Week 1 Review: The Devil in Oxford

From Goodreads:

Set after the Great War, Jess Armstrong's USA Today bestselling and award-winning series is historical gothic murder mystery at its best, and Ruby Vaughn returns in The Devil in Oxford.

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen's penchant for arcane, unusual—and occasionally illegal—books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall.

When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. Harker's dead body is discovered amongst the collection, his business partner is hastily arrested, and Ruan arrives…wanting to speak with Ruby. It seems both the arcane and her Pellar have followed Ruby to Oxford.

The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for Ruby's help. It soon becomes painfully clear that there is more going on in Oxford than meets the eye. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities while trying to understand the peculiar force that keeps drawing them back together.

My Review:


Author: Jess Armstrong 
Series: Ruby Vaughn #3
Read: December 31st, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!  
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: November 4th 2025 

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 51 Reviews: A Tempest of Tea, A Tempest of Tea Bonus Epilogue, A Steeping of Blood

From Goodreads:

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated new fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can't do the job alone.

Calling upon a band of misfits, Arthie formulates a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not every member of her crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

From Goodreads:

The bonus epilogue is a preorder gift to A Tempest of Tea (campaign available to US and Canada residents only).

From Goodreads:

Arthie Casimir's had her tea. Now she's out for blood.

White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public is calling for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.

Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn anyone's death, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, even though it saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape together what little they have left to fight one last time—and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.

In Ceylan.

After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 New York Times bestseller A Tempest of Tea, Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.

My first review of A Tempest of Tea
My Review:

Author: Hafsah Faizal
Series: Blood and Tea #1, 2
First Read: February 7th, 2024

Read: December 17th, 17th, 18th, 2025
Source: Own, Online, Bought
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Historical Fiction 2025 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and A Steeping of Blood is a End of Series 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Hafsah Faizal
Published: February 20th 2024, February 20th 2024, September 23rd 2025

A Tempest of Tea:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Tempest of Tea Bonus Epilogue:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Steeping of Blood:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 50 Review: An Ordinary Sort of Evil

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to Victorian Scotland in the latest in the genre-blending Rip Through Time series.

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She;s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more.

Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray's undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems

My Review:


Author: Kelley Armstrong 
Series: A Rip in Time #5
Read: December 10th, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Expected Publication: May 19th 2026

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 49 Review: Kirkyards & Kindness

From Goodreads:

Mallory Mitchell and Dr. Duncan Gray take a break from investigating murder to find the most famous dog in Victorian Scotland.

A year ago, twenty-first-century detective Mallory found herself in 1869 Edinburgh, in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemade working for Dr. Duncan Gray, pioneer in forensic science. Shortly after she arrived, she made the unfortunate acquaintence of Catriona's former criminal mentor, Davina, an entanglement that nearly got Mallory killed. Now she's about to meet Davina again.

Greyfriars Bobby has disappeared. The little terrier is already a legend, and Davina has made a tidy living showing him off on graveyard tours…while picking the pockets of her guests. When the elderly dog vanishes, Davina calls in a favor from her old student. Mallory agrees to help find Bobby in return for the one thing she's been unable to get from Davina—the mysterious Catriona's life story.

Note this is not a full-length novel. It's a novella set after Death at a Highland Wedding.

My Review:


Author: Kelley Armstrong 
Series: A Rip Through Time #4.5
Read: December 2nd, 2025 
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: K.L.A Fricke Inc
Published: December 2nd 2025 

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: A Moment's Shadow

From Goodreads:

Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate.  But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .

August 1920, Dublin,  A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he's stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels' help to thwart him.

As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.

As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .

My Review:


Author: Anna Lee Huber 
Series: Verity Kent #8
Read: November 21st, 2025 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: August 26th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: The Familiar

From Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

My Review:


Author: Leigh Bardugo
Read: November 20th, 2025 
Source: Library 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book and a SAC 2025 Book!
Publisher: Flatiron Press
Published: April 9th 204 

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: A Matter of Murder

From Goodreads:

The thrilling conclusion to the Lizzie & Darcy Mysteries duology, following Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series!

A Bingley family curse looms over Lizzie's sister and Darcy's best friend—but are the dark forces at work supernatural or human?

Lizzie Bennet's beloved sister Jane has just married Darcy's best friend, Bingley, and the Bennet family and Darcy are paying the newlyweds a visit at Bingley's family home, Netherfield Park. It doesn't take long for their country retreat to turn into an investigation, though, when a long-dead body is discovered stuffed up the parlor chimney.

The locals are convinced that Netherfield is cursed, but Lizzie and Darcy know better than to believe in such nonsense and are determined to uncover the truth about what happened to the mysterious man in the chimney. But as they dig deeper into the history of Netherfield Park, they find that danger is waiting for them around every corner. Soon enough, they're forced to consider if the curse might have some merit to it, or if there's something—or someone—far more sinister behind their near brushes with death….

This duology closer is a daring and delightful conclusion to the chronicles of supersleuths Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy!

My Review:


Author: Tirzah Price 
Series: A Lizzie and Darcy Mystery #2 
Read: November 19th, 2025 
Source: Edelweiss 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's an End of Series 2025 Book, Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Storytide 
Published: November 11th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: The Thorn Queen

From Goodreads:

Wed to one brother.

In love with the other.

Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.

Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.

But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.

To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.

Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.

Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.

My Review:


Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Series: The Rose Bargain #2 
Read: November 18th, 2025 
Source: Edelweiss 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a End of Series 2025 Book, Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: HarperCollins
Expected Publication: April 14th 2026

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Revenge, Served Royal

From Goodreads:

Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this dazzling third instalment to the captivating Regency-era Lady Petra Inquires mystery series.

