eyes.2c Reviews

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m conflicted about this story. I felt like I’d wandered into a secretive hidden world that exists between brutal reality and surface pretences. A supportive apothecary in the eighteenth century, hidden in the back alleyways of London, turned ‘serial killer!’ What drove the change?  I loved the idea  of the female apothecary line and the rules set forth to guide them. Only at some stage they moved from supporting women in their illnesses and health necessities by using various herb mixtures, creams and tinctures; to helping them get out from under the tyranny of husbands or others who use them badly. Unfortunately the apothecary finds herself at the mercy of one she assists. The code to never harm a female is broken. (I wonder, how far back did the line go really? Would these women have been accused of witchcraft once?) Whether in the past or today, the fact is they are assisting with murder. The apot...

An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lepidopterist, Veronica Speedwell is dealing with issues of commitment. Her relationship with Stoker (the Honorable Revelstoke Templeton-Vane) has undergone change. Although blissful it has her deeply worried. She’s dreading he might want the full thing. Marriage is too much like being strangled for her. Not that Stoker has suggested this. However Veronica is full on into panic mode. Just as well that their newly embarked on physical relationship is wonderful. Veronica’s emotions impact their interactions to the extent that Veronica appears petulant to the point of churlishness—most un Veronica! However the two suddenly find themselves in the midst of a political landmine. Veronica has been asked to put together an exhibition as a tribute to a female mountaineer from the tiny kingdom of Alpenwal who tragically died in a fall. Having previously met the intrepid climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica was hon...

  To The Dark (Simon Westrow #3) by Chris Nickson         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   A different hunt for thief-taker Simon and his cohort—his wife and love, Rosie and his helper Jane. Silver spoons have been stolen and the thief tracked by Simon. Now the thief's turned up dead and the game takes a turn. Powerful people in the Leeds of 1823 are involved. Constable Williams is a player and things are changing. But Jane! What is it about the feral girl Jane that calls to me? She is a killer when the need arises, swift and merciless. Yet she is that innocent waif robbed of childhood. And a new addition, Martha. What is it about the child Martha and why does Catherine Shields, the woman who’s taken Jane in, warn Jane about the girl child? Jane sees her younger self, but what does Catherine see? Alongside this is, a subplot of Jane being threatened by and in turn threatening a bully, Big Tom. This too plays into the overall story. There’s the death of a thief, a sniff of t...

The Stone of Destiny(Brother Athelstan mysteries #20) by Paul Doherty        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Only Doherty could bring together in 1381 the Stone of Scone of Scotland, happenings from the Great Pestlance, horrific deaths of women from the lowest stratas of society, and tie it all together forming a conundrum that slinks into our favourite Parish, St Erconwald’s of Southwark. And of course right into the lap of our well loved cleric and sleuth, Dominican friar Brother Athelstan, working of course with Sir John Cranston, Lord High Coroner of the city. Not only this but death raises its head in Westminster Abbey. A sacristan dies in extreme agony. And that's just the beginning.  There's also a visit from Austin Sinclair, Prior of Melrose Abbey in Scotland come amongst other things to study the Great Revolt. He wants to hear the stories from Athelstan's parishioners. Naturally there are complications coming from every direction, many threads are intertwining to...

The Sculptress by V.S. Alexander          ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oh my! I was almost speechless by the time I finished this. I was exhausted by the gamit of emotionally charged situations. I felt like I’d run a marathon. I’m still wondering about that. Is being played out like this the sign of a great read or a super complicated read, or both?  Or is this the story of a person subjugated by and subjected to social rules made by male traditions taken to another level.  This story of a woman’s life journey begins with fifteen years old Emma Lewis, gifted with artistic talents, a young girl with dreams that soured. Of falling in love too young, leading to secrets and tragedies. Eventually Emma becomes a female sculptor striving for acceptance in the hidebound, male dominated world of the arts in the traditional Boston society of the early 1900’s. Beyond that, this is a story of relationships, of marriage, of betrayals and near betrayals, of unforgiveness and heartache...

The Kitchen Front: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jennifer Ryan has fast become one of my fav. authors. I loved ‘The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir’, was glued to ‘The Spies of Shilling Lane’ and am buoyed by ‘The Kitchen Front.’ Taking place during WW2 (1942) in a typical English village, Fenley Village, it’s the story of four women and their quest to become more, albeit from a very different starting point. All have some sort of tragedy or story behind them. That in itself provides the determination they must bring to go forward. Two of the women are sisters at odds with each other, one a kitchen maid, the fourth a Cordon Bleu Chef. They all enter a cooking contest with the BBC as part of the Ministry of Food’s war efforts around rationing, food shortages and how to use what was available to make delicious and nutritious meals, including the American addition—Spam! The winner will become a co-presenter of the radio show, ‘The Kitchen Front.’ Interspersed thro...

