Happy Friday! Today I am featuring my book club’s September selection, A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar. Escobar is a new author for my book club, and I’m willing to bet the book’s setting (Madrid during the Spanish Civil War) will be new for us as well. I am looking forward to venturing out of our reading box.
Here’s the first line:
Kerri Young was a keen hunter-gatherer when it came to old books, the ones that jumped out at you with their yellowed pages and begged you to open them even just once.
How can the words of the past help heal the horror of the present?
For as long as she can remember, Barbara Spiel has always found solace in books. Born in Germany and having come of age in a tumultuous era, she flees her home country as the Nazis rise to power in the early 1930s. Her destination? Madrid. There she’s determined to realize her long-held dream of opening a bookshop and creating a safe haven for young idealists and independent thinkers to come together to transform the world.
Yet Spain isn’t immune from its own troubles. The winds of change are blowing through both city and countryside, and it’s impossible to predict what will happen. When the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War puts Barbara and everyone around her in peril–including the Spanish Socialist parliamentarian she’s fallen deeply in love with–the terror and hatred seem all too familiar. It’s like Germany all over again, only with its own cast of extremist characters.
Hounded simultaneously by Stalinist checas, Francoist Facists, and the German Gestapo, Barbara fights to keep her bookstore the safe haven that she’s always imagined it would be. But with war brewing both inside Spain and outside its borders throughout the entirety of Europe–and beyond–Barbara isn’t sure who exactly she can trust, or if people really are who they claim to be.
A story told with tremendous heart and astonishing historical accuracy, A Bookseller in Madrid is ultimately a story about dreams–dreaming with courage when nothing seems to make sense, and dreaming with hope when words printed on a page are all you can hold on to.
Mario Escobar has a master’s degree in modern history and has written numerous books and articles that delve into the depths of church history, the struggle of sectarian groups, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. Escobar, who makes his home in Madrid, Spain, is passionate about history and its mysteries.
Happy Romance Month! For my last post we will travel back in time when romance was just a bit different than it is today. Historical settings are great to set the stage for romance tropes — marriage of convenience, forbidden love, love triangles, etc. — all those that are little harder to put into contemporary timeframes. My list includes some recent reads that span the ages. I know you’ll love them.
The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz
Virigina plantation life is all she has ever known. But could the life she was meant to live be waiting on a distant shore?
In 1774, Juliet Catesby lives with her father and sister at Royal Vale, the James River plantation founded by her Virginia family over a century before. Indigo cultivation is her foremost concern, though its export tethers her family to the powerful Buchanan clan of Glasgow, Scotland.
When the heir of the Buchanan firm arrives on their shores, Juliet discovers that her father has arranged for one of his daughters to marry the Scot as a means of canceling the family’s crippling debt. Confident it will be her younger, lovelier sister, Juliet is appalled when Leith Buchanan selects her instead.
Despite her initial refusal, Juliet realizes that fleeing Virginia is her only choice after finding herself in the midst of a scandal. The ship just leaving the harbor for Glasgow is her only hope. But she will soon realize that being part of the complex and calculating Buchanan clan is not the sanctuary she imagined–and the man who saved her from ruin is the very one she must now save in return.
Midnight on The Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin
In a time of war, danger lurks beneath the water–and in the depths of the human heart
As the German war machine devours the Netherlands, the only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the occupation is to do the unthinkable–train to become a spy for the Nazis. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.
Yet perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence employs her to radio misleading messages to Germany from the lighthouse at Dunnet Head in Scotland–messages filled with naval intelligence Lachlan must provide. If the war is to be won, Lachlan and Cilla must work together. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy–a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?
Of Gold And Shadows by Michelle Griep
The shadows hold secrets darker than they ever imagined. . . .
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for saving black-market artifacts from falling into the wrong hands, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the Shadow Broker.
After eight years in India, Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price, has come out of the shadows to run for Parliament and is in search of an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. Expecting a renowned Oxford professor, Edmund instead finds himself entangled with Ami, the professor’s determined daughter. As they delve into the treasures, their connection deepens, but trouble emerges when a golden griffin–rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk–surfaces, and they’re left to wonder if the curse really is at play, or if something more nefarious is hiding among the shadows . . . .
Of Love And Treason by Jamie Ogle
Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything.
Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.
Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris’s new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire.
But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril.
Something Borrowed by Susie Finkbeiner, Allison Pittman, and Rachel Scott McDaniel
In this brand-new novella collection, three renowned Christian historical fiction authors trace generations of wartime romances through a special wedding dress with love sewn into its seams.
