Dear Mrs. Bird... A Review

WWII London, a spunky little lady named Emmy, and a Dear Abby type advice column answered by a woman who doesn't like any "unpleasantness" make this lighthearted story, Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce a charmer...

Our heroine of the story, Emmeline, dreams of becoming a war correspondent someday, which leads her to answer a help wanted add for what she thinks is a major London newspaper. Not only answering the ad, but accepting the job without hearing one word about what it actually involved. What she finds out soon afterwards is that the job is not working for the newspaper, but for a subsidiary of the newspaper - Woman's Friend magazine and specifically for Henrietta Bird, the Ann Landers of Woman's Friend, who incidentally is not really a friend of any of the women who write in for help, because she doesn't like any letters with any "unpleasantness", which includes anything about Sex, War and Rock n' Roll (okay that last one didn't exactly exist back then, but you get my drift), and for which she orders Emmy to tear up and throw away any letters about "those topics". After reading so many letters, from so many women and girls looking for help and being categorically rejected by Mrs. Bird, Emmy decides to take matters in her own hand and starts answering them personally, under the guise of Mrs. Bird.

A nice cast of characters fill out the story and Emmy's life, including a BFF, a fiancé and quirky work mates, and paint a realistic picture of life in London during WWII with the tragedies, hopes & dreams, and the strength of the women left behind.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this sweet charming read to historical fiction fans. Emmy is a great character, so are her friends, and the story does a good job of immersing the reader in London during WWII. I enjoyed the premise of the story, where Emily decides she can't ignore those crushing letters that Mrs. Bird rejected. And there was a steady build up to see if Emmy was going to get caught answering those letters herself.  My only wish for a little more would be in developing Emmy's love interest, but putting that aside I would say it was a good read.

Dear Mrs. Bird is the debut novel of AJ Pearce, who was inspired by reading advice columns from women's magazines from the 1930's. A strong 3 1/2 stars from this reader!

Kidnapped By a Rogue by Margaret Mallory... A Review

I recently had the good fortune of receiving an eGalley of Kidnapped by a Rogue from author, Margaret Mallory.  Margaret posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for a handful of reviewers and I immediately volunteered! I love her writing and she has never, and I mean never, disappointed me! Her newest novel, out today (Monday, July 9th), is no exception.

Immersing the reader into a story rich in Scottish history and adding a hunky Highlander with a spunky independent lady is only the beginning... you'll find within the pages of Kidnapped by a Rogue, romance, sex, jealousy, deceit, intrigue, secrets, hope, humor and adventure. I loved this book! When I started reading it, I literally could not put it down! It is the 3rd book in a series, but the story stands on its own, so no need to have to read the previous 2 (but after reading this one, you're going to want more!)

Briefly (and without giving too much away) Finn is our hunk, who is a second son, meaning he will not inherit his father's lands. He's an amazing warrior who not only can wield a weapon, but can also wield a pretty good smile and has all the ladies aflutter. (Yes, he's very charming!) In his heart, he just wants a plot of land he can call his own, and it is this desire that causes him to accept a request to kidnap, Lady Margaret...

Well, Margaret is actually in need of kidnapping. Her husband has thrown her out and annulled the marriage (you'll have to read the book to discover why!) and now her older brothers want to marry her off to forge an alliance with anyone that they think will make their clan stronger, but she wants no part of that. So when Margaret finally "meets" Finn, sparks fly for a lot of reasons and Margaret willingly goes... and that's when the real fun begins...

If you enjoy romance, and if find Highlanders sexy as hell, READ THIS! Margaret Mallory's writing is wonderful, her stories are rich in details and are just fun to read. You will fall for Finn and be rooting for Lady Margaret and him to conquer all the obstacles to be together. You'll also be turning those pages as fast as you can! 

Still Me by Jojo Moyes... A Review

I laughed, I cried, and I became totally enamored. Jojo Moyes weaves a story filled with love, humor, compassion and the need to be true to oneself. She does this by creating full of life characters that we grow to love and allowing us to still love the characters we've grown close to. I loved this book! Author Jojo Moyes amazes me. How you may ask? Let me tell you...

First, What is the storyline? Still Me is about how beloved character Lousia Clark leaves everything behind, England, her close family, her hunky new paramedic boyfriend Sam and moves across the pond to New York City. She's still trying to live in the moment and experience all life has to offer as her precious deceased love, Will Traynor, Me Before You, has inspired her to do. She accepts a job working for a very wealthy family, who is as dysfunctional as you can imagine and along the way she meets so many wonderful people, all of whom we really get to know because Jojo Moyes knows how to delve deep into the souls of her characters. The pulse of the story centers around the quirky people in the building Louisa works in and New York City itself (and let me tell you, Jojo really captures the sights and sounds of The City! You really feel like you are right beside Louisa as she is walking those streets!) There are a few twists and turns in the juggling act Louisa must do in order to keep her job, her boyfriend and her sanity, but you'll have to read Still Me to find out how that all works out. *Hint... have tissues ready, it's a bumpy, emotional fun-filled ride!

Now how is this story amazing? Well, revisiting a well loved character in a new book can be risky business. We loved Louisa Clark in England and the previous 2 books, Me Before You & After You, we loved character Will Traynor, we even loved Louisa's new love interest Sam, but would we love her moving across the pond? Would this new story pull us in or would we be missing everything Louisa and Jojo Moyes leaves behind in the last two books including those characters? The answer is that author Jojo Moyes does a fantastic job on all counts and Still Me is a wonderful read!

If you love the character Louisa Clark, if you've read the previous 2 books, or just Me Before You, you will love Still Me! If you haven't read the previous adventures of Louisa Clark, you still can enjoy Still Me and will fall in love with quirky, full of heart character Louisa Clark for the first time. In any case, pick up a copy of Still Me by Jojo Moyes and be prepared to be swept up in Louisa's newest adventure! A little romance, a little heartbreak, a lot of fashion and a great story! Coming to your bookstore of choice January 30th! Published by Penguin Random House.

I want to thank Penguin Random House for sending along a review copy of Still Me for an honest review! I loved it!