A Rogue to Ruin (The Untouchables: The Pretenders #3) by Darcy Burke          ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved that bad boy Rafe Blackwell (Bowles) met the woman he finds irresistible in a bookstore. Anne Pemberton has suffered a setback, well really a close escape, when her fiancé turns out to be a crook, an extortionist. She was left at the altar. (Rafe was involved in this). Needless to say society places their disapproval on Anne. Anne’s not worried. “Much to [her] parents’ horror, she’d declared herself a spinster and moved into a house in Cavendish Square owned by her friend Phoebe, who was now the Marchioness of Ripley.” Unfortunately her godfather is worried by her declaration of independence and seems to be pushing her towards engaging in social events.  Meanwhile Rafe is hiding a secret, a tawdry background in the underbelly of London, abut how he arrived there and who he is is clouded. He has been searching for information he can only see in dreams. As Rafe and...

An Extravagant Death (Charles Lenox Mystery #14) by Charles Finch           ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An extravagant death! An interesting title and one worth contemplating post read. I think the clue to many things, including Charles last investigation, possibly pave the way for a turn of the page for Charles Lenox’s future. It’s 1878 and Charles has been involved in a highly profiled dark investigation. Charles is now probably the most preeminent detective England. Having been requested by the Prime Minister (Disraeli) to leave the country for a period whilst the trial is underway, Lady Jane encourages him to do what he’s always planned to do—travel. Charles arrives in New York and through a set of circumstances ends up investigating the death of a young socialite, the fêted  Lily Allingham,  in Newport, near the famed Forty Steps along the Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is where the crème de la crème have their summer ‘cottages’.  Charles’ impressions of the ver...

A Fatal Lie (Inspector Ian Rutledge #23) by Charles Todd             ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The finding of a body is thought to be an accidental death until Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent to Northern Wales to investigate. His superior is rather annoyed with him (cut the air with a knife cross) or as Rutledge put it to a colleague he was being sent far, far away. “Northern Wales is rather like being sent to Coventry—out of sight and out of mind.” Fortunately Rutledge was keen to escape the boring task of reviewing papers he’d been hither too stuck with, being decidedly out of favour. Little did he realize just how complex his seemingly innocent investigation would become. As one murder slips into another, as the ground is muddied by the innocent and the abetters, Rutledge and the voice of his dead companion Corporal Hamish MacLeod, have much to ponder. Danger lurks and the way becomes blinded by clues slipping down rabbit holes and ...

The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna          ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Exciting premise to the story—one that I both loved and hated when I really thought about the society’s racial biases. Only pure bloods are allowed to continue their lives within their villages (even if for women thats along strictly traditional patriarchal lines) The others, those whose blood runs a different colour (gold) when tested are deemed to be descended from so called demons.  This is the Ritual of Purity that happens all over the land of Otera when a girl turns sixteen. If other they are used, abused and killed over and over for the economic value of their golden blood secretions. This idea of the ‘other’ being sorted out and disposed of raises of course the specter of Gladiators and Roman arena ordeals, the slave markets. I kept thinking Hunger Games, but in Otera the rejects, the racially impure must fight to save the pure. So battle slaves are essentially being trained to save...

Fairhaven Rising (Saga of Recluce #22) by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.          ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Modisett just keeps dishing it out. A whole new group of young mages rising in Fairhaven—Black and White. Both the daughter and niece of the original founders, Beltur, Black Mage and Head Councilor of Fairhaven and Jessyla, Black Mage, Councilor and chief healer of Fairhaven, are coming into their own, just in time. Their daughter Kaeryla  is an apprentice healer and Black Mage. Their niece Taelya, is a White Mage, and guard undercaptain. We see most of the story through Taelya’s eyes.  The Prefect of Gallos and Koralya the acting Duchess of Montgren seem to have joined forces, and ultimately Fairhaven just might be the target. The town is being tested. The very foundation of the soul of Fairhaven is once again under attack. The political deceit is convoluted. Fairhaven troops and mages are sent to support Montgren action against Hydlen. Taelya and Kaeryla are part of that co...

