historical fiction

Book Review: Esperanza Rising

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Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

5 out of 5 stars

Esperanza is used to living on a wealthy ranch in Mexico with her family. She has always had servants and beautiful clothes and pretty dolls. But when her father is murdered by bandits, they lose their home and all their wealth. Esperanza and her mother travel to California where they get work as harvest laborers. Now Esperanza lives in a tiny shack in a migrant camp, and she has to work hard and learn new skills to survive. Her mother teaches her to have hope, but Esperanza gets more and more discouraged as some of the other workers strike and there is sickness and poverty all around. Eventually, Esperanza has to find her own hope from within, and find the strength to embrace a new kind of happiness.

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Classic Book Review: Guyfford of Weare

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Guyfford of Weare
by Jeffery Farnol

3.5 out of 5 stars
Sir Richard Guyfford is under suspicion of murdering his cousin Sir Julian. It is well known that the two cousins had bitterly quarreled and planned to meet in a duel within a month’s time, but Sir Julian was murdered before the duel could take place. Before his death, Sir Julian left a hidden note with a riddle to the true identity of his killer. Lady Helen D’Arcy vows to help Sir Richard find the true killer. Although she has her doubts about his innocence, she can’t help but fall in love with the dashing Sir Richard even while she declares that she hates and despises him.

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Book Review: The Perilous Gard

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The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

The Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope

5 out of 5 stars

Kate Sutton is banished from the Queen’s court and forced into house-arrest at a remote castle with Sir Geoffrey Heron as her guardian. There Kate hears wild rumors about fairy folk and dark magic in the forest and caves surrounding the castle. There is a holy well that seems to grant healing and good fortune to those who drop money into it, but a child was lost down the well and Sir Geoffrey and his brother Christopher warn Kate to stay away from the area. Despite their warnings, Kate begins to suspect that something evil is lurking about the castle and she starts to ask questions about the mysterious fairy folk. She learns of their terrible tradition to commit a human sacrifice in order to gather the power of a human life to sustain their spells.

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Book Review: The Lost Kingdom

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The Lost Kingdom by Matthew J. Kirby

The Lost Kingdom
by Matthew J. Kirby

4.5 out of 5 stars

Growing up in the American Colonies, Billy wants to be a botanist just like his father. When Benjamin Franklin sends them on an expedition to the Ohio frontier, Billy is excited to be included with his father in the team of scientists and philosophers. Their mission is to find a lost Welsh colony that may have traveled to the Americas centuries before. With war with the French on the horizon, they will need allies on the frontier.

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Book Review: A Lady of Quality

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Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

Lady of Quality
by Georgette Heyer

3.5 out of 5 stars
Annis Wychwood is a lady in her late twenties who has been labeled a spinster. She is independently wealthy and sets up her own home in Bath with her cousin Miss Farlow as a chaperone. Young Miss Lucilla is barely out of the schoolroom and has not yet been presented to society. When her carriage is upset on the road, Annis comes to the rescue and offers Lucilla a place to stay until her family can arrive to help her. But Lucilla doesn’t want her family notified of the accident because she is running away from an undesirable engagement! When Lucilla’s guardian, the bad-mannered Mr. Carleton, arrives to protest Annis’s interference, the verbal sparring may soon turn to flirtation.

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Book Review: A Yank in the RAF

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A Yank in the R.A. F.

A Yank in the R.A.F.
by Harlan Thomas

3 out of 5 stars

Tim is a hotshot American pilot who takes a job ferrying war planes over the Atlantic Ocean to the British Isles during WWII. But when he realizes that his ex-girlfriend Carol is working as a dancer in a London nightclub, he decides to join the RAF to be close to her. Tim is selfish, proud, and flirts with anything in a skirt. He resents being assigned as co-pilot on a bomber team; he thinks he should have his own fighter plane. But when he sees the courage and sacrifice of his fellow pilots, he begins to realize that he needs to get his values straight and become a better man to be worthy of Carol.

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Book Review: Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee

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Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty

Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee (A Troll Book)
by Patricia Beatty

3 out of 5 stars

Hannalee and her family move to Atlanta after the Civil War, hoping to find work. Her brother, Davey, lost his arm fighting as a soldier in the Confederate Army, and there isn’t much work available that a one-armed man can do. Hannalee and her mother both get jobs to help the family, but Atlanta is overrun with Yankee soldiers and all of Georgia is under martial law. Hannalee worries that the Yankees will be rude and violent, but she discovers that many of them are kind and friendly people.

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Book Review: Jane and the Final Mystery

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Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Final Mystery (Being a Jane Austen Mystery #15)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane knows she is nearing the end of her life. Her health has been deteriorating for months and the doctors give her six months to live. However, when her old friend Elizabeth Heathcote is in trouble, Jane and her nephew Edward are ready to help. Elizabeth’s son, William, has been accused of murdering a schoolmate at Winchester College, a boys’ boarding school. Jane’s nephew Edward tells her all about the boys college and how William endured hazing and cruel pranks. But could William have lashed out at his tormentors to the extent of murdering one of them?

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Book Review: The Duke’s Last Word

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The Duke's Last Word by Sophie Leigh Fox

The Duke’s Last Word (Love, Most Ardently, #1)
by Sophie Leigh Fox (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Willa is shocked when her father announces that his gambling debts are so pressing that she will have to marry a duke in order to pay off the debt or they will lose their home. James, the duke in question, has to fulfill a legal clause that requires him to marry if he wants to keep his inheritance. Willa’s father is only too happy to make a deal with James, but Willa is fiercely independent and refuses to marry the duke. James is hoping to change her mind, and uses all his charm to beguile her into marriage. Can Willa trust her heart and happiness into James’ keeping, or is he just greedy for his inheritance?

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Book Review: Jane and the Year Without a Summer

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Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries, #14)
by Stephanie Barron

5 out of 5 stars

Jane and her sister Cassandra are visiting Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. They hope that by sampling the sulfurous waters, Jane’s health might improve. They stay at a boarding house and are very curious about the other guests. One of the boarders is Miss Williams, a young lady confined to a wheelchair, who is constantly fussed over and spoiled by her faithful friend. A married couple are always complaining and making things unpleasant for everyone. Jane is surprised to find that her friend Raphael West appears to know another one of the boarders, Mrs. Smith, who works with a theater company. But when a murder occurs at a masquerade ball, Jane realizes there must be some connection to the people at their boardinghouse.

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