When Maud McIntyre sets up her own private detective agency, she never imagines her first case will involve murder… A mystery in the Highlands? The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency is on the case!

Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the Duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewellery thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve…

Undercover with Daisy as her maid, Maud follows a trail of clues across the Duddingston House estate. And as she meets the weekend guests, she hopes one of them will reveal themselves as the jewellery thief. But when one of the house guests is discovered dead, Maud and Daisy realise they’re not only hunting precious gems, but a murderer…

As Maud and Daisy investigate, they realise that a connection in Edinburgh might hold a vital clue that will help them solve the case. Travelling back to the city, Maud hopes that what she and Daisy uncover will help them piece together the murder mystery at Duddingston House…

But when Maud receives a telephone call from the Duchess requesting urgent assistance, she realises that the murderer didn’t have just one victim in mind. Speeding down the drive to Duddingston House, Maud and Daisy hear gunshots ring out across the estate. Will they reach the Duchess in time to save her? And will they catch the murderer in the act?

This is a delightful read and the start of the new series.

Set in 1911 in Edinburgh, Maud McIntyre has opened up a new detective agency with her maid Daisy Cameron as they await for new customers. Their big break came they attended a house party organized by their first customer. As they are investigating a series of robberies of jewelry, soon they get embroiled into solving a murder mystery and Maud and her maid Daisy become busier than ever! This was beautifully written and it was quiet enjoyable as well. I do like the setting much as it was set in the 1910’s Scotland and it was a good job by the author to take us back to that era so we can experience what it was like.

The story was engaging and I was hooked into the story from the beginning till the end. I certainly enjoyed reading this book and since this is the first book of the series, I will be looking forward to read the next book in the series! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the blog tour. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This heart-wrenching memoir from a Holocaust survivor reveals the terrible realities of life in Auschwitz—and how a courageous young stable boy survived against all odds to tell his story.​ “ I couldn ’ t last much longer. But just as I was beginning to give up, I found myself in the Auschwitz stables, with rows of stalls filled with horses.” Henry Oster was just five years old when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. He was the last survivor of the 2,011 Jews who were rounded up by the Gestapo and deported from Cologne. Assigned to back-breaking labor in the Auschwitz horse-breeding stables, Henry clung to the belief that if he made himself hard to replace, he might stay alive. Henry was one of the 2,011 Jews who were deported from Cologne, through it all, he found the strength to survive and was one of only 23 to emerge alive from the concentration camps after the war. How did one starving boy, alone and forgotten, survive this ultimate hell on earth? The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is the heart-breaking, mesmerizing, and unforgettable true story that will destroy your faith in humanity . . . and then build it back up again.

This is a beautiful historical fiction, based on the true story of Henry Oster, a German Jew who witnessed horrors of Holocaust and how he survived Holocaust and his life after the Holocaust.

The story starts with Henry Oster a young boy living in Cologne, Germany–the time when Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933. From that point onwards, we learn about the life of Jewish people living in Germany, during the Hitler’s rule in Germany, the horrors many of them experienced, the way they were eventually thrown out of their own houses and forced to live in ghettos. This was a sensitive read as it describes the loss of parents. It also tells about how when Henry reached to Auschwitz, he worked in the stables before being transported to Buchenwald concentration camp, just before the war ended. He also befriended another fellow Jewish boy. What makes this story more unique is that it also describes the life of Henry Oster after the war–after the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration camp. As Henry was an orphan, he and the other Jewish orphans were sent to France, where they did go to school, and soon enough, Henry had relatives in California where he was reunited with them. The story briefly outlines the struggles Henry faced after the war as well.

This book was emotional to read and the fact that it was based on the true story makes it more compelling to read. Holocaust stories are full of emotions and sadness and Henry Oster’s life was no exception during the Holocaust. The author wrote this memoir in a beautiful and compelling way, drawing the reader into the story with pictures to depict the life during Holocaust, Henry Oster’s childhood photos, before and after the war. Overall, this was a heartbreaking and emotional read which is worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

As Esmeralda moved past Christopher, her breath stifled as he caught her finger in his. It was only a split-second, their fingers intertwined in a hold so brief that no one could have possibly noticed, but it told her everything she needed to know. He didn’t just come to see Cuba. He travelled all this way to see me.

Havana, 1950. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Cuba and regarded as the most beautiful girl in Havana, Esmeralda knows the importance of marrying well for her family. But when her father takes her on a business trip to London, she falls in love with a young merchant named Christopher.

When Christopher is invited to visit her father’s sugar farm, Esmeralda knows that they must keep their love affair hidden at all costs. But when the country falls into revolution, Esmeralda is faced with an impossible choice – flee to America with her family or follow her heart and travel to London to be with Christopher. But Esmeralda has been keeping a secret from her family for months, and her decision will have devastating consequences.

