Anne here, presenting what the wenches have been reading in the month of June.
We start with Nicola: This month I read The Impossible Fortune, the fifth installment of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. As I was hoping, it was a wonderful mix of clever, twisty plot and the eccentric characters we have come to know and love, plus Joyce’s lavish cakes and some poignant reflections on families, grief and other serious topics.
It’s this mix of humor and thought-provoking truth that I love about the series; the plots and character traits are often preposterous but Richard Osman can make it work and always writes an entertaining, page-turning read.
This time Joyce’s daughter Joanna is getting married, but when the best man disappears a day later, it seems financial skullduggery and murder are just around the corner. Having seen the first film now, it’s even better imagining the stellar cast of Helen Mirren, Piers Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie populating the story!
Mary Jo recommends two books. The first is Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray
This is a fictionalized story of Francis Perkins, one of the most important women you may never heard of. I was vaguely aware of her name but had no idea of her incredible accomplishments. The book begins in 1933, when president elect Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Perkins to become his Secretary of Labor. She would be the first woman in America to hold a cabinet position.
Then the story turns to her earlier years when she moved from New England to New York City and plunged into making the world a better place. Her achievements for workers’ rights, safety, and social justice were fierce and groundbreaking.
While her professional life is well documented, she kept her personal life private. Stephanie Dray does an excellent job of extrapolating from the available information to create a portrait of an extraordinary woman who, among other things, created America’s social security system and much of its safety net. She was a visionary who became one of FDR’s closest associates.
The second book Mary Jo read and recommends is A Brother’s Price by Wen Spencer. 
This fantasy historical is a long-time favorite of mine. In a world with technology similar to late 19th century America (guns and steamships), very few boys are born and they are rare and precious. Family groups are made up of sisters who work together, and when they can afford it, they buy (or steal) a male to be husband to the sister group.) At 15, Jerin Whistler is nearing the age where he can be sold or swapped to a family of sisters. Then when most of the elder family is away, he rescues a young woman who has been attacked and left to drown in a creek on the Whistler family farm.
It turns out that the young woman is one of the royal princesses, and as a reward for Jerin’s saving her, he and three of his sisters are brought to the capital by the Queens to be launched into society. Jerin is much sought after–and then things get really complicated!
Pat here, talking about THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY, by Kate Fagan
I generally give up on Reese’s Book Club picks with a big yawn, been there, done that. But this. . . it has all the women’s fic elements, it has a love story, and a childhood friendship story, and a success story… But it’s all woven together with such brilliant nuance that the reader doesn’t realize they’re turning the pages faster and faster and. . . It’s all satisfying. It may not be for everyone but give it a try. It starts with two talented clever friends, a tragedy that separates them, life taking wild swings (unbelievable ones, admittedly), and even though it’s all been done before, it’s never been done so refreshingly. It claims to be a memoir with chapters included from the various people involved and notes from the author to add verisimilitude, and despite my cynicism, I lapped it all up.
NOTE: This is a KU book for those who belong…
Christina said: I had saved THE FOURTH QUEEN by Nicola Cornick to read on holiday and I wasn’t disappointed – it was well worth waiting for!
Nicola is the absolute queen of Tudor timeslip stories and this one is a real triumph! I was intrigued by the premise that Henry VIII’s discarded queen Anne of Cleves might have had a child in secret and I was drawn into a world of intrigue both in the 16th century and the present. I’ve long been fascinated by the concept of reincarnation and the idea that twin souls might be destined to stay together for eternity and this book illustrates both perfectly. Fans of timeslip stories and historical mysteries will not want to miss this! I loved it!
Next is Andrea.
I had been hearing a number of good things about The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and though I was very leery about an epistolary novel, I decided to give it a try . . .and was absolutely delighted that I did! One of the promo lines for the novel says “The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime . . .”
Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer with a distinguished record of excellence. She’s divorced, has a complicated relationship with adult children, but enjoys her solitude and independence, and her orderly days, dominated by her daily regime of writing letters to friends, family, the annoying college president who won’t permit her to audit a course she wants to take, the troubled teenage son of a former colleague, as well as various literary luminaries, to whom she gives her opinion of her books. She also adds thoughts to a letter she’s been writing for a long time, even though she’s undecided whether it will ever be sent . . .