A Heart in Disguise by Rachel Scott McDaniel
Clara Westlake loves her job as a seamstress in the US “Camouflage Corps,” sewing suits for snipers and contributing to the war effort. But when she overhears a threat against her beloved New York City, the Great War comes too close to home–except no one believes her forewarning. She must recruit Marcus Reeves, a childhood friend searching for his purpose after suffering a devastating war injury. As they search for answers together, they may also uncover a love that lasts.
Kate Becker and Ike Finch have worked together at his family’s bookstore since Kate’s husband died in the early days of the Vietnam War. She has her daughter, Eloise, to take care of and bills to pay, and this job was a godsend. A second love is not in the cards, especially not with the world still teetering on the edge of insanity. But when Ike brings little Eloise special flowers one spring day, Kate begins to look at him as more than an employer. Is falling in love again worth the risk?
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Kissing the Texas Ranger by Cari Lynn Webb, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:Kissing the Texas Ranger Series:A Three Springs Texas Romance #1 Author:Cari Lynn Webb Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming Release Date: August 26, 2025 Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance
To solve the case…
He’ll steal her heart
Special Ranger Bodie Hopson arrives in Three Springs, Texas, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a bison herd belonging to the strong-willed farmer Sarah Rickelle. Posing as a new ranch hand, Bodie suspects she’s an insurance fraudster, but then quickly realizes she’s more of an ally than a criminal. As they join forces to track down the thief, their growing attraction makes it difficult to stay professional. But when the case takes a dangerous turn, Bodie faces a life-changing decision: follow his law enforcement career or fight for the woman who’s stolen his heart.
Excerpt
How had he gotten here?
Stuck inside a sterile veterinarian exam room with two undeniably cute piglets and the most enchanting cowgirl Bodie had ever come across.
He should hightail it away from there and leg it straight out of town.
He was precariously close to being in over his head. Something he had never been during his long career in law enforcement. Bodie would have laughed at this nonsense, but he was too busy getting his focus straight and his head back in the game.
“It’s not working,” Sarah whispered.
The anguish in her quiet words and alarm on her face had Bodie shoving away from the wall where he’d taken up his post and squeezing in beside her on the exam room floor.
“I’m following the instructions. He won’t eat.” A hitch snagged her words, releasing another wave of worry. She stammered, “If he doesn’t eat, he’ll…”
“That’s not happening,” Bodie cut in. Not on his watch and not to his sweet-natured farmer, who he kept conveniently forgetting was also his potential suspect. Bodie carefully scooped up the piglet and arranged the black-and-white tuxedo pig on his lap. “Let’s take it from the top.”
Cari Lynn Webb lives in Florida with her husband. She’s been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent’s 70 year marriage and her parent’s marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn’t always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers.
Connect with Cari Lynn Webb by visiting carilynnwebb.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card and print copies of 2 Backlist Books of winner’s choice between the following titles: The Rancher’s Secret Crush, A Proposal for Her Cowboy and A Cowgirl’s Christmas Reunion (or may substitute with ebook(s) of any other Cari Lynn Webb title).
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 26, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 2, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT prompt is non-bookish freebie. My mind froze when I read this. LOL! I am a book blogger, after all, and I just can’t stop talking books. You should see me in real life. 😉 So of course I am going to ignore this and create my own topic. Sorry, really not sorry. There was an addendum to the prompt that said we could talk about bookish stuff. Whew! My list today is just a bunch of book randomness (or maybe not). Hope you enjoy!
Books in translation. Of course if you took any world lit class in high school and/or college, you have read books that have been translated into your own language. But do you ever read contemporarily written books that were originally published in a language not your own. It’s rare, but I have a couple to recommend.
The Girl from The Train by Irma Joubert (Joubert lives in South Africa)
The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar (Escobar lives in Spain)
Books written by American authors who live(d) abroad. Building on the last thought, do you read authors who are from your home country, but live and write (at least part time) in another country? Unique perspectives!
From The Valley We Rise by Elizabeth Musser (Musser lives in Lyon, France)
My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay (McKay lives with her family in Australia)
Vendetta by Lisa Harris (Harris lived in Africa for 19 years while serving as a missionary)
Books set in distant lands. The books listed below are in countries I will probably never have a chance to visit. Thanks to the authors who took their readers to a very foreign place.
The Beloved Daughter by Alana Terry (North Korea)
Farewell, Four Waters by KateMc Cord (Afghanistan)
Red Ink by Kathi Macias (China)
Two authors in my backyard (not literally 😉 ). Two Georgia-based authors you need to check out.
