#BookReview Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson @ucrosspop25 @VikingBooks @penguinusa @FreshFiction

Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The new novel in Craig Johnson's beloved New York Timesbestselling Longmire series.

Welcome to Walt Longmire's worst nightmare. In Craig Johnson's latest mystery, Depth of Winter, an international hit man and the head of one of the most vicious drug cartels in Mexico has kidnapped Walt's beloved daughter, Cady, to auction her off to his worst enemies, of which there are many. The American government is of limited help and the Mexican one even less. Walt heads into the one-hundred-and-ten degree heat of the Northern Mexican desert alone, one man against an army.

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I pretty much threw myself into DEPTH OF WINTER, the latest Longmire book, when I got a copy of it. The best time of the year is when a new Walt Longmire book is released. I was thrilled that this book returns to the vendetta story arch. Walt Longmire is once again facing off the man that has caused him and his family lots of grievances over the years. If you have read the previous book do you already know this since the man in question kidnapped Walts daughter Cady at the end of that book. Walt will do anything to get Cady back! The only drawback is that there was not very much space over for Henry Standing-Bear and Vic Moretti as Walt used new resources to find Cady in Mexico. Still, they are there when Walt needs them.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! 

#CoverCrush The Ghost Clause by Howard Norman

For new visitors do I want to explain that Cover Crush is something that my friend Erin over at Historical Fiction Reader came up with and I adopted the idea together with some other friends. And, now we try to put up a Cover Crush every week. You can check below my pick of the week for their choices this week!

Simon Inescort is no longer bodily present in his marriage. It’s been several months since he keeled over the rail of a Nova Scotia–bound ferry, a massive heart attack to blame. Simon's widow, Lorca Pell, has sold their farmhouse to newlyweds Zachary and Muriel—after revealing that the deed contains a “ghost clause,” an actual legal clause, not unheard of in Vermont, allowing for reimbursement if a recently purchased home turns out to be haunted.

In fact, Simon finds himself still at home: “Every waking moment, I'm astonished I have any consciousness . . . What am I to call myself now, a revenant?” He spends time replaying his marriage in his own mind, as if in poignant reel-to-reel, while also engaging in occasionally intimate observation of the new homeowners. But soon the crisis of a missing child, a local eleven-year-old, threatens the tenuous domestic equilibrium, as the weight of the case falls to Zachary, a rookie private detective with the Green Mountain Agency. 

The Ghost Clause is a heartrending, affirming portrait of two marriages—one in its afterlife, one new and erotically charged—and of the Vermont village life that sustains and remakes them.

Thoughts:

It's the cat that did it for me. I have a black cat and I just love how the cat is lying there on books and just looks at you. Also look at all the books...

Check out what my friends have picked for Cover Crush's this week:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages

Heather @ The Maiden's Court

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Erin @ Historical Fiction Reader

#BlogTour All This I Will Give to You by Dolores Redondo @DoloresRedondoM @ed_pr

All This I Will Give to You by Dolores Redondo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

All This I Will Give To You by Dolores Redondo is out now, published by Amazon Crossing

The award-winning, international bestselling page-burner about the secrets and lies of one man that lead another into a treacherous house of strangers…

When novelist Manuel Ortigosa learns that his husband, Álvaro, has been killed in a car crash, it comes as a devastating shock. It won’t be the last. He’s now arrived in Galicia. It’s where Álvaro died. It’s where the case has already been quickly closed as a tragic accident. It’s also where Álvaro hid his secrets.

The man to whom Manuel was married for fifteen years was not the unassuming man he knew.

Álvaro’s trail leads Manuel deep into one of Spain’s most powerful and guarded families. Behind the walls of their forbidding estate, Manuel is nothing but an unwelcome and dangerous intruder. Then he finds two allies: a stubbornly suspicious police lieutenant and Álvaro’s old friend—and private confessor—from seminary school. Together they’re collecting the pieces of Álvaro’s past, his double life, and his mysterious death.

But in the shadows of nobility and privilege, Manuel is about to unravel a web of corruption and deception that could be as fatal a trap for him as it was for the man he loved.

