Angieville

Today marks the release of Stephanie Butland's brand new novel The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae . I'm pleased to be taking part in the blog tour with a giveaway courtesy of St. Martin's Press. Earlier this year (on Beth 's recommendation), I read Ms. Butland's thoughtful and quirky Lost for Words , and I immediately began looking forward to her next book. As you know, I read quite a lot of speculative and historical fiction. But I've had a streak of success with contemporaries this year, and Lost for Words was certainly one of them. If you are a fan of Jenny Colgan  or Sophie Kinsella , I suggest you do yourself a favor and check these books out. ABOUT THE BOOK For fans of Josie Silver's One Day in December , The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a wholly original,  charismatic, and uplifting novel that no reader will soon forget.  Ailsa Rae is learning how to live. She’s only a few months past the heart transplant that—just in  time—saved her life. Now,...

I have now read two retellings of Much Ado About Nothing (possibly my very favorite Shakespeare play, which is saying something ), and I'm just sort of delighted with the whole situation. You know how strongly I felt about McKelle George 's incredible  Speak Easy, Speak Love . That book is perfection from start to finish, and I will die on that hill. Then this year I ran across Lily Anderson 's The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You , which just by the way became my favorite book title in forever and just so, so perfect for Beatrice and Benedick and their mad, wonderful war. This was my first book by Lily Anderson, and from the snort of laughter I let out at the opening lines, I knew that we would be getting on just fine: Ben West spent summer vacation growing a handlebar mustache. Seriously. Hovering over his upper lip―possibly glued there―was a bushy monstrosity that shouted, "Look out, senior class, I'm gonna tie some chicks to the train tracks and then go...

Today marks the release of The Art of Theft ―the fourth installment in Sherry Thomas's superb Lady Sherlock series . I'm delighted to be participating in the blog tour with a giveaway courtesy of Berkley. My emotions regarding this gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes retelling are tangled and fathoms-deep. These characters are incredibly dear to me, and I return to each book so very happy to see them and to read the breathtaking empathy with which Sherry Thomas writes about the realities of the lives of Victorian women and the truths that are so difficult to speak. Fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber should definitely search out this series if you've not yet made its acquaintance.  ABOUT THE BOOK Charlotte finds herself in  the  midst of an all-new debacle: how does a renowned detective, a super-sneaky sleuth, steal a piece of artwork?  The  crime-solver has uncovered missing persons, and even nabbed a murderer or two—but when an old friend of Mrs. Wat...