And she receives a disturbing anonymous letter which makes her begin to think back on her life . . . What follows is a beautifully wrought exploration of her past as she discusses the situation with her usual correspondents. Sybil loves letters because because one doesn’t react emotionally—one can think and compose elegant, polished thoughtful prose . . . but as she delves deeper into the mysterious letters, she finds that she has to confront her feelings and her relationshipswarts and all! The letters are funny, poignant, wise and though it may sound odd, I stayed up quite late on several nights because I couldn’t stop reading them as the secrets unfolded in very surprising ways. I highly recommend it!
And now it’s back to me, Anne. My top recommendation this month is for a fantasy — T. Kingfisher’s HEMLOCK AND SILVER. I’ve spoken of T. Kingfisher before. She writes fantasy, sometimes with a tinge of horror, but I’m a total wimp with horror, and am glad to report that Hemlock and Silver was tense in parts, but thoroughly enjoyable.
The main character is Healer Anja, a young woman who is an expert in poisons. This came about when as a child she watched her boastful older cousin eat a hemlock root, insisting it was a “wild carrot.” Of course he died, and from then on she became fascinated by poisons and has spent her life (she’s 30 ish) in researching poisons and venoms and trying to find the antidotes for them.
The story begins when she is summoned by the king. He believes his only daughter, Snow, is being slowly poisoned but none of the doctors or apothecaries in the kingdom can work out how. She’s clearly dying and Anja is his last hope to save her.
This is from the Amazon blurb: “Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.”
It’s a clever and engrossing story — a darker fantastical riff off the Snow White story and I really enjoyed it. The cat character is delightful and the romance very satisfying. Highly recommended.
So that’s it from the wenches this month — now it’s over to you, Wenchly Readers. Tell us what you’ve read and enjoyed this month.
I loved Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher, Anne. Very imaginative take on fairy godmothers, good and evil.
Thanks, Deb — yes, I have it, but for some reason I haven’;t read it yet. I buy things and then forget I’ve bought them and forget to read.
I completed Anne’s available Devil Riders audio series with ‘Bride by Mistake’. Loving this series with the perfect (for me) mix of adventure and romance. Eagerly awaiting book 6 which is coming in Jan next year.
I have been dipping into audio fantasies lately so am pleased to add T Kingfisher to my lists to try …. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have particularly enjoyed Sophie Jordan’s ‘ A fire in the Sky’,and ‘A Scar in the bone’ which involve a new take on dragons and humans … both gripping stories!
For a glimpse into a robotic future I liked Sierra Greer’s ‘ Annie Bot’
Continuing with historical romance I am also enjoying Julie Anne Long’s ‘Palace of Rogues’ series – finished book 2 ‘Angel in a Devil’s Arms’
I think test match cricket, the world cup football and Wimbledon Tennis will grab my attention for a while now but thanks for all the other recommendations.
Happy reading everyone.🙂
Thanks, Quantum. I’m waiting impatiently for the Audio book of A Bride For Marcus to be finished.
I will definitely check out Sophie Jordan’s books you mentioned, too.
As for sport, there’s certainly a lot of it around , and the coverage is amazing. I’m not particularly a sports fan, but with the soccer I loved the antics of some of the fan groups — in particular the Norwegians “rowing” — one group even rowed their way up an escalator — and the Dutch and the Scots;
Anne, I’m always up for a sarcastic cat!
Mary Jo, as I was reading it, I kept thinking Mary Jo will love this.
Anne, the book is now residing on my Kindle!
I hope you enjoy it, Mary Jo.
I love T Kingfisher – she’s such a satisfying read. I am currently totally addicted to the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and have just finished # 8 of a possible 10. I started the first book thinking – I’ll just read a couple of pages and if it doesn’t grab me I’ll give it a miss. As I said that was 8 books ago and my heart belongs to Carl and Princess Donut! Also read the second book in Violet Marsh’s gentle and humourous historical/mystery/romance series – Our Dear Miss H. is on the Case. Current read is Verity Guild by Mai Corland which is a mixture of romantacy and mystery and I’m really enjoying it. Really enjoyed The Librarians by Sherry Thomas – mystery with hints of romance. Two authors I had not tried before – Reena McCarty and Sarah Brooks – The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains and The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands were both excellent. It’s been a good month!