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A couple of month's ago did I listen to all the books in the Baztán trilogy by Dolores Redondo. I was so captivated by them that it was with quite a lot of sadness that I finished the last book. So, when I learned that there was a new book translated into English to read was I thrilled and hoped to a chance to read it soon. So, I was happy to get the chance to be part of the blog tour for the book. 

I have to admit that what I most wanted was a continuation to the last book in the Baztán trilogy since the ending left me feeling that the story wasn't really finished. Not that I wasn't looking forward to reading this book. I was definitely thrilled to have a new Redondo book to read.

ALL THIS I WILL GIVE TO YOU is a gripping mystery book. It's a thick book and you have to have patient reading it. The story slowly unfurls along the way and you learn more and more about Álvaro and his quite dysfunctional family along the way. Manuel has a lot to take in, not only has he lost the man he loves, he learns that Álvaro had a lot of secrets. And, the more Manuel dig into Álvaro's death, the surer he is that something is wrong. What really happened the night Álvaro died? Why is his family acting so weird and why did Álvaro ever tell him about his family

ALL THIS I WILL GIVE TO YOU is a slow-paced book. Never boring, just very detailed and closing the book felt a bit like saying goodbye to new friends. I felt the need to not rush the story, I wanted to really take in the details. Manuel is such a wonderful man, a bit lost now that his rock Álvaro is gone. He slowly realizes that Álvaro has taken care of a lot in his life, and he only realizes it now that he's gone. There is a flashback in the story to how they met and is such a wonderful and romantic story. Also, the very ending of the book almost had me in tears. It was so perfect!

I will end this review by saying that if you want a really well-written mystery novel, then I recommend ALL THIS I WILL GIVE TO YOU. I can't wait to read more books from Dolores Redondo. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dolores Redondo studied law and the culinary arts before writing The Baztán Trilogy, a 1.5 million copy bestselling crime series set in the Basque Pyrenees which has been translated into more than 35 languages and adapted for film. Redondo has been nominated for the CWA International Dagger Award three times and was awarded the 2016 Premio Planeta – one of Spain’s most distinguished literary awards – for All This I Will Give to You. The book has also been optioned for film and translated into 18 languages to date and is published for the first time in English by Amazon Crossing.

#BookReview The Things We Don't Say by Ella Carey @Ella_Carey @AmazonPub

The Things We Don't Say by Ella Carey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beguiling painting holds the secrets of a woman’s past and calls into question everything she thought she knew about the man she loved…

Nearly sixty years ago, renowned London artist Patrick Adams painted his most famous work: a portrait of his beloved Emma Temple, a fellow bohemian with whom he shared his life. Years after Patrick’s death, ninety-year-old Emma still has the painting hanging over her bed at their country home as a testament to their love.

To Emma’s granddaughter, Laura, the portrait is also a symbol of so much to come. The masterpiece is serving as collateral to pay Laura’s tuition at a prestigious music school. Then the impossible happens when an appraiser claims the painting is a fraud. For Laura, the accusation jeopardizes her future. For Emma, it casts doubt on everything she believed about her relationship with Patrick. Laura is determined to prove that Patrick did indeed paint the portrait. Both her grandmother’s and Patrick’s legacies are worth fighting for.

As the stories of two women entwine, it’s time for Emma to summon up the past—even at the risk of revealing its unspoken secrets.

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THE THINGS WE DON'T SAY is an engrossing historical fiction novel. There are two different storylines. Just the way I like it when it comes to historical fiction novels. In the 80s is young Emma shocked to learn that the famous painting of her grandmother may be fake. This could mean the end of her music career as she is using the painting as a collateral to pay for her prestigious music school.

This book brought to mind Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell as well as Dora Carrington & Lytton Strachey. Why? Well, Laura was a painter and her sister wrote (hence Woolf and Bell) and Dora Carrington was a painter that was in love with the homosexual Lytton Strachey. And, in this book was Emma in love with Patrick, who was homosexual. Yes, I also thought about the relationship between Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin.

