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The Dead Queens Club Review
What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain, and the vice president of the debate club have in common? It sounds like the ridiculously long lead-up to an astoundingly absurd punchline, right? Except it’s not. Well, unless my life is the joke, which is kind of starting to look like a possibility given how beyond soap opera it’s been since I moved to Lancaster. But anyway, here’s your answer: we’ve all had the questionable privilege of going out with Lancaster High School’s de facto king. Otherwise known as my best friend. Otherwise known as the reason I’ve already helped steal a car, a jet ski, and one hundred spray-painted water bottles when it’s not even Christmas break yet. Otherwise known as Henry. Jersey number 8.
Meet Cleves. Girlfriend number four and the narrator of The Dead Queens Club, a young adult retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives. Cleves is the only girlfriend to come out of her relationship with Henry unscathed—but most breakups are messy, right? And sometimes tragic accidents happen…twice…
The English court is really just a massive stakes, adult version of high school and Caplin proves it. It’s amazing how she stuffs so many historical tibits like Henry’s fake name is Rex ie. Latin for king, the convoluted family ties of Anne Bolyn, Katherine Howard and Parker Rochford (real name Jane but would get too confusing with the other Jane) being cousins, Catherine Parr dating Thomas Seymore, the cousin of Jane Seymore who also dated Henry, fellow students taking on the parts of other nobles who were active players in the Tudor Court. Yeah, she manages to keep all that intact in a high school setting.
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Not So Pure and Simple Review
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed himself up for a Purity Pledge. His best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe anyone is worth this long of a long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl.
And that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word, but with other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move now. However, with all his plotting and scheming, Del never really stops to What does Kiera want? No matter, though—once he gets the girl, he’s sure all will sort itself out. Right?
An insightful book tackling sexual education, and the tug between abstinence-only, religious education and the double standards afforded to men and women when societal values are crossed. It also examines toxic masculinity, particularly Del’s “nice guy” attitude regarding Kiera.
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Update
Hi everyone, I just set up a new Contact form on my homepage so if anyone wants to send me a book suggestion, connect or share thoughts of anything I should add to this blog.
New book review coming tomorrow, until then happy reading.
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Author Highlight: Helen Dickinson
Now we’re throwing it back to the. . . well, before the 20th century again. Dickinson has a fondness for three vastly different eras: The Georgian (named after King George, yes the King George from Hamilton and 1776, the one the US broke away from); the English Civil War, and Victorian. So let’s get to it.
Imprisoned during the French Revolution, English spy Lord Laurence Beaumont is finally rescued—by the courageous, beautiful Delphine St. Clair. Back home in Cornwall, Laurence has no interest in the convenient marriage offered by a local landowner—until he discovers the bride is Delphine! With intense memories of their liaison dangereuse in Paris, Laurence knows theirs will be an unconventional union…but can he keep his promise never to be a spy again?
This was another historical romance that overlapped with romantic suspense. Delphine’s work as a smuggler is coming to an end as the revolution winds down, giving her some more time to finish the mission she really wants-finding out if her father is still alive. However, Laurence’s work as a spy is never truly complete, so it is at odds with Delphine’s wishes for one last adventure before settling down to a less heart-racing, more cozy lifestyle of hearth and home. She just wants to feel like her life’s not in danger 24/7, and who can blame her?
I admired Delphine’s resiliency and strategic mind as much as Laurence did, and although the third act break-up did feel predictable, I liked how it related to the very serious issue of how their life is going to move forward with Laurence’s spy career. One can understand why Laurence didn’t reveal his whole mission to Delphine even though it did affect her life, and her own mission. But one will also clap at seeing Delphine take the reins to remind Laurence that she knows how to execute espionage under pressure.
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The Awakening of Roku Review
Three years after the mess on Lambak Island, Roku has finally mastered airbending and is on track to become the Avatar the world needs. But when he encounters a mysterious illness on his way to Agna Qel’a, he delays his journey and the next phase of his training to prevent the situation from worsening.
As Roku ventures deeper into the North and nearer to danger, he soon realizes there’s more to the malady than meets the eye. With the assistance of his good friend Gyatso, a gifted Waterbender named Makittuq, and others near and far―including from his past―Roku races to contain the crisis before the disease can ravage the North . . . and beyond.
It was nice to return to the Avatarverse, and this was interesting as Ribay picks up three years after The Reckoning of Roku. The other duologies picked up months later, so this was a vast amount of time to skip, and it shows in the characterizations.
Roku is far from the impulsive, and pardon the pun, hotheaded young man we first met. He is in a much more balanced space. However, his adherence to Fire Nation loyalty and his inability to let go of the past has been replaced by indecisiveness. The events on Lambak Island, and the death of Malay has him questioning his ability to read people. He sees the best in people, but with the illness striking animals and threatening the North Water Tribe’s resources, and greater trade, he can’t risk trusting the wrong person.
Sozin has also changed in the intervening years. He still has insecurities regarding his father’s faith in him as heir, but he also grown more into his darker inclinations, his shortsightedness and focus on showing might.
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Author Highlight: Lauri Robinson
Harlequin, and the historical romance genre in general may be known for its Regency balls and Western shoot-outs, but Lauri Robinson may be the only introducing exciting new eras that make for interesting twists to classic historical romance tropes. From early America to the sock-hops, Lauri Robinson has something almost for every era.
