Creole Belle by James Lee Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Big Clete book, and his daughter, who is an assassin. She ends up in California going to film school.

View all my reviews

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I like them that will jump up and grab you, this one did not, a compelling story, but just did not grab me.

View all my reviews

City of Thieves by David Benioff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

During WWII, the city of Leningrad, Russia is being held under siege by Germans. Lev is caught looting a dead German officer he is arrested and thrown in a cell, to be executed by the next day. With him is a fellow Russian, Kolya, who has been arrested under the premise of deserting his rank. They must procure a dozen eggs within a week for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. They soon begin to discover the horrible measures people have come to survive; children eating the pages of books, hunger-crazed citizens turning to cannibalism. They happen across a group of rebellious partisans, mostly compiled of farmers- with the exception of Vika. She is an expert marksman, and a girl posing as a man so she can fight. Lev and Kolya find themselves working with the partisans to help destroy important German units. Lev discovers he has feelings for Vika. Lev and Kolya have two days to retrieve the eggs they had long forgotten about. With some luck Kolya convinces the German General into a chess match with Lev. If Lev wins the three will be granted their freedom from the Germans and twelve eggs, if he loses the three will be killed. Lev wins out, kills 2 Germans and he and Kolya run back to Leningrad, parting ways with Vika to Lev’s dismay. Tragically upon their entering the city Kolya is killed accidentally by a Russian soldier. Lev receives his liberty alone and lives in Leningrad till the end of the siege. Eventually he is reunited with Vika.

View all my reviews

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Joanna Stafford, a Dominican novice, leaves the priory to go and see her cousin burned, Margaret Blumer, at the stake. She and her father are there and are taken to London Tower, Bishop Gardiner, threatens that her father will not be released unless she goes back to the priory and tries to find Athelsan Crown, the crown of Christ. There are a couple of murders and much intrigue, she ends up finding the crown and taking it to another priory for save keeping and she returns to the town, since her priory is closed. You can hope that she returns to Geoffrey Scovill??

View all my reviews

The Lost Souls of Angelkov by Linda Holeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great read, I can not believe that I did not see it coming, the twist at the end. Antonina grow up as nobility and kind of a tom boyish, meets Lilya as a girl and the two become friends. Antonina father thinks she is seeing a peasant boy buts its Lilya, Antonina lies about it, her father finds out the truth and sends Lilya and her brother Lyosha away. Antonina is married off to Konstantin who is much older, they have one child Mikhail, who is stolen. Grisha who is the steward on the estate, runs away from his home as a 15 year old when he was suppose to be going after his brother, that the dad gave away to a maestro because of his musical ability. Things get crazy as Konstantin is dying, Grisha and Antonina sleep together one night, Grisha was involved in Mikail's kidnapping and along with Lilya's husband. Antonina befriends Valentin and serf musician, Valentin turns out to be Grisha's long lost brother, Lilya kills Valentin out of jealously for Antonina, Grisha, Lilya and Lyosha go and get Mikail from kidnappers but Soso and Grisha are arrested because Lilya tips off the police. Grisha goes back to Siberia, Lilya goes into a covenant and Antonina, Mikail and Lysosha and his wife move to St Petersburg.

View all my reviews

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good little quick read, could very well have a follow up. Kids end up leaving the loop and island, looking for ..............

View all my reviews