Happy Friday! Summer is winding down, but the heat here in the sunny South is not. Inside endeavors are recommended to survive the scorching temperatures. Reading is number one, of course, and I am so looking forward to starting Death Follows Her, the latest legal thriller from Rachel Dylan.
Here are the first 2 lines:
“Shots fired. I repeat, shots fired.”
Three powerful CEOs. Three sudden deaths. One woman determined to uncover the truth.
When three high-profile CEOs die in quick succession, FBI Special Agent Samira Haddad is called in to investigate. What at first seems like tragic coincidence soon unravels into something far more deliberate—and deadly. All three victims were represented in major lawsuits by the same attorney: Quinn Kelly, a sharp, unrelenting trial lawyer with a flawless record and no shortage of enemies.
As Samira digs deeper, she’s drawn into a world of elite corporate power, courtroom battles, and closely guarded secrets. Quinn becomes both a key to the mystery—and a target herself. Cool under pressure and relentless in court, Quinn is used to winning—but this time, the stakes are life and death.
With pressure mounting from all sides, Samira must navigate competing agendas, shadowy threats, and the growing suspicion that the killer is far closer than anyone imagined.
For those who are content sensitive: this book contains non-graphic scenes and descriptions of sexual assault.
Rachel Dylan is an award-winning and bestselling author of legal thrillers and romantic suspense. Rachel has practiced law for almost two decades, including as a litigator at one of the nation’s top law firms. Rachel lives in Michigan with her husband and three furkids—one loveable Labrador and two senior cats. Rachel loves to connect with readers.
My book club loves historical fiction featuring real life people. This month we selected The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict. It features 5 female authors from the Golden Age of Mystery. The novel is written from the first person present tense perspective of Dorothy Sayers. This made the novel feel very personal and the action scenes immediate and intense. The novel is basically a mystery that involved an actual cold case from the era. The 5 Queens set upon solving it to prove their place of importance among the male mystery writers of the time. However, the 5 get much more than they bargained for as they are pulled into the dangers of the case. They also discover a good bit about each other and themselves. It is good to note that while the characters and the cold case were real and many facts are inserted into the book, the book itself is a work of fiction. Their insertion into the police case and their solving of the crime are pure supposition. This does not take a way from enjoyment of the book, but it is good to remember if you are looking for a more biographical perspective.
While the reviews from my group were a bit mixed — no one disliked it, but it was not a favorite either — I would recommend it to those who enjoy the books of Sayers and Christie (and the others) and would like a look at the times in which they lived and wrote.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie—a thrilling story of the five greatest women writers of the Golden Age of Mystery and their bid to solve a real-life murder.
London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.
May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.
Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues.
Happy Romance Month! It is no secret that I love romantic suspense. It is one of my go-to genres to read. If attraction and adrenaline are two must-haves in your reading choices, then check out these books!
5 Romantic Suspense Novels for The End of Summer
Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon
The final book in Hannon’s Triple Threat series was my favorite. But all are good — so read them all!
Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl
This is the first book in Mehl’s Ryland and St. Clair 3-book series. There is lots of pulse-pounding action and a slow burn romance. I liked that the relationship between the two main characters developed slowly. It felt very natural.
The Hunted Heir by Jayna Breigh
This book is billed as a romantic legal drama and is chock full of mysterious goings on. And the two main characters are delightful. They definitely have the frenemy vibe down.
Man of Shadow And Mist by Michelle Griep
If you like history along with your mystery, then check out this book. “Vampires” in Victorian England. Yes, please!
One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey.
The southwest setting is spectacular. You will also love the teamwork of the two main characters in the first book of the Jeopardy Falls series.
Happy Tuesday! Today bloggers are featuring their favorite books with BIG page counts. In my youth, I was a big reader of chunksters. The longer the better. But my advanced age, limited free time, and reading deadlines keep me from choosing those mega-books. I know, I know — I am retired. But my husband’s retirement earlier in the year really impacts my reading time. LOL! So today I am going to highlight my favorites from the distant past and those books that qualify as BIG books that I have read more recently and enjoyed. I define a Big Book as 450+ pages.
For more bloggers’ favorites, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Big Books!
Five from The Past
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (800+ pages)
Exodus by Leon Uris (500+ pages)
Poland by James Michener (600+ pages)
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (500+ pages)
Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd (900+ pages)
More Recently Read
Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (450+ pages)
A Noble Calling by Rhona Weaver (450+ pages)
When We Were Young And Brave by Hazel Gaynor (450+ pages)
The Women by Kristin Hannah(450+ pages)
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray (500+ pages)
A very happy release day to Rachel Dylan! Her highly anticipated legal thriller, Death Follows Her, is now available! Rachel is a favorite of mine, and I cannot wait to read it. For those who have Kindle Unlimited, it is included in your subscription. What are you waiting for?!