Saving Marina
Seduced in Salem Sea captain Richard Tarr must claim his child after the death of his estranged wife. Arriving in Salem, he’s shocked to discover his daughter is in the care of Marina Lindqvist—a rumored witch! This beautiful, gentle woman awakens unfamiliar feelings in Richard. And as the threat from the Salem witch hunters grows, he knows he must protect misunderstood Marina at all costs. Little does he know that with Marina helping him bond with his little girl, she might just be saving him right back…
Like many Harlequin romances, this one has a simple premise of young bachelor travels a long way to pick up his orphaned niece now that his brother is dead and he’s the only family he has left. Then he falls for the woman who has been temporarily taking care of her.
This has one intriguing variation- the woman taking care of niece, Marina, is a suspected witch.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance set in colonial America, and the paranoia that has overtaken the town because of the Salem Witch Trials make this more like a historical suspense romance than regular historical romance. As an outsider, Richard, can see the town is devolving into crazed zealots led by a greedy leader, but because of that same outsider status they won’t believe him when he says the town leader they’re following is the one cheating them all.
Marina was interesting too with the ambiguity of whether she was a witch or not. She has prophetic dreams, and in such a superstitious/religious era, she does fear she may be a witch and what that means for her relationship with the rest of the town and other God-fearing people. It was nicely tied together how these two outsiders come to form a family of their own.
(more…)#50s, #adancewithherforbiddenofficer, #afamilyforthetitanicsurvivor, #americana, #colonial, #edwardian, #harlequinhistorical, #harlequinromance, #historicalromance, #laurirobinson, #marriageorruinfortheheiress, #rachelreads&reviews, #roaringtwenties, #salemwitchtrials, #savingmarina, #scandalatthespeakeasy, #thecaptain’schristmashomecoming, #thecowboywhocaughthereye, #thegreatdepression, #theheiressandthebabyboom, #titanic, #western, #ww1, #ww2 -
Book of the Month: History of the World in 50 Dogs
Most dog lovers know Fido and Laika, but how about Martha, Paul McCartney’s Old English Sheepdog? Or Peritas, Alexander the Great’s trusted canine companion? As long as there have been humans, those humans have had beloved companions—their dogs. From the ancient Egyptians mummifying their pups, to the Indian legend of the king who refused to enter the afterlife unless his dog was allowed there too, to the modern meme and popularity of terms like the corgi sploot, humans are undeniably obsessed with their dogs.
Told in short, illustrated essays that are interspersed with both historical and canine factoids, The History of the World in Fifty Dogs brings to life some of history’s most memorable moments through the stories of the dogs that saw them happen.For our first selection of Book Club 2026, we chose a short, happy nonfiction. It’s my seventh time reading it, I think, and it’s still a delight!
My friend was fascinated by the history that was erased in our classes. Not just those from marginalized POVs, but through our furry friends who have been with us forever.
Some had big impacts on human history like Sir Isaac Newton’s big pom, Diamond, who set the theory of gravity aflame, and Freud’s pet chow inspiring the use of therapeutic animals. Some had smaller impacts like Martha, the Beatles’ fifth member, or nonexistent impact like the Nazis attempt to make telepathic dog army (we theorize this was when Hitler was one of his mercury-induced ideas).
Set in her conversational tone, Lee’s style keeps you engaged and my friend especially loved her humorous chapter titles like My Bark Will Go On, We Want Brandy, and Game of Bones among others. Not that it’s all light, the anti-vivisection and animal experiment chapters were cruel and sad.
Yeah, there’s not much you can fault in a fun, informational book like this, setting history’s big events and their furry contexts. Or vice versa. My only quibble is that one or two chapters feel only dog-adjacent rather than dog-centered. Ie, the event could have happened with or without a dog’s presence, but that’s a minor nitpick when you have such underrated historical gems like Napoleon’s pug curse and the Order of the Pug.
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YA books
The Assignment by Liza Wiemer
SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand.
As the school administration addressed the teens’ refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?At first I didn’t quite understand the problem Logan and Caleb had with the titular assignment. Yes, Nazi ideology is ugly, but it’s common enough to learn about the reasons and justifications of atrocities. That way, people will be aware when such propaganda rises up again and will be able to think critically. You know, make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
So I was on the side of the teacher, and Wiemer does an excellent job in illustrating why the teacher, who is well-meaning, and I were wrong. We see why Nazism is wrong, we assume that other students will come to the conclusion.
In reality, the assignment gives some students free reign to unleash their ugly antisemitic (and general asshole) side, and the quiet, unassuming town is turning its head to lots of things. That maybe it’s not a nice town as they thought, and that potentially history can happen again.
An excellent story with short chapters that compel readers to keep reading more. The story primarily focuses on Logan and Caleb’s POV, and also offers other POVs of supporting players, so readers can get a feel for the town and its inhabitants. It also nicely weaves into Caleb and Logan’s personal stories about whether they want to keep their head down to survive their final year or continue to stand up for those who are not able to speak.
Their romance while brief subplot, adds some wholesome levity to how heavy the book gets that those who are fans of friends to lovers will enjoy.
(more…)#angelinaboulley, #antisemitism, #asianamerican, #asianamericanhistory, #asianmcs, #delcourtpress, #harpercollins, #harperteen, #indigenousfiction, #indigenousmcs, #joannaho, #littlebrownbooksforyoungreaders, #lizawiemer, #marikoturj, #poppy, #rachelreads&reviews, #theassignment, #theothersideofperfect, #thesilencethatbindsus, #warriorgirlunearthed, #YA
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 