India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr

Published October 4th 2011 by Berkley Prime Crime
Summary from Goodreads
Black is back! Her Majesty's favorite spy is off to Scotland in this new adventure to ensure the Queen doesn't end up getting killed. 

When Queen Victoria attends a séance, the spirit of her departed husband, Prince Albert, insists she spend Christmas at their Scottish home in Balmoral. Prime Minister Disraeli suspects the Scottish nationalists plan to assassinate the Queen-and sends the ever resourceful India and the handsome British spy, French, to the Scottish highlands. 

French will take the high road, looking for a traitor among the guests-and India will take the low road, disguised as a servant in case an assassin is hiding among the household staff. India is certain that someone at Balmoral is determined to make this Her Majesty's last Christmas...


I love this series!!  I love the main character, I love the language, and I just love it!!  I will admit that I had some of it figured out but what is the fun of a mystery if you are completely clueless.  I really hope that the next one comes out soon.  If your are into historical mystery with a slight romance twist then you should try this one out.  The first in the series is India Black.  In the meantime do you have any suggestions for me from this genre?  I need more!

January Wrap-Up 2012

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at the The Story Siren - basically you post what books you have received, bought, or borrowed that week.  Here are the ebooks that I got at the digital library this week.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

What's in your mailbox?

February End of the Month TBR

Here are the books that I want to read before the end of the month.  It's a bit ambitious but that's ok.  These books will all be familiar because they have been featured in hauls and IMMs.
 

I just started reading The Pledge and it is so far enjoyable so yay! :D

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Published February 7th 2012 by Putnam Juvenile
Summary from Goodreads
"Blessed with a gift..."cursed" with a secret." Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave. 
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

This book stressed me out!  I know that sounds like a bad thing, but really it just means I got sucked into the story.  I never knew who Cate could trust or what was going to happen next -- I was expecting treachery at every turn!  The world that Jessica has created is very familiar, but it has been twisted into such an interesting form.  And I loved seeing and feeling it all from Cate's point of view.   I cannot wait for the next release in this brilliant series!

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at the The Story Siren - basically you post what books you have received, bought, or borrowed that week.  Here are the books that I got at the library this week.

 Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Waiting on Wednesday - Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.  It is a weekly meme were you post about books that you are eagerly anticipating.


Expected publication: September 4th 2012 by Simon Pulse
summary from Goodreads
Life altering mistakes are meant to alter lives… 

When Elliot dies for the third time, she knows this is her last shot. There are no fourth-timers in this afterlife, so one more chance is all she has to get things right. But before she can move on to her next life, Elliot will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed. 

As she pieces together the mistakes of her past, Elliot must earn the forgiveness of her best friend and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at the The Story Siren - basically you post what books you have received, bought, or borrowed that week.  Here are the books that I got at the library this week.

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

What's in you mailbox?

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Published January 31st 2012 by Bloomsbury USA
Summary from Goodreads
When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?


I don't remember liking Austenland but I LOVE Shannon Hale so I decided to give Midnight in Austenland a chance.  I'm glad I did!  This is one of those books that I find my thoughts randomly coming back to even now that I am not reading it anymore.  I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is because of the mystery twist - it gave the story depth.  You are constantly trying to figure out if there really was a murder or not.  I also enjoyed Charlotte's journey of discovering herself after divorce.  I highly recommend this book especially if you are a Shannon Hale fan and would like to see another side of her writing.  

Waiting on Wednesday - The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.  It is a weekly meme were you post about books that you are eagerly anticipating.


Expected publication: August 21st 2012 by Walker Childrens
Summary from Goodreads
Emmeline Thistle has always had a mysterious bond with cows, beginning on the night of her birth, when the local bovines saved the infant cast aside to die in the forest. But Emmeline was unaware that this bond has also given her a magical ability to transform milk into chocolate, a very valuable gift in a kingdom where chocolate is more rare and more precious than gold or jewels. Then one day Owen Oak, a dairyman’s son, teaches Emmeline to churn milk into butter – and instead she creates a delicious chocolate confection that immediately makes her a target for every greedy, power-hungry person in the kingdom of Anglund. Only Owen loves Emmeline for who she truly is, not her magical skill. But is his love enough to save her from the danger all around her?