Well, there is clearly no faster way to kill regular posting than to announce a new blog series. Nevertheless, here’s a few recent titles.
A Triple Knot by Emma Campion (Goodreads): This story woven around the real medieval woman Joan of Kent looked really thrilling, but I couldn’t get into it, even though I normally like historical fiction. I tried several times to read the first chapter but it just didn’t hold my attention. (NB: I received an ARC to review.)
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (Goodreads): A stunning blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and romance. Li Lan’s family has fallen on hard times and her father suggests a ghost marriage to the recently deceased eldest son of the Lim family. I loved the way the story unfolds through 19th-century Malaysia, both in the physical world and the afterlife. The book ends with a decision but I wanted to keep reading more of Li Lan’s story.
Dark Witch by Nora Roberts, the first of the Cousins O’Dwyer trilogy (Goodreads): Iona Sheehan comes to her cousins in Ireland and finds that they share not only blood, but an ancient spiritual gift and an ancient enemy. Roberts blends in some elements of modern Wicca (the rhyming Silver Ravenwolf-type spells were incongruous and a bit silly), but the story of Iona finding bonds of family, friendship, and love kept me turning pages. I’m now reading Shadow Spell (Goodreads), the second book in the trilogy; the third book, Blood Magick, comes out in December.