London, present day. Claudia is rebuilding her life and following her passion of restoring unloved houses back to their former glory. But when her mother asks for her help in tracking down her grandmother’s history, her curiosity is piqued. Her only clue is a family crest, which she learns is for the Diaz family, once one of the wealthiest dynasties in Cuba. Impulsively Claudia books a ticket to Havana, feeling sure in her heart that she will be able to uncover her family’s true story.

Arriving in the bustling and vibrant city she meets a young man named Mateo, a chef who loves nothing more than to cook his family’s recipes. As they get to know each other over dinner, Mateo says that his grandfather used to work for the Diaz family and he too wants to uncover what happened.

But when they arrive at the Diaz family home, they find it completely abandoned as if preserved in time from the 1950s. It’s not long before they uncover a heartbreaking story about her family, who were forced to leave everything they had ever known. As she becomes closer to Mateo, will her family’s story of sacrifice convince Claudia to leave behind her own home and follow her heart to Cuba?

This is the second book of the Daughter series. Although I haven’t read the first book, the Italian Daughter, this book, the Cuban Daughter, can be read as a standalone.

The story starts with Claudia in UK during the present day when her mother asks her to track down her grandmother’s ancestry. When Claudia finds out a arm of crest, she realizes that it belonged to a wealthy family named Diaz in Cuba who was beyond family in the 1950’s before Castro came to power. To find answers to the questions, Claudia travels to Cuba and meets interesting people including Mateo where she learns about Esmeralda, the beautiful daughter of Diaz.

In 1950, Esmeralda Diaz while on a business trip with her father to London meets Christopher Dutton. The two embarks on a romantic relationship although Esmeralda’s father will never approve of their relationship.

I was truly mesmerized with the whole story that I simply couldn’t put the book down. I felt like I was transported to Cuba, learning about the Cuban culture and cuisine and I do like how the time line shift between Claudia and Esmeralda. I also like blossoming romance between Claudia and Mateo as well and also Esmeralda and Christopher. I do like the ending as well.

So overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking novel that will keep you hooked till the end and strongly recommend to try this novel out! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for making a part of the blog tour and many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0BGQGC7YBsocial

Pianist: NOUN. Informal. A person who operates or controls a radio transmitter – often in code.

July, 1940

Blitz-ridden London: Marnie Fern’s life is torn apart when her grandfather is killed in an air raid. But once she discovers that he’d been working undercover as a radio operative – or Pianist – for the Dutch resistance, Marnie knows she must complete his mission – no matter the cost…

Nazi-occupied Amsterdam: At the other end of the wireless, fellow pianist Corrie Bakker is caught in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to keep her loved ones out of the line of fire – even if it means sacrificing herself…

Bound together by the invisible wires of their radios, the two women lead parallel lives in their home cities, as both are betrayed by those they trust the most. But when the Nazis close in on one of them, only the other can save her…

Two cities. Two spies. But which woman survives?

This is an emotional and heartbreaking historical fiction set during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam and Blitz ridden London.

Mandy Robotham writes gripping and emotional historical fiction, mostly based in WWII and Nazi occupation in Europe and I always enjoyed reading her books. I got as an invitation to read and review this book and thank you Avon for inviting me to review this book. In fact the War Pianist in my opinion is one of her masterpieces, talking about lives of two brave women during the WWII–Corrie, a pianist in Amsterdam and Marnie, in London, and how their lives interchanged while broadcasting through the radio.

This book was raw, powerfully written, telling in the POV of Corrie and Marnie. Having done WWII history and a piano teacher myself, this book was in fact engaging and emotional in my opinion. The author did a good job of drawing the reader into that era and then making the reader feel like they are also a part of the resistance movement. There are vivid descriptions all too realistic to read, the rubble left behind the bomb that you could vividly actually picture the scene right in your head. The author managed to inflict fear and anxiety on the reader when the characters were nearly caught by the Nazis. Overall, this is powerfully written, emotional, heartbreaking and overall, gripping. Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray

This is one of the touching books I have read. This is one of the first books I have read, based on downfall of communism and brutal rule of Nicole Ceausescu in 1989 when the whole of Eastern Europe is experiencing the downfall of communist rule after nearly forty years of ruling.

The story is about a teenage boy named Cristian who had dreams of studying philosophy and study English. The Romanians are living in dire situations at the time, standing for more than three days under brutal cold weather for cooking fuel and dreaming of getting access to restricted items like Coca-Cola and meat. Cristian’s grandfather is a staunch opposer of the regime and would fix his radio by exchanging Kent cigarettes to listen to Radio Free Channel where it broadcast across Europe talking about what is happening in Eastern Europe. Cristian then suddenly hired as an informer to report on about the American family that his mother is working for in exchange for his grandfather’s medicine.