Thanks, Janet. Always nice to find another T. Kingfisher fan. And thank you for those recommendations — I’m off to take a look at them now.
I’m hoping for a better reading month to come.
What enticing choices mentioned by the Wenches and the readers. Thank you all!
Over the past month ~
— quite enjoyed Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman even though I did put it aside for a week mid-read. This is a contemporary romance set in Baltimore that featured a bar owner and mother of two whose husband has recently died of cancer and a man whose wife has recently died in a plane crash. Their mothers attempt to matchmake, but instead they become grieving partners and movie watching buddies.
— read The Edge Of Heaven by E.M. Lindsey, a contemporary romance between an English teacher and an astrophysicist. The former is being pressured by family into attending his ex-husband’s marriage to his (the teacher’s) first cousin, so he invents a boyfriend. His best friend says that he’ll find someone and, due to a wrong number, hires the second lead character believing that he is an escort. It was complicated but enjoyable.
— quite enjoyed the second book in a historical mystery series, A Case of Life and Limb: The Trials of Gabriel Ward by Sally Smith. I recommend starting with the first book, A Case of Mice and Murder.
— Private Charter by N.R. Walker was a pleasant read. One lead is a high-powered businessman whose health is at risk due to work stress who charters a private cruise off the Australian coast; his casual companion cancels at the last minute. The other lead is the yacht owner/captain who had a similar stressful life before making changes. While I enjoyed this, I think I’d have liked it more had the ratio of physical to emotional intimacy leaned more heavily to the latter.
— For an upcoming book group, I read Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. This was a quick read that takes place (surprise!) over three days in June. The focal character is a divorced woman whose daughter is getting married; the story takes place on the wedding day and the days before and after. Other characters of importance are her ex-husband and daughter. This book made a pleasant change from the dark books that my book groups often read.
— read Play Mahjong!: An All-Levels Guide to American Mahjong by Alyssa Gross. It proved to be a quick read for me as I’m an experienced mah jongg player. It would be a fine introduction to the game for a new player.
— enjoyed the contemporary romance Trick Shot: by L.A. Jasper which featured an ice hockey player and a rock star. I look forward to reading the author’s next book.
— How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles is a historical romance set in London in the early 1800s. One lead is a purveyor of paints who, while delivering an order to a wealthy elderly woman, is asked to marry her so that her nephew, who caused her to fall down the stairs, does not inherit. The other lead is a young French comte (or is he?) who had been wooing that same woman; he helps the first lead navigate his sudden change in fortune, both good and bad. I quite enjoyed this book.
— A Series of Rooms by A.J. Barlowe is a gritty contemporary romance. The ‘friends’ of one lead hire a male prostitute for the night of his 21st birthday. The prostitute is being trafficked but sees no way out of his situation. The first lead provides him a safe place to spend a platonic night with conversation, a shower, and food. The first lead then hires him for weekly overnight stays in a variety of motels. (Since lead one is working at a diner to pay for college, it strains credulity that he could pay $500 each week but ….) I quite liked this, but it carries a lot of content warnings for violence and more.
— So enjoyed the above that I purchased and read the sequel, Doors & Windows, which I also liked. The above book had an epilogue that took place several years after the main story; the sequel fills in that missing time. Much of the story deals with recovery after trauma.
— read a soon to be published book that I won in a Goodreads giveaway ~ Voyagers: A Novel by Meg Charlton. This was an intriguing science fiction story. The focal character was a man who as a six year old disappeared with a six year old girl for thirty-six hours. The children become famous for having an alien encounter; they are close friends until age seventeen keeping in touch by phone and letter and meeting at the occasional UFO event. When the story begins some thirty years later, there is a worldwide panic as something, not naturally occurring, is approaching from the edge of the solar system.
— reread Metal Boxes by Alan Black which I first read back in 2021. At the time I said, “The book is silly in parts; however, it definitely kept my attention, and I enjoyed it. It’s classified as both space opera and military science fiction.” I’ll add that I remembered absolutely nothing of the book, so it was as though it was a new read! I would happily read on if my library had the sequels.