Three powerful CEOs. Three sudden deaths. One woman determined to uncover the truth.
When three high-profile CEOs die in quick succession, FBI Special Agent Samira Haddad is called in to investigate. What at first seems like tragic coincidence soon unravels into something far more deliberate—and deadly. All three victims were represented in major lawsuits by the same attorney: Quinn Kelly, a sharp, unrelenting trial lawyer with a flawless record and no shortage of enemies.
As Samira digs deeper, she’s drawn into a world of elite corporate power, courtroom battles, and closely guarded secrets. Quinn becomes both a key to the mystery—and a target herself. Cool under pressure and relentless in court, Quinn is used to winning—but this time, the stakes are life and death.
With pressure mounting from all sides, Samira must navigate competing agendas, shadowy threats, and the growing suspicion that the killer is far closer than anyone imagined.
For those who are content sensitive: this book contains non-graphic scenes and descriptions of sexual assault.
Rachel Dylan is an award-winning and bestselling author of legal thrillers and romantic suspense. Rachel has practiced law for almost two decades, including as a litigator at one of the nation’s top law firms. Rachel lives in Michigan with her husband and three furkids—one loveable Labrador and two senior cats. Rachel loves to connect with readers.
I have had the pleasure of meeting a bunch of great authors over these years of blogging. From the very well-known (fan-girl much?) to those just starting out on their writing journey. Book/reader events are a great way to find new-to-you authors — I highly recommend checking them out. Early this year I met an up-and-coming sci-fi author, Barry Kinservik. If you love this genre, or know someone who does, have a look at his book, Decimation Force.
Here are the first 2 lines:
“Shut it down! Shut it down!”
Join Decimation Force on their harrowing adventures to defeat the Kaiborg Menace!
At the height of a destructive and bloody world war, the world was attacked by an outside source using giant monsters enhanced with cybernetics. These monsters, known as kaiborgs, have caused the battered nations to unite for survival. Their hope lies in the fruits of Project: Decimation Force.
Now, five pilots must utilize the immense power of the five Deci-machines to fight back against the kaiborgs and uncover the mysteries behind them. When all five machines combine into the super robot, Armagedatron, their true destructive power is revealed. However, the war has left deep scars in each pilot and they must confront these scars as a team, or it will destroy them before the kaiborgs can.
Meet Joseph, Alice, Karl, Boris, Jeffery, and the rest of Decimation Force’s personnel as they all strive together to protect the world.
Barry Kinservik was born and raised in South Georgia. He developed a love of reading in fourth grade with Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Barry hasn’t stopped reading since. He has always had a love for hero tales and stories of epic struggles. While he attended Georgia Southwestern State University, he realized that he not only loved stories, but that he could enjoy writing about them as well. He was awarded the Dolores Randolph Capitan Award for best creative writing. All of these events helped Barry to decide on a career in writing.
When Barry isn’t writing or working at his day job, he can usually be found playing video games. It is no wonder that Barry enjoys the story lines of the games just as much as he does actually playing the game.
Barry enjoys stories across many forms of telling such as: Music, video games, graphic novels, books, and movies. He is drawn to the similar and different ways each of these modes tells the story and how the same story alters between different modes. Some of his favorite stories are Dark Souls (video game), Berserk (manga), Neon Genesis Evangelion (television and movie), Metalocalypse (television and music), Gilgamesh (classic hero tale), Frankenstein (novel), Transformers (television, movies, video games, and comics), and the Bible.
Many of the books I review are provided to me free of charge from publishers, authors, or other groups in return for a review. The opinions expressed in the reviews are mine and mine alone. No monetary consideration is given. This disclaimer is in accordance with FTC rules.
I am an Amazon.com affiliate, which means that I earn a small percentage of the sales from products purchased through links on my site. I NEVER recommend a book in order to receive a profit. Proceeds from affiliate sales help to defray operating costs of the blog.
Giveaways are open to persons 18 years or older. All winners are picked randomly. No purchases are necessary to enter a giveaway. All giveaways are for US entries only and are void where prohibited.
GDPR compliance -- the email address you leave when you subscribe to the blog or leave a comment, is used only to notify winners of giveaways or to send an email whenever a post goes live. That's it.
For a more detailed privacy policy for Wordpress sites, go to https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/.
Recent Comments