September, 1815. Autumn is in the air as Lady Petra Forsyth and some of the most illustrious members of the ton descend upon Windsor Castle for a week of royal celebrations, with the highlight being Queen Charlotte's inaugural patisserie contest for the best bakers employed by England's finest houses. Not only is Lady Petra's own cook one of the contestants, but Her Majesty has requested that Petra herself serve as one of the judges.

Petra's happiness at tasting delicious cakes and biscuits only increases at finding her beloved Aunt Ophelia in attendance at Windsor, as well as Sir Rufus Pomeroy. As England's most famous former royal chef-turned-cookbook author, Sir Rufus is slated to present his best recipes to the Queen during the festivities, with Petra being granted an early viewing in the royal library.

Yet upon arrival, Petra instead encounters a frantic housemaid pointing to a body of one of Her Majesty's guests—and to the valet still tugging at the silk ribbon used to strangle the victim. What's more, the valet turns out to be Oliver Beecham, the ne'er-do-well brother of Petra's own lady's maid, Annie. But as Oliver is hauled away to the dungeons, he protests his innocence, claiming the late guest argued with several aristocrats, including the Prince Regent and Petra's Aunt Ophelia, and boasted about hiding a potentially scandalous document within the vastness of Windsor Castle.

When some poisoned tea meant for Petra is consumed by one of her fellow judges, it's clear the real killer is still walking the castle's halls. Indeed, in order to prove the innocence of Annie's brother and find the incriminating document, Petra will need to act like a lady, eat like a chef, and think like one of Her Majesty's best spies before a murderer can turn the celebrations from sweet to royally deadly.

My Review:


Author: Celeste Connally
Series: Lady Petra Inquires #3
Read: November 18th, 2025 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: November 11th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 46 Reviews: Front Lines, Soldier Girls in Action, Dead of Night, Silver Stars, Purple Hearts

From Goodreads:
Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Code Name Verity, New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant unleashes an epic, genre-bending, and transformative new series that reimagines World War II with girl soldiers fighting on the front lines.

World War II, 1942. A court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. The unproven American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering: Rio fights to honor her sister; Frangie needs money for her family; Rainy wants to kill Germans. For the first time they leave behind their homes and families—to go to war.

These three daring young women will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they will discover the roles that define them on the front lines. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known. 

From Goodreads:

Set in the alternative World War II scenario of his Front Lines novels, Michael Grant, author of the bestselling GONE series, has written this story exclusively for World Book Day 2017.

Rio Richlin doesn't have superpowers. She is an ordinary young woman. A soldier in the American army, wearing a uniform, carrying a rifle, and fighting alongside thousands who are trying to make a difference, trying to change the world.

At least, that's the plan. Right now she's part of a squad on a training exercise in some place called Wales. They're cold, they're wet, and Rio's pretty sure they're also lost. Spending the night in a creepy old inn wasn't part of the plan at all…

Rio's only training. But soon, the fate of the world will be in the hands of the soldier girls.

From Goodreads:
In this first digital original novella set in the world of the Front Lines series, Michael Grant showcases the real-life female journalists of World War II who became the first women war correspondents in history.  

When fierce reporter Anne "Spats" Patrone joins the front lines, she gains access to the female soldiers of Second Squad, Fifth Platoon, Company A, 119th Division, including Rio Richlin. During her journalistic investigation on the front lines she will discover that women are capable of much more than fighting. But what starts out as a pursuit for a story turns deadly when Germans attack. Will Spats make it out alive?

From Goodreads:
For fans of Girl in the Blue Coat, Salt to the Sea, and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain, the second book of New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant's epic alternate history is a coming-of-age story about three girls who are fiercely fighting their own personal battles in the midst of the greatest war of all time.

The summer of 1943, World War II. With heavy memories of combat, Frangie, Rainy, Rio and the rest of the American army are moving on to their next target: the Italian island of Sicily.

The women won't conquer Italy alone. They are not heroes for fighting alongside their brothers—they are soldiers. But Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the millions of brave females fighting for their country have become a symbol in the fight for equality. They will brave terrible conditions in an endless siege; they will fight to find themselves on the front lines of WWII; and they will come face-to-face with the brutality of war until they win or die.

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant unleashes the gritty and powerful conclusion to the Front Line series and evokes the brutal truth of World War II: War is hell. An epic tale of historical reimagining, perfect for fans of Code Name Verity and Salt to the Sea.

Courage, sacrifice, and fear have lead Rio, Frangie, and Rainy through front-line battles in North Africa and Sicily, and their missions are not over. These soldiers and thousands of Allies must fight their deadliest battle yet—for their country and their lives—as they descend into the freezing water and onto the treacherous sands of Omaha Beach. It is June 6, 1944. D-Day has arrived.

No longer naive recruits, these soldier girls are now Silver Star recipients and battle-hardened. Others look to them for guidance and confidence, but this is a war that will leave sixty million dead. Flesh will turn to charcoal. Piles will be made of torn limbs. The women must find a way to lead while holding on to their own last shreds of belief in humanity.

My first review of Front Lines

My Review:


Author: Michael Grant
Series: Soldier Girl #1, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 3

First Read: March 31st, 2017
Read: November 13th, 13th, 13th, 13th, 14th, 2925 
Source: Ebook.bike, Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love his books, and they're Historical Fiction 2025 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and Silver Stars is a WoW Book, and Purple Hearts is a End of Series 2025 Book!
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books, Electric Monkey
Published: January 26th 2016, January 17th 2017, February 23rd 2017, January 31st 2017, January 30th 2018

Front Lines:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Soldier Girls in Action:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Dead of Night:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Silver Stars:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Purple Hearts:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars