Julie's Review: Lost Roses

Author: Martha Hall Kelly
Series: Lilac Girls #2
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Ballantine
Pages: 448 
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Solid look at WWI and the White Russians
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Summary: It is 1914, and the world has been on the brink of war so often, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia: the church with the interior covered in jeweled mosaics, the Rembrandts at the tsar’s Winter Palace, the famous ballet. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia’s imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortune-teller’s daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya’s letters suddenly stop coming, she fears the worst for her best friend. From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and aristocratic countryside estates to the avenues of Paris where a society of fallen Russian émigrés live to the mansions of Long Island, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways. In her newest powerful tale told through female-driven perspectives, Martha Hall Kelly celebrates the unbreakable bonds of women’s friendship, especially during the darkest days of history. ~amazon.com 

Review: When Historical Fiction is done right, you learn something about history that you didn't know previously or you knew about it but just on the surface. For me it what the revolution of the Bolsheviks and the overtaking of the government. I find Russian history fascinating and extremely complex, you definitely need a flow chart at times. Ms. Kelly keeps it simple by focusing on one family that are a part of the White Russians and even the inner circle of the royal family. 

I enjoyed the story-line of Sofya and her family as they tried to flee to the Russian countryside from the Revolution in the city but unfortunately the countryside is no safer and maybe more dangerous than the city. They are out of the protection of the guards and are out in the open. Sofya's husband is away fighting for the royal Army so that leaves her and their young son to fight off the mercenaries that threaten their existence. What she didn't expect was that the young village girl that she hired to help her with the care of her son would bring the biggest danger to her house and affect her life in ways she never imagined. 

Sofya is a strong woman who suffers much loss before she finally finds her peace. She is resilient in a way that a privileged young woman, let alone a wife and mother, ever find out they need to be. She fights for her safety and the safety of her family.

I felt that the story of Eliza Ferriday took a backseat to Sofya's trials and tribulations. It's not that Eliza didn't suffer her own losses but she also didn't have the tragedy that Sofya had. She never stopped looking for her friend and did help many women and families that fled Russia during the revolution. She looked for ways she could make a difference and fight for those who lost everything. She gets this from her mother who was/is a champion for women rights.

Lost Roses is a great historical fiction novel but can be a bit slow at times depending on the pace of book you are looking for. I definitely can't wait for the 3rd in this series. 

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Sunday Skim

Week of 5/26/19:

Finished:

Very different books that I finished this week and the reviews will be up throughout the week.

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I'm tired this Sunday. It's been non stop last week and it will be the same this week as we prep for a week of vacation. We have 3 baseball games this week and I'm taking my daughter to her first concert as well. That week of beach and pool time it looking even better.  Hope you have a wonderful week!

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Sunday Skim

Week of 5/19/19:

Finished:

Two very different books but both equally as good. I really enjoyed Lost Roses for the Russian History lesson. Watch Me Disappear is a great mystery that steers you in several directions before revealing the truth.

Currently Reading:

Looking Forward To:

I hope that you are enjoying a nice Memorial Day weekend even if it is as hectic as ours is due to another baseball tournament. It's a good thing he loves this game and we love all the families we play with. It makes 8 hours at a ballpark much more enjoyable. The other time over the weekend will be getting the house ready for my husband's parental unit visit for our daughter's 8th grade graduation. So I'm hoping to get some time to read this weekend, even if it's sneaking in time.

Julie's Review: Mine

Author: Courtney Cole
Series: None
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 304
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Interesting twist on the cheating husband storyline
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Summary: Tessa was prepared for the hurricane. Lindsey was the storm she didn’t see coming. When Tessa Taylor unlocked her husband Ethan’s iPad to discover nude photos from a twenty-six-year-old bombshell named Lindsey, her seemingly perfect life came to a screeching halt. With a hurricane barreling toward Florida and Ethan stuck on a business trip, Tessa finds herself imprisoned in her own home with a choice to make: Does she ride out the storm until she can confront Ethan in person, or does she take matters into her own hands? Increasingly restless and desperate for revenge, Tessa resolves to act. And when she lures Lindsey over a few hours later, there’s no turning back. What ensues is a battle of wills between two well-matched opponents, blinded by love for the same man but driven by demons of their own. Like storm-ravaged Florida, neither woman will be the same when the skies clear. He’s mine. Both wife and mistress would stake their lives on it. But only one of them can be right. 

Review: While in many way, Mine is your typical husband cheats novel it's atypical in the way that it works through the issue. This isn't a wife exacting revenge on her husband but it's her taking the situation into her own hand and dealing with the mistress. It's not often a book dealing with cheating pits woman vs. woman. The fights were as much psychological as they were physical.

