Talking at Night by Claire Daverley: A love story that never seems to find the right time. Before it starts, it’s already over and then it just haunts the Rosie and Will with what could have been. All told in a voice that’s so soft and tender that it was just beautiful to read. The pain they feel seeps right of the pages and I felt it right with them. It’s a wonderful story and I was rooting for them all the way to the end.
Maksym by Dirk Stermann: Maksym turns out to be the manny of Dirk Sterman, a late night TV host in Austria. But it takes a while for the reader to meet him. Until then we are entertained with stories from Sterman’s radio show days and his new family, especially his four year old son. The story meanders through his life, part fiction, part real life. Maksym though is the most interesting character of this book, hence the title. He is a charismatic mix of a crook and a simple immigrant, who turns out to be neither. Instead he teaches Sterman that stereotypes are just that. There’s always more than meets the eye. Entertaining book!
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen: Wow, that one took me a while even though the story sounded quite fascinating. In the end though, reading it in my cell phone did make a difference. I much prefer my E-reader. Nonetheless the fantasy Viking novel hits most of the right spots. Oddly enough the two main characters, Bjørn and Freya, are both weird in an annoying way. So in that sense they deserve each other. The magic and the rituals, even the fighting was pretty satisfying to read. Therefore probably cannot resist to pick up book number two, when it gets published.
The Warrior Queen by Joanna Arman: Aethelflaed is a little-known female ruler of Mercia, who lived in the 10th century. I was really looking forward to this book, especially since I saw her depicted in ‘The Last Kingdom‘. So when I found this book about her, I wanted to learn about the real historic figure. Unfortunately there is not a lot of material from this time and therefore the book a little bit bland. The author keeps to the sources and provides a lot of footnotes, but overall it was just not fascinating. As much as I admire Aethelflaed, the writer doesn’t do her much justice. Or maybe I am not made for non-fiction books?
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