Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Novels I Enjoyed

 

This was a fun topic for Top Ten Tuesday! It was honestly hard to choose and some of these I had forgotten about as I thought through which ones to pick. Some are classics, others current series, and some are Christian authors I read years ago as a teen. I think writing is brave and ambitious and something I don't know if I'd have the patience for. So hats off to these authors for taking a leap of faith and putting out a first book. 

1. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

2. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

4. Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

6. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

7. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

9. A Very English Murder by Verity Bright

10. The Heather Hills of Stonewycke by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella

Stacking the Shelves #32

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

This book is part of a series called Mamur Zapt Mysteries. I plan to read book one soon but this one was on sale this week. The author, Michael Pearce was born in Egypt in 1933 and he uses Cairo as the setting for this series. I found the premise so interesting when I researched it. The Mamur Zapt was the name for the special investigator of the British government in pre-World War Egypt. The protagonist of the novels is a Welshman who investigates the political more than the procedural and so the books focus on both aspects. This series looks very original and I hope to learn a lot too reading some of these mysteries! Not sure if they qualify as cozy though. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Gathering Storm by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Book 36 of the Morland Dynasty)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Gathering Storm by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. This is the 36th book in the popular Morland Dynasty series started by Eagles in 1980. She said she wanted to teach others about the history of England in an interesting way with a family saga. I have read one of these books and would love to read them all. I was surprised to see it as there has been an 11 year gap in them. The last one she penned, The Phoenix, came out in 2013. This book continues with the life of Edward VIII and the fictional character of Polly Morland. I know those who have read and followed this series will be excited to see it continuing. Harrod-Eagles has written 100 books, including many historical, romance books. 

I hope you've found something you can't wait to read this week!

August 22, 2024

Historical Fiction

Description courtesy of Amazon

The eagerly-awaited return to the acclaimed Morland Dynasty series, and the 100th novel by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

England, 1936

The reign of Edward VIII has begun, but danger for the monarchy already looms on the horizon. At home in Morland Place, Polly Morland feels alone and abandoned, with her brother summoned to France by his old employer. James soon finds himself travelling to Russia, whereas Polly will voyage on the Queen Mary with New York - and a long-lost love - her destination. Soon the family are scattered to the four winds, from Hollywood to war-torn Spain.

Working for the Air Ministry on new fighter planes, Jack fears that his children are not taking the increasingly tense situation in Europe seriously enough. The nation is divided over which is the greater thread: Communist Russia, or Fascist Germany. As the storms of war gather, they will threaten to overwhelm the Morlands and destroy all that they have worked for...

Covert in Cairo by Kelly Oliver: A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery Book Two

 

Publication Date:

April 25, 2023

Length:

290 Pages

Summary:

This was on my Summer 2024 list because its setting is Egypt. I love the cover too. This has just been a cozy mystery year for me. Due to some personal stress this last year these keep me lighthearted and are welcome at the end of a long, trying day. I especially enjoyed the setting of the pyramids, tombs, and Egyptian feel. So even though I hadn't read any other books in the series I started with this one for those reasons. 

Former nurse Fiona Figg and her young friend Kitty Lane are working undercover for the British Intelligence Office. Escorted by their companion, Captain Clifford Douglas, they travel to Egypt working from a tip left by the elusive spy Fredrick Fredricks (ridiculous name I know, but stick with me!). Soaking in the tourist vibe the girls and Clifford get to know some locals, and investigate a supposed plot to blow up the Suez Canal, although Fiona is unsure if this is a red herring planted by Fredricks to disguise an ulterior motive and keep her distracted. Fredricks seems to pop up everywhere unexpectedly and both Fiona and Kitty do not trust him. He seems to be working as both a German spy and possibly British Intelligence but who knows?

Death in a Scottish Castle by Lydia Travers: The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency Book 4

Publication Date:

July 11, 2024

Length:

313 Pages

Summary:

I read book one of this series and since I got this advance copy I decided to go ahead and skip to book four. It was easy to pick up the storyline and these books can be read as standalone. I don't like to do that with a series but it worked out here okay.

It's 1912 in Scotland and Lady Detective Maude McIntyre and her former maid Daisy are thriving with their business, chasing down criminals and solving mysteries. When they are asked to investigate a missing statuette in a remote Highland castle they jump at the chance to travel. Clachan Castle on the Island of Mull is as far as they can imagine and when they arrive they expect only to find a theft to solve. Little do they know they will become embroiled in not one, but two murders and a locked room mystery.