The book was interesting, I liked both storylines. However, I felt that the storyline in the 80s was slightly more interesting. But, that's probably because I was so curious to learn more about why the appraiser thinks it's a fake painting. Of course, it's not like you get to know why right away. Instead, you learn more about Emma's life with Patrick. We also learn more about Laura, who I would say idolizes her grandmother so much that she tries to imitate her life by having a gay best friend/"love interest". Then, we have Emma's mother who turned away from the art life completely. Which makes Emma more eager to embrace it. Anyway, let's just say that these women really need to sit down and talk it over.

THE THINGS WE DON'T SAY (you get the reason for the title while reading the book) is a great historical fiction and I recommend it warmly!

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton @MegWClayton @AmazonPub

Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Waite Clayton comes a riveting novel based on one of the most volatile and intoxicating real-life love affairs of the twentieth century.

Key West, 1936. Headstrong, accomplished journalist Martha Gellhorn is confident with words but less so with men when she meets disheveled literary titan Ernest Hemingway in a dive bar. Their friendship—forged over writing, talk, and family dinners—flourishes into something undeniable in Madrid while they’re covering the Spanish Civil War.

Martha reveres him. The very married Hemingway is taken with Martha—her beauty, her ambition, and her fearless spirit. And as Hemingway tells her, the most powerful love stories are always set against the fury of war. The risks are so much greater. They’re made for each other.
With their romance unfolding as they travel the globe, Martha establishes herself as one of the world’s foremost war correspondents, and Hemingway begins the novel that will win him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Beautiful Exiles is a stirring story of lovers and rivals, of the breathless attraction to power and fame, and of one woman—ahead of her time—claiming her own identity from the wreckage of love.

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I read LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain a couple of month's ago. That didn't stop me from wanting to read this book. I'm a big fan of biographical fiction and enjoy reading different versions of famous love stories. So, I was all game for another take on the Ernest Hemingway & Martha Gellhorn romance. And, I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed this book immensely.

This time did I have much more knowledge about Hemingway & Gellhorn thanks to McLain's book. However, I loved to once again read about this talented couple that and their doomed relationship. Loved the writing and the dialogue. Gellhorn was such a strong woman that she just couldn't submit herself to a relationship where she was the staying home wife. She wanted to be a war correspondent and in the end, did she choose the path right for her. I find her to be such a strong and inspiring woman. To dare to want the star and not letting anyone stop her. Hemingway may have been a brilliant writer, but he didn't score high on the husband part. At least not in his marriage to Martha Gellhorn. And, honestly, a man that has already left one wife for another woman, well the odds that he would do that again are high...

BEAUTIFUL EXILES is a perfect book for historical/biographical history fans. I'm eager to read more by Meg Waite Clayton.

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Redemption Point by Candice Fox @candicefoxbooks @arrowpublishing

Redemption Point by Candice Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a dark roadside hovel called the Barking Fog Inn, the bodies of two young bartenders lie on a beer-sodden floor. Only the night-time animals in the surrounding forest were close enough to hear their screams.

Crimson Lake’s resident private detectives are hired to take on the case. Disgraced former police detective Ted Conkaffey and convicted murderer Amanda Pharrell are uneasy allies working alongside DI Pip Sweeney on her first homicide investigation.

For Ted, a new case serves as a welcome distraction from his fight to clear his name over the abduction of a teenage girl.

For all three, the hunt for the truth will draw them into a violent dance with evil. Redemption is certainly on the cards – but it may well cost them their lives…

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REDEMPTION POINT is a stunning sequel to the fabulous Crimson Lake. I was thrilled to once again read about disgraced ex-police Ted Conkaffey and his private detective partner/ convicted murderer Amanda Pharrell. Yes, they are truly an odd duo. And, I've not even told you all about the cats and geese...

I found the first book to be addictive and couldn't wait to read the sequel. And, this book is even better than the first book. For one thing, we finally start to see a light in the tunnel for poor Ted. Being accused of abducting a young girl and then released because of lack of evidence isn't really making him innocent in the public's eyes. Vice versa, he can hardly leave the house.

