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The Last Will of Moira Leahy
The Last Will of Moira Leahy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The relationship between identical twin sisters and the tragedy that splits them apart is at the heart of Therese Walsh's debut novel. Read more about this book in my review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2016/09/10/eling-for-healing/
  
A Well-Behaved Woman
A Well-Behaved Woman
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
During the Gilded Age, New York’s high-society shunned the “Nuevo Riche” no matter how much wealth they had. This was true until Alva Smith decided to turn around both her own fortunes and the standing of the Vanderbilt family by marrying their last eligible son, William. Author Therese Anne Fowler tells this story in her latest book “A Well-Behaved Woman,” and you can find my review of this historical fiction novel, on my blog now.
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2018/10/06/the-gilding-of-a-lady/
  
Thanatos (The Underworld Saga #1)
Thanatos (The Underworld Saga #1)
Eva Pohler | 2012 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great mythological story

For anyone who enjoys mythology, thus is a great book. You get to know some of the gods and goddesses from Greek mythology. The only thing I found a little unbelievable was parts if the love story between Than and Therese, although it was lovely to read as a young girl fell in love with the Hod of death, I sometimes forgot that she was supposed to only be 15 as some of it was written as though she was an adult. I would give it 3.5 stars overall as it was a fun little read!
  
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Helen McCrory recommended Therese Raquin in Books (curated)

 
Therese Raquin
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola, Helen Edmundson | 2014 | Film & TV
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I left Africa and childish things, and went to live in Paris, where Thérèse Raquin kept me on the straight and narrow. Read at an impressionable age, it’s a very important moral life lesson about guilt and consequences—without ever having to stick your finger into the pit of hell itself. At the time I was going to the American Library, and looking at the handsome boys who didn’t know I existed because I was a little chubby teenager. The descriptions of Therese sitting there with Laurent, playing dominoes in their house above the shop, and that burning desire for somebody rang very true for a little plump 14-year-old on the banks of the Seine."

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I love these two authors and their work, and I was excited to see where this book went. And honestly, while I loved that these authors came together and created a captivating story, I was a little lost in some of the areas of the story, so I'll definitely be going back to read the first two in the series.

That said, these characters, both present day, and historical, are beautifully chiseled. Told between two points of view, the authors take the reader on a whirlwind ride through history and contemporary times. I loved visiting Richmond during the Civil War. Historical eras are my favorite! Nicole and Therese quickly swept me into the heart of the story and I felt both of their emotions like they were my own!

Despite not reading book 1 and 2 and occasionally struggling to follow the story line, this conclusional book is definitely worth 4 stars. The writing styles of these two authors are beautiful, and mysterious and historical elements are awesome. This book is filled with emotions, thought provoking story lines, family legacies, and Godly messages of faith, trust and hope. I definitely suggest you get this book if you've read the first two! It will steal you away to another place in time and keep you up long into the night.<a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/13819-revision-v1/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales
The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales
Kate Mosse | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am not going to ramble on and on giving you a synopsis for all the stories but I will let you know some of the ones that I enjoyed the most out of this collection. I really wanted to start reading some more short stories so I have continuously made an effort in reading a collection per month. With each book there are obviously going to be some better than others. I think the hardest thing for the authors is to create a really good and atmospheric story that will truly grip you and Kate Mosse has certainly done that in some of these stories. Others were a bit weak and easily forgettable.

The stories included are:

The Mistletoe Bride – 4/5 stars

Duet – 3.5/5 stars

Red Letter day – 2.5/5 stars

The drowned village – 3/5 stars

The house on the hill – 3/5 stars

Why the yew tree lives so long -1.5/5stars

Sainte-Therese – 3/5 stars

The ship of the dead -4/5 stars

La Fille de Melisande -2/5 stars

The revenant -5/5 star – FAVOURITE

On Harting hill -3.5/5 stars

The princess Alice -3/5 stars

In the Theatre at night 2.5/5 stars

The yellow scarf -3.5/5 stars

Syrinx 1/5 stars

Each of these stories comes with an authors note as what inspired her to write them. There are also some black and white gothic illustrations before each of the stories drawn by Rohan Daniel Eason which sets the tone. The stories are set in Sussex, Brittany and Languedoc that are based on Folk tales ranging from the 1800’s to the present day.

I will admit as writing this review I had to check the stories again to see which ones were which as they are somewhat forgettable. The ones that have clearly stuck with me is ‘The Mistletoe Bride’, ‘Duet’ and ‘The Revenant’.

The revenant was the best story by far in the book, it was eerie and creepy and had me on the edge of my seat with my pulse racing as I was actually scared but couldn’t stop reading. It is probably one of the scariest short stories that I have read! Mosse manages to create an intense atmosphere and completely grips the reader. The writing style is very easy to read and flows beautifully.

I would recommend this to people who are looking to read some short-stories that have historical fiction with supernatural elements and a bit of horror.

Overall I rated this 3.5/5 stars