On the blog last week
Monday – I shared my review of Warrior (Agricola #2) by Simon Turney.
Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books That Include A Favorite Theme or Plot Device and I chose Whole Life Stories.
Wednesday – As always WWW Wednesday is a weekly opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next… and to take a peek at what others are reading.
Friday – I published my review of A Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow as part of the blog tour.
Saturday – I published my review of The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner.
New on my shelves
Viper in the Nest by Georgina Clarke (ARC, VERVE Books)
London’s streets are sinister. But what if the real danger lies closer to home?
London, June 1759. When a charmless civil servant takes his own life, Lizzie Hardwicke, who plies her trade in the brothels of London whilst also working as an undercover sleuth for the magistrate, is alone in wondering why.
Lizzie’s search for answers takes her from the smoke-filled rooms of fashionable gambling houses, where politicians mix ambition with pleasure, to the violent streets of Soho, ready to erupt with riots in the sultry summer heat.
Then a gambling house owner is brutally murdered, and Lizzie finds herself tangled in a chaos that she cannot control. The darkest of secrets threatens her friendship with William Davenport, the magistrate’s assistant. Revealing the truth could send her to the gallows.
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (eARC, Mantle via NetGalley)
Following the murder of her husband in what looks like a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. Her confectionary shop on Piccadilly is barely turning a profit, her suppliers conspiring to put her out of business because they don’t like women in trade. Henry Fielding, the famous author-turned-magistrate, is threatening to confiscate the money in her husband’s bank account because he believes it might have been illicitly acquired. And even those who claim to be Hannah’s friends have darker intent.
Only William Devereux seems different. A friend of her late husband, Devereux helps Hannah unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his death. He also tells her about an Italian delicacy called iced cream, an innovation she is convinced will transform the fortunes of her shop. But their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip and draws Henry Fielding’s attention her way, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything she can imagine.
What I’m currently reading
Look out for…
- Book Review: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
What Cathy Read Next... 