— for my book group: To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey. This novel recounts an American colonel’s exploration of an Alaskan river in the 1880s through his journal entries. The book contains letters, his wife’s diary, pictures of historic items, and more. The story also contains letters in the present between the colonel’s great-nephew and the museum curator in Alaska to whom he has sent all these documents. The story includes much that is inexplicable regarding the colonel’s interactions with the indigenous people. It was definitely an intriguing read.
— heard a very favorable mention of The Long Journey Home by HeartAway which is a LENGTHY fan fiction work related to Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. It begins some 27 years after that book ends with Earth awaiting the arrival of the beetles. This work is not yet complete (though the author mentions that it is already longer than PHM at 158,068 words and with 26 chapters out of 31 completed). I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading the remaining chapters. It is free to read on Archive of Our Own (AO3).
— spent some enjoyable time reading four short Project Hail Mary fan fiction pieces by HeartAway on AO3 ~
Under the Oak Tree
Lightning Round
Plausible Deniability
No Rest for the Wicked
Plus this one by a different author: A Star, A Memory by blithers
And
The Littlest Reader by Almadynis which is set in Anne Bishop’s world of The Others.
— fell down a fan fiction hole! Read snother enjoyable short piece pertaining to PHM ~
Breathe Hellfire by Pax_Kerbalica
And a short piece for the Touchstone series by Andrea K. Höst ~
Take a picture, it’ll last longer by SlashHat
Reread two fan fiction short stories set in the world of a favorite series (Lyn Gala’s Claimings series); I enjoyed them both. They were Deviations and Revelations, both by allonym.
— Finn by Angel Martinez is a contemporary paranormal romance featuring a very kind hearted man (an author) who rescues a naked man who he fears is about to jump from a bridge. That man is a fae who has been asleep for centuries.
— enjoyed Who Is Willing by M.C.A. Hogarth which is a science fiction novel set aboard a space ship. The non-human lead character is a lieutenant who has been newly assigned to the ship; she has a bitter history with another lieutenant already on board. This is set in a world with humans and also with many other aliens.
— read The Alpha and His King by Kiki Clark which features an alpha wolf shifter and a young man (himself protecting his younger siblings) who he rescues from abusive parents.
— Reread Prelude to Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala which I enjoyed once again. This collection of short pieces is no longer available as a collection; I believe that the author incorporated the stories into her Claimings books when she republished the series.
— read lots of short fan fiction works on AO3.
Those that pertain to The Curse of Chalion by Bujold were ~
Clean Slate plus Illumination by shimotsuki; Tumors by selenite0; False Coin by dr_gradus; Grace in Memory by SunlitStone; Consummate by mrstater;The hour of love approaches by Kass; and Redemption by ScottWashburn.
Others pertain to Project Hail Mary ~ Enrichment by alatarmaia4; My Mate and the Human They Didn’t Want by Acewithapaintbrush; The Greatest Act of Optimism, A Journey Unknown, Roots to Grow and Wings to Fly, The Wallpaper in my Heart (slowly, slowly peeling off, Watch your Colors Grow, Advection Fog all by Acewithapaintbrush; a name is a symphony plus ultrasonic blue by InsaneTrollLogic; and a longer work ~ Message in a Beetle by ConalltheLibrarian.
— ultimately enjoyed From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata which is a contemporary romance featuring two ice skaters. Initially though, I did not care for either of the main characters. This was a very slow burn romance.
— enjoyed Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney which is a historical romance novella set in Victorian era England. It features a young woman who is incredibly talented in math and works as a computer (yes, human computers predated mechanical ones); she is also a woman of color whose father is a shopkeeper. The male lead is a columnist from a poor Irish farming family who has made a name for himself and who is a known rake. This had some witty math dialogue that even amused my math teaching husband.
As always, Kareni, a positive encyclopaedia of recommendations! You mention “by Courtney” in the last paragraph — I presume you mean Courtney Milan. Thanks, as always, for your impressive contribution to our book discussion.