As a reader you immediately know that something is a bit "off" with Lindsey and that she's not exactly trustworthy in her view of her relationship with Ethan. She's desperate for a man to take care of her and will use her looks to hook him. She's definitely a hard worker, working full-time and going to nursing school at night. She's also sacrificing time with her family to obtain her goals. She is smart but is letting herself get wrapped up in finding the perfect man. 

Tessa, on the other hand, is pulled together, successful and already has what see needs in life. Her family and her job are her priority. It wasn't until the realization of Lindsey that she though her marriage was in trouble. She knew things weren't great but they weren't bad either. When she finds out she loses all control and sets a plan in motion that she can't slow down on, even if she wanted to.

The whole novel takes place over the course of an evening with a swing of emotions. The ending isn't something I imagined when starting this book but it was worth it in the end. 

Definitely a book to soak in while you are lounging somewhere this holiday weekend. 


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Julie's Review: When We Left Cuba

Author: Chanel Cleeton
Series: None
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: How do you follow your heart when it leads you two ways?
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Summary: Beautiful. Daring. Deadly. The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez—her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost. As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future—but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything—not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart...~amazon.com

 Review: I loved Chanel Cleeton's Next Year in Havana but she out did it with telling Beatriz Perez' story. Love, loyalty, spying and family are at the center of this novel. Beatriz is what most people would classify as a femme fatale. She's got the looks, the attitude and the smarts but can she take on her nemesis, Fidel Castro.

Beatriz Perez has never been really good about following the rules but when her family escapes Cuba just before Fidel Castro takes power and moves to Palm Beach, she really feels like a caged animal. Her mother is trying to find a way in with the society there but they are outsiders and they are beautiful, so it's not as easy as it seems. Plus their father is trying to rebuild his fortune so they are considered new money. While this is boring to her she makes due and through Eduardo, her deceased brother's best friend, she meets up with a man in the CIA who promises her that she'll get her revenge on Castro.

What Beatriz wasn't counting on was falling in love with a very powerful man who has political aspirations and becoming his mistress. She knows that it won't end well but she can't deny herself this one positive thing in her life. When things turn around for her and Nick, she's so focused on the take-down of Fidel that she has to let him go. She refuses to compromise herself and her goals.

Things don't always go as planned for Beatriz but she handles them well. She lives the life she wants to live and has some regrets but they never hold her back.

This was a quick, fun read. I love anything that has to do with spying though but there's enough romance and family drama throughout as well.


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Julie’s Review: The Southern Side of Paradise

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Series: Peachtree Bluff #3
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Publisher: Gallery
Pages: 400
Obtained: author
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: A great ending to one of my favorite series;
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Summary: With the man of her dreams back in her life and all three of her daughters happy, Ansley Murphy should be content. But she can’t help but feel like it’s all a little too good to be true. Meanwhile, youngest daughter and actress Emerson, who is recently engaged and has just landed the role of a lifetime, seemingly has the world by the tail. Only, something she can’t quite put her finger on is worrying her—and it has nothing to do with her recent health scare. When two new women arrive in Peachtree Bluff—one who has the potential to wreck Ansley’s happiness and one who could tear Emerson’s world apart—everything is put in perspective. And after secrets that were never meant to be told come to light, the powerful bond between the Murphy sisters and their mother comes crumbling down, testing their devotion to each other and forcing them to evaluate the meaning of family. ~amazon.com 

Review: I devoured this book when I was on a work trip and my flight got delayed (shocker!). Not that I wouldn't have anyway but traveling allowed me some me time without a kid asking me 100 questions. I'm always sad to see a series end but I will miss this family something fierce. Each of the books in the series has focused on one of the Murphy sister's plus their mom, Ansley. This time it's Emerson's turn as the baby of the family. It's also about long buried secrets that have a way of coming to light when you aren't exactly prepared. 

Emerson is her own person and she's fighting to be independent while living up to her fiance's expectation of their roles in their upcoming marriage. She wants to continue her acting career more than anything but her fiance has a business to run in Georgia and well there aren't a lot of acting gigs in their neck of the woods these days. She believes that it will all work out on it's own. 

As she starts to look to herself and the life she wants to live, she starts to question if she's doing the right thing. As secrets long held by her mother start to come to light, she wonders where she really does fit in.  

I loved how Ms. Harvey finished up the series but kind of did leave the door open for possible future books. With the Murphy girls there's always some sort of drama going on but they always resolve it even if it takes awhile.

If you have never read this series, then you should start. They are the perfect summer read. 



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