REDEMPTION POINT may be the book that finally grants Ted his redemption. If he and Amanda survive the cases they work on of course. It's thrilling straight through and also heartwarming. The only parts I had a problem with was the diary entries where a pedophile wrote about his urges. Those parts were hard to get through. Also, Candice Fox decided to break my heart towards the end of the book when we finally learn the truth about the death of the young bartenders.

I recommend this series with all my heart and I'm longing for the next book in the series.

I want to thank Arrow Publishing for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark @pdjeliclark @TorDotComPub

The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rising SFF star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums

In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air – in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.

But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.

Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.

“Asinewy mosaic of Haitian sky pirates, wily street urchins, and orisha magic. Beguiling and bombastic!” —Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author

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Such a fabulous novella. I started to read this story and was so captivated by it that it was almost depressing to finish it. I hope the author has plans to write fill-ledge novels!

if you like alternative stories, then this is definitely one to go for. New Orleans is the perfect setting, I love reading about the town whether it is a paranormal story or not. However, I have to admit that I do love it when there is some kind of paranormal activity going on.

Creeper is a wonderful character. I can't wait to find out what adventure she will stumble over next time! As for the story, it's captivating and even funny now and then (the nuns are just too cool) and as I said before, I need a full-fledged novel! 

This is a pretty short review, but honestly, I just like it so much that I'm a bit lost for words. Just read it!

I want to thank Tor.com for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BlogTour Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen Sarah Bird @StMartinsPress @sarahbirdwriter

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The compelling, hidden story of Cathy Williams, a former slave and the only woman to ever serve with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers.

“Here’s the first thing you need to know about Miss Cathy Williams: I am the daughter of a daughter of queen and my mama never let me forget it.”

Though born into bondage on a “miserable tobacco farm” in Little Dixie, Missouri, Cathy Williams was never allowed to consider herself a slave. According to her mother, she was a captive, destined by her noble warrior blood to escape the enemy. Her means of deliverance is Union general Phillip Henry “Smash ‘em Up” Sheridan, the outcast of West Point who takes the rawboned, prideful young woman into service. At war’s end, having tasted freedom, Cathy refuses to return to servitude and makes the monumental decision to disguise herself as a man and join the Army’s legendary Buffalo Soldiers.

Alone now in the ultimate man’s world, Cathy must fight not only for her survival and freedom, but she also vows to never give up on finding her mother, her little sister, and the love of the only man strong enough to win her heart. Inspired by the stunning, true story of Private Williams, this American heroine comes to vivid life in a sweeping and magnificent tale about one woman’s fight for freedom, respect and independence.

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I was thrilled to get the chance to read DAUGHTER OF A DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN. I was also amazed when I first heard about the book that it's based on a real story. Isn't it just amazing to learn that a former slave, a young girl served with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers?

Part of the story that really captured my interested was Cathy's African inheritance. The knowledge past down from her grandmother to her mother and finally to Cathy. As she Cathy said in the book, she was her mother's African child, while Cathy sister Clemmie was her American child. One a warrior child the other one more dainty (still tough). This book is not for the faint of heart. It's a bloody hard tale about a woman trying to pass for a man. And all through the book does she have to try to hide from everyone that she is a woman. And there are always eyes on her. She has her enemies and her fate is sealed if they ever find out the truth.

However, there are also moments of sweetness in the book. Even love. Although it really feels like Cathy has to fight for every scrap of happiness that easily could be taken from her. Loving a fellow soldier while she is passing for a man is both frustrating and dangerous for her.

Life as a soldier is not at all that Cathy imagined when she signed up. She's constantly at risk of being discovered and there are several moments in the book that I thought that she's done for it. How it all ends? Well, you have to find a copy of DAUGHTER OF A DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN and read it to find out. I will tell you this; I did get surprised at the end. Fabulous ending!

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

IndieBound

Powells

About the Author:

SARAH BIRD’s previous novel, Above the East China Sea, was long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award. Sarah has been selected for the Meryl Streep Screenwriting Lab, the B&N Discover Great Writers program, NPR's Moth Radio series, the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and New York Libraries Books to Remember list. She first heard Cathy Williams' story in the late seventies while researching African-American rodeos.