Oops, that was an oversight, Mary Jo! I did indeed mean Courtney Milan.
Gosh. Haven’t read Wen Spencer for years. Might give that one a whirl.
I looked for it too, Malvina, but it wasn’t available as an e-book. I did however buy the book you recommended on another reader loop — Good Spirits by BK Borison. Thanks.
First of all a thanks to Susan for recommending ‘What does it feel like’ by Sophie Kinsella last month, which is a fictionalised account of her own experience with a brain tumour. Such a brave and optimistic book. My baby grandson is currently being treated for this, and I found it a helpful read.
I also read Robert Galbraith’s ‘The Hallmarked Man’ – the mystery didn’t make sense to me (though my brain is swiss cheese at the moment) and I found nearly everyone in the book unlikeable, so I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.
Read ‘Mrs Porter Calling’ by AJ Pearce which is the third in the series that started with ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ about a young woman who runs the problem page in a magazine during WW2.
My four year old grandson likes me to tell him endless stories about some of his toys. When I ran out of inspiration one day, and asked him why, he replied: “I just like to know what they’re doing today.”
To my mind that was this book – if you like the characters and want to hear more about their lives, it’s a nice read.
And lastly – overlapping with Mrs Porter – I read ‘Nonesuch’ by Francis Spufford. And I think Mrs Porter suffered by comparison. It’s also about a young woman working in London at the beginning of WW2, and it’s just a really good yarn. She happens across some occult doings that the fascists hope to exploit and has to foil their plans. There is a love story, but it’s a duology so I’ve no idea if there’s ultimately a HEA. I think the book stands alone, though I’m very keen to read the next once it’s published.
Thanks for those recommendations, MMCA — and the helpful comments about each. My sympathy on your little grandson’s health battles. That was a sweet story about him wanting to know what his toys were up to. Wishing you both all the best.
All good wishes to your baby grandson, MMcA. And what a fun story about your other grandson!
I love hearing about the variety of books people have been reading! I’ve never tried T. Kingfisher, but I am definitely intrigued, and since Our Dear Miss H. Is on the case is available on KU, it’s going on my TBR list.
I finished the hefty Civil War history book I was reading “Southern Storm” , which is a detailed account of Sherman’s March to the Sea. If you are a military history nerd like me, I can recommend it, maybe for others not so much!
I finished the 4-part Justin de Quincy medieval mystery/adventure series by Sharon Kay Penman. Great writing and wonderful settings and characters. It takes place during the reign of Eleonor of Aquitaine. The 3rd book, Dragon’s Lair, is set in Wales, and the 4th book, Prince of Darkness, saw the hero traveling to Brittany and Mont St. Michel. There were some unresolved subplots left hanging, and I was hoping that Penman would continue the series, so I was very sad to learn that she passed away in 2021.
i enjoyed the Aydra Richards book I read last month, and continued delving into her backlist. She uses well-worn romance tropes, but the fun is in the execution. In His Reluctant Lady, the heroine is a secret authoress, trying to support her younger siblings. His Forgotten Bride had an amnesia plot and His Favorite Mistake had a revenge plot, which was a bit too angsty for my taste. I spent half the book dreading the reveal of the hero’s ulterior motive in pursuing the heroine, but the lengthy grovel he had to do to get back into her good graces was worth it.
I also resumed reading the Benjamin January mystery series by Barbara Hambly. The books had been sitting in my house for an embarrassing number of years. The mc, Benjamin January, is a free man of color in New Orleans, a couple of decades prior to the Civil War. “Die Upon a Kiss” is set in the world of opera, and had a twisty and surprising plot. I’m now reading “The Shirt On His Back”, which has a completely different setting, in the mountains of the Western U.S. frontier. Hambly is one of the most versatile authors I can think of. She’s written about a dozen more in this series since I last picked it up, so who knows if I’ll ever get caught up.
My favorite work by Barbara Hambly, Karin, is her Star Trek novel, Ishmael.
Thanks for the tip, Kareni, I’ve never heard of that one!
I hope you’ll enjoy it, Karin, should you read it.
