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Malcolm X at Oxford Union: Radical Politics In a Global Era
Book
In 1964 Malcolm X was invited to debate at the Oxford Union Society at Oxford University. The topic...
Bowlaway: A Novel
Book
A sweeping and enchanting new novel from the widely beloved, award-winning author Elizabeth...
A Right Royal Affair
7.5
Rate It
Book
Theo Glass used to believe that love was just a fairy tale. Orphaned and disowned by his homophobic...
warm and fuzzies too stinking cute male/male romance 2018 reads 5 star reads
Merissa (13149 KP) rated Lord Frederick's Return in Books
Aug 29, 2025
LORD FREDERICK'S RETURN is a standalone novel, although with links to different books, that details the differences between India and England when Frederick returns to English shores after a long absence.
You don't see much of his time there, but then the title tells you it's not set in India! What you do see is enough to know about his life there and the reasons he has for returning to England. The uncertainties he faces are understandable enough, and it made perfect sense for him to visit someone who was in the same position.
This was a very genteel story, with plenty of historical details, rules, and regulations that helped to emphasise how different things are now. I wish I could say it was all different, but some attitudes seem to be the same, no matter where you live.
Frederick and Susannah are both well-written characters, although I have to say Ruperta steals every scene she is in. Frederick's close family, or most of it, are lovely, but there's always one or two. I would have liked to have known a little more about the newfound family and if anything came of their machinations, but that may just be me being greedy.
It finished with a delightful ending that I wasn't ready for! I do hope these characters will appear in future books, even as cameos. A great story that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 29, 2025
You don't see much of his time there, but then the title tells you it's not set in India! What you do see is enough to know about his life there and the reasons he has for returning to England. The uncertainties he faces are understandable enough, and it made perfect sense for him to visit someone who was in the same position.
This was a very genteel story, with plenty of historical details, rules, and regulations that helped to emphasise how different things are now. I wish I could say it was all different, but some attitudes seem to be the same, no matter where you live.
Frederick and Susannah are both well-written characters, although I have to say Ruperta steals every scene she is in. Frederick's close family, or most of it, are lovely, but there's always one or two. I would have liked to have known a little more about the newfound family and if anything came of their machinations, but that may just be me being greedy.
It finished with a delightful ending that I wasn't ready for! I do hope these characters will appear in future books, even as cameos. A great story that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 29, 2025
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Better Homes and Hauntings in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This was a quick, fun read. Deacon Whitney, heir to what remains of the Whitney fortune, assembles a group of people to help him revamp his family's ancestral home, located on its own island off the New England coast. His family has been plagued by bad luck and financial misfortune through the years, but Deacon is a successful software engineer and has the funds available to redo the old family home. Joined by a cousin who wants to find out who really killed their great-great grandmother years ago and hopes to break the family curse, an old friend, a landscaper, and an organizational expert, Deacon and his new found friends encounter ghostly presences and jealous ex-business partners. There are some spooky moments, some humor, and plenty of romance along the way.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Below Stairs: The Bestselling Memoirs of a 1920s Kitchen Maid in Books
Sep 3, 2018
Margaret Powell's memoir Below Stairs is growing up in a poor in money but rich in love with her family in a small village near London, England and her life in domestic service in the 1920s. It is simply wonderful. Her other memoirs Climbing the Stairs and Servants Hall and her Cookery Book are next on my list. It's more like listening to your favorite aunt sitting at the kitchen with you over fresh-baked cookies and glasses of homemade lemonade while retelling stories of her childhood and life in the early part of the 20th century. You HAVE to read it!. Julian Fellowes read her books and they were the inspiration behind the extremely popular BBC series Downton Abbey, that is watched by us in the states on PBS Masterpiece.
Merissa (13149 KP) rated Bound by Oath and Honour in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Tala is an American in England, checking on her ancestral home, before returning to the States. When she spots an intruder, she doesn't think but chases him off the property. Before she knows it, she is lost in the woods with people chasing her. This is the start of her adventure, delving into the unknown.
Involving time travel, romance, flirts, guardians, ancestral lines, there is something here for everyone who enjoys a fantastical romance. The story is swiftly-paced and yet it flows with a steady rhythm. You are not left wondering just what is happening to whom and when, it is all very clear.
With clear descriptions, this book is vivid in your imagination, as Tala and Micah face danger to do what's right. Definitely recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Involving time travel, romance, flirts, guardians, ancestral lines, there is something here for everyone who enjoys a fantastical romance. The story is swiftly-paced and yet it flows with a steady rhythm. You are not left wondering just what is happening to whom and when, it is all very clear.
With clear descriptions, this book is vivid in your imagination, as Tala and Micah face danger to do what's right. Definitely recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
David McK (3587 KP) rated Holy Warrior (The Outlaw Chronicles, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Angus Donald's direct sequel to 'Outlaw', this follows on from the events of that earlier novel, again told through the eyes of the elderly Alan Dale remembering his earlier time with Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood).
Split into three distinct sections, the first is set in England and follows the preparation of the Earl of Locksley's men for their pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in what we now know as the Third Crusade. The second and third parts of the novel deal with both the journey and arrival, culminating in the historical battle of Arsouf, where Richard IIIs (Richard the Lionheart) forces come up against the might of Saladin.
Not quite as good as it's predecessor, but I'll still be reading the sequel to this novel when it's also released.
Split into three distinct sections, the first is set in England and follows the preparation of the Earl of Locksley's men for their pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in what we now know as the Third Crusade. The second and third parts of the novel deal with both the journey and arrival, culminating in the historical battle of Arsouf, where Richard IIIs (Richard the Lionheart) forces come up against the might of Saladin.
Not quite as good as it's predecessor, but I'll still be reading the sequel to this novel when it's also released.
lurkykitty (3 KP) rated The Animals at Lockwood Manor in Books
Mar 26, 2020
A tense, suspenseful debut historical novel
The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a debut historical fiction novel. It takes place in England during the second world war. Hetty Cartwright is tasked with moving animal specimens from the Natural History Museum collection to a manor in the countryside to protect them from the German air raids. Shortly after moving to Lockwood Manor, Hetty realizes all is not quite right with the inhabitants of the manor. The novel is well-written, tense, and atmospheric. The author skillfully builds the suspense, culminating in the motive for hosting the zoological collection and the revelation of multiple secrets. There is also a romance intertwined with the plot and, although important, is not the main focus of the story. It was highly readable and difficult to put down.
Twinkling of an Eye
Book
Writer, soldier, bookseller, father: Brian Aldiss has earned many titles in his life. In the...