreseeable future. And so she and Stoker are ...

Today, I'm excited to be participating in the blog tour for Sherry Thomas ' brand new Victorian mystery A Study in Scarlet Women . As you can likely tell from the title, this is the first installment in Thomas' Lady Sherlock series—a gender-swapped retelling of Sherlock Holmes. So basically, my catnip. We are living in an excellent age when it comes to Holmes retellings. From Laurie King's Mary Russell books to Ellie Marney's Every series  to the BBC's Sherlock , it's a feast of delights. And since I have been a Sherry Thomas fan for awhile now, I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard she was working on a female Holmes. The glowing cover blurb from Deanna Raybourn certainly didn't hurt.  Charlotte Holmes has taken the mother of all calculated risks and successfully gotten herself thrown out. It all started . . . well, ages ago, really. The youngest of four daughters, with parents who seem to hold nothing but disdain for one another, Charlo...

You guys. It is a genuine thrill for me to welcome Deanna Raybourn to the blog today! I am such a fangirl. I discovered Ms. Raybourn's work through her debut novel — Silent in the Grave —a book I consider perfect in every way and one that I foist upon other readers every chance I get. To say I was excited when she announced she was writing another Victorian mystery series is a not-so-mild understatement. A Curious Beginning is the first in the Veronica Speedwell series and it is being released in trade paperback on July 12th. We're celebrating with a giveaway of one copy, complete with gorgeous new cover. I literally can't stop stroking my copy. So, without further ado, please welcome Deanna Raybourn! This is your second Victorian mystery series. How did the idea for the series develop and how differently did your protagonists make themselves known as opposed to Lady Julia and Brisbane?   I am so lucky to have another chance to explore Victorian London! I love t...

A new Victorian mystery series from Deanna Raybourn is no small treat. I was basically beside myself with joy when I found out she would be returning to my favorite of her settings with an all new intrepid protagonist and (word had it) a broody hero to boot. Nobody broods like Brisbane broods (say that five times fast), and I was eager to make the acquaintance of this Veronica Speedwell and this natural historian by the name of Stoker. I did love the original hardcover for the heroine's dress and the misty fog drifting up the cobblestones. But I have to say, I'm more partial to this lovely new trade paperback edition. The butterflies! The silhouette of Veronica with her net! The typeface! I love it all. When a copy arrived in the mail for review, I could not have been more pleased. Veronica Speedwell is used to being on her own. She is used to striking out for locales unknown and obscure butterfly species heretofore undiscovered. What she is not used to is abduction at...

I'm sorry, but these brand spanking new Veronica Speedwell covers are divine, and that's all there is to it. I mean, the hardback cover of A Curious Beginning wasn't too shabby at all (the dress . . . the fog . . . ), but these ones have my heart. The silhouettes. The butterflies. The font . The problem, of course, is an old one and one that has plagued dedicated book collectors like myself for what seems like time immemorial. This new A Curious Beginning cover belongs to the paperback edition (due out July 12), while the matching cover for A Perilous Undertaking (the second book in the series) will be hardcover (due out September or thereabouts). Naturally, I own the hardcover copy of the first book. Sigh . Why? Why must my series be unmatched? All covers are not created equal, and I want these two gorgeous matched pretties on my shelf. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of lender copies, and my husband will assure you I have zero problem throwing down for ...

I've been truly impatient to read Evelyn Pryce 's sophomore novel ever since I thoroughly enjoyed her debut A Man Above Reproach a couple of years ago. And so it was with utter delight that I opened my mail a few days ago to find a copy of  The Thirteenth Earl , complete with wax-sealed note. It's the charming little things, guys, that just make my little world go round. Montlake has gifted this novel with another gorgeous cover in the same vein as the first one that initially caught my eye. They're just slightly refined in a way that appeals to me, and I love seeing their spines on my shelf. If you haven't tried any of Evelyn's work yet, I highly recommend snagging a copy of both of these. She writes lovely historical romance with characters I feel for that make me laugh. Just what the doctored ordered for the doldrums before spring arrives full stop. Jonathan Vane's title is Viscount Thaxton, but he is better known to all and sundry as the Ghost. The ...

I've mentioned before that I wrote my masters thesis on The Tenant of Wildfell Hall . What that means is this book is extremely dear to me. I first read it while on study abroad in London, and I fell madly in love with Anne's fierce introduction to the second edition and with Helen Graham and the way she slammed her bedroom door—her heart too thoroughly dried to be broken in a hurry, absolutely determined to live as long as she could. I own a rather limp Wordsworth Classics edition that I believe I picked up for a pound in a charity bookshop. It will always be my first. But I admit to having been on the lookout for a lovelier one for some time now. Which brings us to these three pretties. All available in fairly affordable copies from The Book Depository . Each eye-catching in its own way. I have to say, it will be difficult for me to resist the overturned glass of wine for the chills is sends down my spine (not the good ones, but if you've read the book you know ...

I was pretty excited when I first heard about Re Jane . A contemporary Korean American retelling of Jane Eyre ? Yes, please. It's one of my favorite classics, and one I've had success (and some failures) with the retelling thereof. Authors do love to tinker with this tale. I've read every kind of version, from scifi and fantasy to steampunk and contemporary, and I am nothing if not up for another go. So I went into Patricia Park 's debut novel with somewhat high hopes, even having heard that the Rochester character's wife was in fact alive and kicking and not at all locked up in their Brooklyn brownstone's attic. I decided to give Ms. Park the benefit of the doubt. I also love this cover. So modern, so bright, so full of promise. Jane Re has thus far lived a lackluster life by most standards. She's spent her whole life under the thumb of her unloving and unmoving aunt and uncle, slaving away in the family grocery store at all hours and never quite managi...

Normally, I like to space out the book cover posts a tad. But I simply couldn't wait with this gorgeous cover (her dress . . . the fog . . . gah) just being revealed for A Curious Beginning —the first book in Deanna Raybourn 's upcoming Victorian mystery series. The series follows Veronica Speedwell—a scientist with a taste for adventure. There is an enigmatic German baron, a bad-tempered historian named Stoker, murder, mayhem, oh my.  A Curious Beginning is due out September 1st. Yippee!

I started a Meredith Duran book some time ago and stalled out early on for reasons I can no longer quite remember. I know it wasn't the writing, which definitely struck me as adept. I think it was more to do with the setting and I not clicking. Also the sense I was getting that the characters were going to hurt each other—possibly at some length—before they found any middle ground. Either way, I wasn't up for it at the time. And then I'm fairly certain I went on to mix Ms. Duran up with Tessa Dare and forgot to return after trying and sort of spectacularly failing to engage with Dare's Spindle's Cove series. Which is why I'm very glad Fool Me Twice was brought to my attention a few days ago. It jogged my memory and I remembered I'd always meant to go back and investigate Duran's work further to see if there might be a better fit among her backlist. As it turns out, her most recent novel and I were destined to get on in spades. Olivia Mather has set...