The chapters are short so it makes it faster to read, which is a good thing. However, the story itself is well written and simple and I was literally immersed into the story. Though I know a thing about communism particularly the Berlin wall breaking in 1989 and Soviet Union collpasing in 1991, The difficult conditions and hardships that many Romanians faced while the leaders are living a life of luxury was something new that I have read. I do like the blossoming relationship between Cristi and Lilliana, the girl who lives on the opposite of Cristi’s apartment. I also like the close relationship between Cristian and his grandfather and also between his sister and him. Reading about the revolution and reading about the brutality of the police were at times difficult to read. The author must have done tremendous research about life in Romania during the communist rule that as a reader, I felt like I was reading a true story even though the characters are fictional. Overall, if you are looking for a good historical fiction, then I highly recommend this book–worth five stars!

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them… and what they will leave behind.

This is the second book I have read of Taylor Jenkins Reid, and after enjoying reading Daisy Jones and the Six, I decided to read most of her books. Malibu Jenkins was published last year and rumor is this will soon turn into a movie or TV series.

Four siblings, Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit are famous siblings–born to a famous singer Mick Riva who had been absent in the siblings’ lives. Each of them are dealing with their own dramas–Nina’s tennis pro husband Brendan is cheating behind Nina with a fellow tennis pro named Carrie Soto, Hud is in love with Jay’s girlfriend and Kit has a secret. The story sets between the time when Mick met the siblings’ mother June and present, when the siblings are arranging the party of the summer.

Initially, it was slightly boring in the beginning but soon, by about after few chapters, I started enjoying the book. I do like the closeness that is mentioned between the siblings and how the night eventually turned into a disaster. I do like how initially, the siblings overcame difficulties. This story mainly talks about friendship, sibling connection and overall, though this wasn’t as good as Daisy and The Six, I actually did enjoy this one. Worth 4.5 stars in my opinion.

Alice looked at the young girl standing alone on the platform, sensing the same vulnerability she’d once felt entering the village she now called home. Then, as the child gripped her hand, the pain and sorrow Alice had held in her heart for so long softened… And in that moment, she vowed she’d always protect her – whatever the cost…

England, 1939: When Alice marries twinkly-eyed, kind-hearted vicar David, it means leaving everything from her old life behind and moving into the draughty vicarage in the beautiful but remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Though homesick, Alice is determined to make a new life there for herself and her husband.

But soon tragedy strikes, and she is devastated when war breaks out and David chooses to sign up to fight. But everything changes when Alice is asked to take in a child evacuee, and she makes a promise to protect this girl, no matter what it costs her…

Now: When Jane and her family move to the small coastal village of Goswell where her husband grew up, she’s afraid she might have made a huge mistake. Their new home – in what had once been the vicarage – feels a million miles from their previous fast-paced life in New York City, and Jane struggles with her empty days that seem lonely and purposeless.

But then she finds a small note, forgotten behind a shelf in the pantry. A note written in the Second World War. By a woman named Alice, whose incredible story has the power to change everything…

Two wives’ stories – told over 70 years apart – about courage, finding a home, and how the unexpected arrival of someone else’s story in your life can change your own. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal.

Previously published as The Vicar’s Wife by Katharine Swartz.

This is a historical fiction and the first book of the Goswell Quartet series.

The story starts with Jane, who moves to the small town Goswell, England with her British husband Andrew and their three children. Goswell is a small picturesque village in England and Jane, having lived in New York, wasn’t used to living in the village. While she is dealing with culture shock, many years before, in the 1930’s. a woman named Alice also moved to this small village after getting married to a vicar. The story is basically about these two women, Alice and Jane and how their lives were as they settled down in the small village.

The story is said dual times lines–1930s told in Alic’s POV and present day told in Jane’s POV. I do understand the frustration that Jane is feeling–I have had experiences with culture shocks most of the time, whenever I move to a different country so I can relate to Jane in someway. I liked reading about Alice’s POV, the life in the village during the war and how she looked after the children. Overall, this was an enjoyable historical fiction that will keep you hooked into from the beginning to the end. Worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC and getting me involved in the book tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This story captures the complexities experienced by a society in transition. The integral connection between the tamarind tree (protagonist of the book), which serves as a symbol, with the life of the people of a small town is imaginatively evoked by an extremely innovative narrative strategy.

ஒரு புளியமரத்தின் கதை – இது ஒரு நவீன செவ்வியல் புனைவு. இந்திய இலக்கியத்தில் ஒரு மைல் கல் எனக் கருதப்படும் இந்த புத்தகம் பல உலக மொழிகளில் மொழிப்பெயர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஒப்பீட்டலிக்கிய விமர்சகர் கே. எம். ஜார்ஜ் இந்நாவலை நோபல் பரிசு பெறத் தகுதியானது என்று குறிப்பிடுகிறார்.

This is actually a tough book to write a book review on. This was originally written in Tamil and was translated into English, the Englished translation will be published on November 15th.

The story centers around a tamarind tree and how because of human greed and politics would soon destroy the nature around the tamarind tree and how the tree had all the rich history. The translator did a good job with the translation and me, coming from Sri Lanka did enjoy reading this book as I am familiar with some Tamil words. Overall, it was a good and enjoyable read–worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.