How to Date Your Wardrobe: And Other Ways to Revive, Revitalize, and Reinvigorate Your Style by Heather Newberger        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Indeed the content and presentation was a great reminder about revisiting and reassessing your wardrobe. Make no mistake, I love clothing and textiles. So much so that I find it hard to throw things out. I’ve held on to vintage clothing from the 1930’s (I bought in the 70’s, or pillaged from older relie’s wardrobes ‘cause I adore the styles, the fabrics and the cut of those earlier fashions.) I still have fav jeans and pants I bought in the 80’s, even if I no longer fit into them. (Indeed I haven’t for many moons. Sigh!) So how does this book help? There’s not much that is new but I like the short, sharp presentation.it’s  reminded me that I can relook at what I have, and apart from those vintage pieces, I can look at how much I can reshape my thinking and subsequently my wardrobe.  As Newberger stated, “It’s easy to lust afte...

Dancing With Danger (Goode Girls #3)  by Kerrigan Byrne         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mercy Goode! What a force of nature. Feisty enough to find herself arrested along with the French (very gorgeous) smuggler Raphael Sauvageau, a coldly explosive personality, with a passionate underlay. So when the two meet, under extraordinary circumstances (like being arrested) of course sparks are going to fly. Determined blue stocking amateur investigator Mercy is on the track of a killer. Annoyingly for Raphael he keeps running into this loveable nuisance of a woman, often more a spitting kitten. Not only do wills clash but it seems goals do to.Investigation and romance blends for a fabulous read! Another amazing Victorian mystery romance from Byrne An Xpresso Book Tours ARC via NetGalley 

Hit Me With Your Best Scot (Wild Wicked Highlanders #3) by Suzanne Enoch        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fitting conclusion to Highlanders series! What a wild ride it’s been and in this third book in the series Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril, lives up to the MacTaggert tradition. This is the man who pursued a villain down Grosvenor Square clad in nothing but his boots and carrying a large sword, to the secretly scandalized delight of the ton.  It stands to reason any answer to his mother’s demands for an English bride would be guaranteed to fly in her face. Remember the MacTaggert men had to find English brides or loose the monies needed to support Aldriss Park, the MacTaggert Highland stronghold, and all it’s dependents These three brawny alpha males were dragged into doing something against their will by their Sassenach mother. Two had fallen for English women but now it’s Coll’s time for pay back, as his mother parades a series of either ambitious or feather br...

A Lady's Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1) by Elizabeth Everett     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The dark, earnest assassin and the lovely insecure widow with a genius for chemistry!  Violet Hughes, Lady Greycliff,  is developing an antidote to poison gas being used by a radical worker’s organization. The prime minister’s agent Arthur Kneland has been deployed as her body guard after a failed assassination attempt. Arthur’s idea of the widow, before he meets her it must be admitted, is way below par. He should have listened more closely to his employer, Lord Greycliff, Violet’s stepson when he muttered, “Funny how chaos seems to follow behind certain women.” Arthur is about to get the surprise of his life. Violet is one of the founders of  Athena’s Retreat, a salon  that fronts for a secret society allowing women scientists to pursue their chosen areas of investigation away from the disapproving society of the times. I’m not sure if the developing relatio...

The Four Winds: A Novel by Kristin Hannah        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Not since The Grapes of Wrath have I been so realistically immersed in such a time of hardships as the Great Depression and droughts of the  Dust Bowl areas of the 1930’s. Told from a woman’s point of view, I found Elsa Wolcott’s story inspirational. The trials of an undervalued, unloved girl, who painfully finds life and purpose is only the beginning. The introduction focuses on the loneliness of Elsa within her family, the role they’ve colluded to keep her in, unwittingly or not, leaving Elsa stunted by their unyielding perception of her. Her one moment of fight for freedom, the making of a dress in rose silk, leads to something else. A small but devastatingly painful vignette. I must admit when I saw the silk dress reemerge in a different guise I was shocked. Nothing said stay in your alloted place as did that symbolic moment. Elsa was not allowed to be more. When she was shown attention, of course ...

The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington (The Swooning Virgins Society #2)   by Anna Bradley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cecilia Gilchrist, young denizen of the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls is installed as a housemaid for Gideon Rhys, Marquess of Darlington, at his castle. He's said to have murdered his wife. Cecilia's task is to uncover the truth of the matter. Promotion to role of governess to his niece, four year old Arabella, brings Cecilia closer to her goal. Cecilia finds a whole lot more than she expected, and in doing so faces danger and comes into her own. Another super read from Bradley. A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley  (Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own)