plantladyreader's reviews
561 reviews

Another dive into the realm of historical romance for me, and once again I slightly enjoyed it! Will it be a genre I read all the time? no. But is it a nice little break from my usual doom and gloom books? yes.

This third installment in the Bridgerton series follows second eldest son, Benedict. Without the pressures of inheriting the title like Anthony, Benedict can be a little more casual with his love life. With his mother still determined to marry off her children, he makes his appearance at the balls and events of the season, dancing with the eligible women. But it isn't until his mother's masked ball that one catches his eye - and everyone else in the room. With a story that gives all the Cinderella vibes, Benedict has his clandestine moment with this woman, never learning her name or seeing half of her face, and then she disappears, leaving nothing but a glove behind.

Sophie Beckett is living an actual Cinderella story. The illegitimate bastard child of an earl, who takes her in as a child to be his ward, she is left in the care of her stepmother when her father dies. Resentful that she must continue to care for this girl, Sophie's stepmother makes her a servant. When Sophie sneaks out to go to the masked ball, she has the time of her life - a glimpse into the life she'll never be accepted in.

Forward the story, Benedict has given up hope he'll ever find his mystery woman. Sophie, working as a lady's maid in the house of one of Benedict's friends, ends up in a tricky situation, and is rescued by Benedict. Sophie obviously realizes Benedict is the man she danced the night away with years ago, but Benedict is clueless. As their relationship grows closer, Sophie wonders if Benedict will ever realize she's the girl he's been looking for...

I think the Cinderella subplot really saved this one for me - it was fun to watch Benedict be so clueless. BUT Benedict may be my least favourite of the Bridgerton brothers. While the early 19th century was very rigid with gender and society ideals, the chauvinism of Benedict was so cringey so many times. Blinded by how society would feel if he ever openly fell in love with a lady's maid, it was so frustrating to read about the ways he tried to get around it. Sophie had great moral fiber and I love how she didn't just bend to his will.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but probably not as much as the first two books.

What a fantastic continuation to this series!

This book really shows Aelin, and her court, coming into their own. It shows more of Aelin’s power, more of the talents of those around her, and shows how she’s literally thinking 13 steps ahead of those around her!

I know Tower of Dawn takes place at the same time but from a different perspective, so I’m looking forward to getting through that one and reading the final book of this epic series!

This book was so easy to get lost in.

It’s nice reading books based on real people or events, because you go into the story with a general idea of what is going to happen.

With this book, Maniscalco put a twisted spin on the infamous Jack the Ripper.

We follow Aubrey Rose struggling with her fathers and society’s opinion of what a young girl should be doing - tea parties, learning to keep a home, and forming no opinions besides what her father and potential spouse give her. However, AR is none of those things! She’s an intelligent, determined girl, looking to work as a forensics pathologist with the help of her uncle. Within his class, she also comes across Thomas, who thankfully is enraptured by her brains as well as beauty, and sees her being her own, independent person as opposed to his housewife. We watch as AR and Thomas fight with their feelings, as well as hunting down the notorious serial killer who is harvesting organs. The slow evolution of their relationship really gets you rooting for them as a couple.

I will say, I enjoyed the setting of this novel, and learning about the medical practices available to pathologists within the late nineteenth century. It was interesting to read about a murder investigation where it wasn’t as simple as fingerprints and DNA to solve the murder. However, the story was rather easy to figure out, as a key sentence on the back cover immediately divulges a very small list of people who could be the killer Aubrey Rose and Thomas are searching for. However, I still enjoyed the book, and look forward to reading more within this series.

4

It has been a while since I have read a book that makes me anxious while I read it, but this book certainly delivered on that front. I am grateful to @harpercollinsca for the advanced copy!

Emma is approaching her fortieth birthday, and her anxiety is going through the roof. Forty is also the birthday that pushed her mother over the edge, causing her to behave erratically, stop sleeping, and almost harm her children. So when Emma's anxiety starts leaving her with no sleep, and missing portions of her day, she worries she'll follow the same path. With her life unraveling around her, Emma can't help but think she's losing her mind - she's becoming a creature of habit in the night, her youngest appears to be afraid of her, and her job is in turmoil. As she continues to spiral downward, Emma struggles to make sense of everything that is happening to her.

This story was INSAAAANE. I was constantly experiencing anxiety over what Emma was experiencing, and I always find thrillers that can manage this to be quite excellent. At first I thought Emma was indeed going a bit crazy, but as the story came together and more information is uncovered, what ends up happening was startling! I didn't put the pieces together until the very end, and completely binged the ending for all the answers.

I've had Behind Her Eyes on my unread shelf for ages, and after this I will picking it up sooner than later!

With so many different opinions of this book flying around, I was a little apprehensive going into this read. I heard lots of people say it had a slow start, which I always struggle with. However, I had no issue getting into this book - my issues came later with the descriptions of the horror-side of this plot. CW: disturbing descriptions, kidnapping, incest, attempted rape, etc.

Noemi is headed to the Mexican countryside, after a disturbing letter arrives from her newly married cousin. Whisked off to a secluded mansion by her English husband, Catalina initially appears to have it all. But her recent letters have Noemi thinking she is depressed, secluded and in need of rescuing. High Place was once a prominent silver mine, run by a wealthy English family. Now, it's a secluded house set high above town, housing just the family and the servants. Noemi heads straight into this strange atmosphere, eager to help her cousin, but comes to see this family doesn't take well to outsiders - they are a tight-knit group with some harrowing secrets. When the house, a character of this story in its own right, starts to influence Noemi's thoughts and dreams, she starts to wonder if she and Catalina will ever get out. As Noemi starts to unravel the mystery of the family and their gruesome history, she gains the trust of the youngest son, and can finally see her opportunity to leave. But will the House even let her...

The secluded atmosphere and creepy cult-like family definitely enhanced the horror vibes of this book for me. Once I realized what was going on with the family and the house (which is hard not to spoil so I won't go into detail) I was equally invested and also super disturbed. I struggle with very descriptive horror novels, and the things that were happening in the house had my stomach turning with every page, but I just couldn't stop reading - I needed to know what was going to happen. Overall, Moreno-Garcia once again had me hooked with her excellent writing and creative storylines!