Squee from the Keeper Shelf is a new feature wherein we share why we love the books we love, specifically the stories which are permanent residents of our Keeper shelves. Despite flaws, despite changes in age and perspective, despite the passage of time, we love particular books beyond reason, and the only thing better than re-reading them is telling other people about them. At length. If you’d like to submit your reasons for loving and … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles →
Apparently I have a reading quirk. When I am sick, and only when I’m sick, I have to read Maya Rodale. Her work has too many cute pop culture references to suit me in a normal state. But when I’m loaded up on Nyquil, nothing makes me quite as happy as a Maya Rodale novel. Lady Claire Is All That is a homage to the movie She’s All That, but since I am apparently one … Continue reading Lady Claire Is All That by Maya Rodale →
Look to the Stars was exactly the book I needed to read at exactly the right moment I needed to read it. Lately my brain has been in over-drive, catastrophizing and just generally keeping me from sleeping soundly. Look to the Stars was the perfect Regency novella to reset my mind – it’s light on conflict, although the conflict is still there, and I loved the main characters. It’s more a short chronicling of a … Continue reading Look to the Stars by Olivia Kelly →
Seven Minutes in Heaven is written with Eloisa James’ customary wit and charm. It’s an enchanting book with one major caveat – the main conflict could have been resolved in Chapter One if people just spoke clearly. I’m not a fan of stories that revolve around a misunderstanding. Still, I enjoyed it because the writing is so good and the characters so delightful. Edward Reeve, AKA Ward, is in desperate need of a governess who … Continue reading Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James →
A Murder in Time is a book I’ve mentioned a couple times on the site. It was also recently on sale! The premise of an FBI agent heroine traveling back in time to 1815 London and getting involved in a serial murder case was too tempting for me to resist. At its heart, this story has a great mystery, but too many unnecessary or ill-fitting details slowed the book to a slog. I just wanted more … Continue reading A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain →
A Perilous Undertaking is book 2 in the Veronica Speedwell series. I advise that you start with book one, A Curious Beginning, to get a better sense of the world, and the characters. I read the two books one after the other, so my impressions are influenced by their proximity in my brain, but looking solely at book two and skipping book one leaves a wealth of motivation and development behind, and readers would miss out on … Continue reading A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn →
From the late 18th century to 1996, the Magdalen Laundries were (In theory) a place for fallen women to be employed with godly, honest work and get off the streets and all that. The reality was that women and girls could be committed to these asylums for years with no appeal or release until such a time as the nuns running the place let them go. Records of women who disappeared into the asylums are scant … Continue reading The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander →
Four Weddings and a Sixpence is super comforting. It’s a collection of four novellas, all Regency romances, all remarkably angst-free. Five minutes after reading each story I had already forgotten all about it, but I remembered my enjoyment while reading it. The novellas are held together by a framing story written by Julia Quinn. In 1817, four girls who are attending Madame Rochambeaux’s Gentle School for Girls find a sixpence in the mattress. The girls … Continue reading Four Weddings and a Sixpence by Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Stefanie Sloane →
NB: Have we mentioned that we love a good squee? Because we do. We love hearing about which books made you feel absolutely over the moon, or ones that you’ve connected with on deep, emotional levels. This particular squee comes from Poppy. Poppy is a long-time fan of SBTB and loves cats, books and coffee, in that order. There is also a trigger warning at the beginning of the review, but in case you miss it … Continue reading Guest Squee: Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan →
Normally I’m pretty cynical about Christmas. I’m not a practicing Christian, and I’ve worked in either retail or logistics long enough that the commercialism and chaos that precedes the holiday season exhausts me (I once worked till 2 a.m. so a shipment of children’s bedsheets that were on sale would hit the store in time for Black Friday–then slept for four hours and went back into work). This year, though, I’m clinging to anything happy and … Continue reading All I Want for Christmas is a Duke by Valerie Bowman, Tiffany Clare, Vivienne Lorret, Ashlyn MacNamara →
NB: Welcome to Flashback Friday! If you didn’t catch it, Carrie had a disappointing experience reading Mary Balogh’s latest release, Someone to Love, due to racist stereotypes. But, if you’re hoping to read Balogh without DNF-ing, Elyse wrote a glowing review of Only a Promise. This review was originally published June 10, 2015. Only a Promise was the first book I read by Mary Balogh, and I rectified that situation pretty damn quick. It was so so amazingly good that … Continue reading Only a Promise by Mary Balogh →