Some enticing sounding recommendations there, Karin — thanks for sharing. I do love a prolific author, but if it’s a series, it’s sometimes hard to keep up, and if I lose track of where I am in the series, I sometimes just . . . give up. Bad, I know.,
Luckily in the Benjamin January series, skipping books or reading them out of order is not a big problem. And the authentic feel of the historical settings is top notch.
I just finished The Fourth Queen by Nicola Cornick and absolutely loved it. I really didn’t know much about Anne of Cleves other than knowing she was able to live after marriage to Henry. What a fascinating woman! Also loved the lovers through time aspect. I found this book hard to put down and was kind of bummed when it ended. Highly recommend!
Thanks for this, Linda. I forwarded your lovely comment to Nicola, who is away at the moment. I’m sure she’ll be delighted when she reads it. I have the book sitting on my TBR pile, so not long until I read it now.
Thank you, Linda, that is so lovely of you. I am thrilled you enjoyed the book!
I’ve had a bit of an off month with reading. Can’t really get into anything. All the sports coverage doesn’t help as I watch an awful lot of it!
I started the month with The Long Road Home by Ellie Dean. It’s the last in an epic series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then The Ballad of Ronan McCoy by Colin Morgen and oh my were my heart strings tugged! It was terribly sad but a great read. I couldn’t put it down and it’s not my usual thing at all.
Then the Whistling by Rebbecca Netley, a ghost story that my brother passed on to me. On to Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton, written for children but very enjoyable for me. I love the film and hadn’t known it was a book until I saw it in a discount book store in Kilkenny.
I read The Secret of The Lantern Keepers by Jenni Keer. She’s one of my favourite authors but this one was a little off for me.
At the moment I’m reading (when I can force myself) Nothing to Report by Carola Dunn.
The heat has been terrific here and we’re not used to it. Hard to do anything during the day even concentrate on a book. Hopefully back to normal soon!
Hugs on the heat, Teresa. I know just what it’s like, only I suspect it’s worse for you all in Europe as it’s so extreme and unusual for you. And yes, it’s really hard to concentrate on anything, really. Hugs.
I’ve been on a great reads streak while on an extended vacation. Nicola’s The Fourth Queen was as good as I knew it would be! I think Sarah Morgan’s Five-Star Summer was recommended here & it was a perfect “summer” read. Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray write woman centric historical fiction & A Pair of Aces was a riveting story about a prosecutor & madam who worked together to bring down Lucky Luciano. Real life people, real life events! Next it was Verity by Colleen Hoover, a psychological thriller. Definitely creepy & they’re making a movie of it so I’m happy to have read it first. I also loved The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. I’m sure this was a wenchly recommendation too – a magical romance. Now I’m in the middle of Beatriz Williams new one When You Loved Me. It’s set in her Winthrop Island world with 3 timelines. Pirates, love & a little football.
Thanks, Jeanne. I’m a fan of Sarah Morgan’s though I haven’t read that one. I have a few to catch up on. What a great range of books your recommendations are.
So many books, so little time!
I also just finished a book by T. kingfisher called Swordheart. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the dialogue a lot. It was a real hoot! I loved all the characters. Of course there is a HEA . While not classified as a romance, she sort of snuck it in here and there. Such fun!
I am also enjoying some napoleonic sea asventures. I have not read any of them since the Hornblower series and the ones by Patrick O’Brian. But i recently got hooked on the Bolitho series by Alexander Kent which follows his career in the Royal Navy (and also tge loves of hus life). I just finished #10 Wthe All Despatch. A well written series, with wonderful characters and great sea battle descriptions and life aboard ship.
Also read Sails on the Horizon by Jay Worrall also a napoleonic sea adventure, but also
A bit on land where the main character meets his future wife. The characters are very real and i enjoyed the story and the writing. I wish he had written others.
Also read the first in a Regency mystery series called The Body in the Garden by Katherine Schellman. Lily Adler is the amateur detective and is aided by her friend Captain Jack. A cozymystery and i enjoyed it.
Thanks, Jane. Swordheart is probably my favourite of T. Kingfisher’s books. I’ve reread it several times and enjoyed it each time. Adventure and romance and magic, delivering justice along the way.
Perfect description…but most of all such fun! I was sorry to see it end!